Review of Dhobi Ghat (2010) by Krishna B — 22 Jan 2011

I went in expecting a lot from this movie. The promos were slick and the music was intensely intriguing. For the better part of the movie, I marveled! How many times does it happen that Aamir Khan's role is on par in terms of definition and his performance is on par in terms of sheer acting prowess with the rest of the characters in the movie? Great character definition is making you forget, even for that tiny instant, that they are merely actors doing their jobs. And Dhobi Ghat has those moments galore! IMHO, Prateik Babbar and Monica Dogra outshine even Aamir with their poignant performances!

The camera work is beautifully refreshing, and I am not just comparing it with Bollywood fare. It captures Mumbai, the scheduled chaos, the merging of extremities and its soul, so beautifully, that it even makes a fraud Mumbaiite like me, yearn to go back to the madness.

At the end, I left immensely happy, to have added Kiran Rao to my watch-list of can-be-legendary directors, who can make movies worth getting lost into, worth sharing it over your favorite poison, with people who understand life as well as they understand you.