Dhobi Ghat: Moody Blues

Dhobi Ghat, the debut feature of Kiran Rao, is a love letter to the city of Mumbai. When you see the movie, the one feeling that stands out is the dominant presence of the city as the central character. But the beauty of the film is, while the city is the major character; it is also the silent spectator to the lives of many of its citizens.

4 characters in the film are nothing but metaphors for the varied residents of this "Maximum City" who come here with aspirations, dreams and hopes; but over a period of time just lose a part (a significant part of their own being). A couple of beautiful shots in the film - very subtle; yet very poignant - convey the very meaning of this film. One shot where Aamir gets into his new apartment and opens the drawers to clean it up, he finds some boxes and some personal stuff left by the previous occupant. And the second shot again features Aamir standing on a beach and sees a statue of Ganesha being thrown at the shore lines by the oncoming tide. These shots just signify the basic plot that Ms. Rao is trying to convey through her debut feature - that no matter what you gain here in Mumbai, you certainly leave a residue here a certain residue.

The overall mood of the film is that of melancholy and the desire to hold on to yourself and yet not being able to. It's a quest to find the meaning of oneself amongst the crowd. Extremely existential, this feature of Ms. Rao is very carefully shot and framed by her able photographer. Capturing the city in all its shades, and hues, she throws a bunch of eclectic characters belonging to different economic and social strata, and though their aspirations might seem different on the surface; they all are similar for the simple reason that they all yearn for some sort of connect, love and acceptance. All the characters yearn for a sense of belonging.

Endless shots of people being framed standing by the window and overlooking at the city scape down below, people being framed amongst a sea of thousands of other people, or people standing alone by the sea side populate this film through and through.

Repressed sexuality, matter-of-fact battle of the sexes, and commitment-phobia permeate the film entirely. Using the format of photographs, paintings, and video diaries, Ms. Rao also conveys an implicit level of voyeurism amongst the contemporary generation. The inert interest in all of us in peeping into the lives of the others and doing that to the point of being addicted to it is brilliantly captured.

Contrary to what is being said about the film being a story of 4 characters, I'd want to say that its the story of Mumbai.

Performances in the movie are honest and outstanding. Everyone sinks their teeth into their well-written characters. The cinematography is simply outstanding and the super 16mm format only justifies the personal touch the director wanted to give the film. And any mention of the film would be absolutely incomplete without the soundtrack and the background score.

The haunting tunes of Academy Award-winner Gustavo Santaolalla (Babel) and the use of thumri only help accentuate the melancholy of the film.

In the end, Dhobi Ghat is a film that will appeal only to people who appreciate a film that explores a mood and that too melancholic rather than tell you a story. It's a beautiful film from a director who certainly has made her voice heard.

Thank you Kiran Rao for such vision and Aamir Khan productions for backing it with such honesty!