FILM REVIEW OF DHOBI GHAT

There are a number of Hindi films made on a metro city and its life, some explore the monotony of daily life, some relationships and some focus on hardships required to cope up with the pace of the city. The directorial debut of Kiran Rao- “Dhobi Ghat” released in January 2010 received mixed reactions from people. Even though the film got extreme reaction of being loved by some and disliked by some, the movie definitely made a mark and showed that Bollywood is not just limited to song and dance.

 Interwoven with the hustle and bustle of the dream city Mumbai, Dhobi Ghat presents the story of four individuals. The 95-minute film portrayed the city of dreams Mumbai in a complete new light.

The characterization of all the protagonists- Arun, Munna, Shai and Yasmin is very well done. And though the four protagonists are starkly different, all of them are entwined with each other in some way. The loneliness of Yasmin whose video diary narrates her day-to-day routine, the aspiration of Munna to become an actor, a washer man in day and rat killer in night, the inquisitiveness of photographer Shai and the restlessness of artist Arun is very well portrayed in the movie.

Cinematographer Tushar Kanti has done a splendid job. And all the shots of the film just look like moving painting of the canvas and successfully depict the Mumbai city.

Beautifully composed shots aided by an evocative background score fit very well with the varied moods, from melancholy to delight. The background score is definitely one of the many reasons that swayed the cinema lovers to fall in love with the film.

As a whole, the film leaves us moved as its protagonists bond together as they journey through longing, loneliness, loss and love.