Dhobi Ghat

Aamir Khan has a knack for doing stuff that are off the beaten track. In movies this actor has a tendency to take over the entire movie and become larger than life. Quite an achievement for someone who defies the typical chocolate hero mold that Bollywood thrives on. Aamir has always been an iconoclast. Everything about him is different - he is short (5'6"); Played a college student in the blockbuster 3 Idiots when he was 45 years old(born 14 March 1965); and has now made being greying and looking middle aged that is cool enough to make hair dye sales dip. That last bit is courtesy Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries). When he turned director in 2007 with Tare Zameen Par, he made the nation's parents feel guilty about living their dreams through their children. When Aamir started blogging (here), he caught the attention of bloggers with his views. When he protested against the construction of the Narmada Dam, he got the nation divided. With this film too, I suspect he will have cinegoers divided.The biggest drawback Dhobi Ghat suffers from is that it is seen to be an Aamir Khan film. If you point out that Aamir is one of the 4 main characters of the film and not the main protagonist/ hero of the film, it does not matter. The person sitting next to me tells me (before the film began) that this film is special because Aamir is the producer and hence it is bound to be a good film. Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Peepli Live have all been produced by Aamir. Neither is Aamir is the director of this film. Yeah, "It is Aamir Khan's wife" who has directed this film. So you see how Kiran Rao as the film's writer and director will have to sift through the praise and brickbats to discover what rightfully belongs to her and not to Aamir.Kiran has a lyrical style of telling stories. Dhobi Ghat is about a painter Arun (Aamir Khan) who has a chance encounter with NRI Investment Banker Shai (Monica Dogra) complete with sabbatical, camera and NRI accent. Munna (Prateik Babbar) is the young dhobi who irons clothes for Arun and Shai.  And there is Yasmin Noor (Kriti Malhotra) who was the tenant who lived in the flat that Arun has just moved in to. Kriti plays perhaps one of the most endearing characters of the film. The film is about Mumbai and how it connects the four characters.The story also does not attempt to complete all the stories that it begins eg: What happened to the old mute lady? I like that boldness. Think of Dhobi Ghat as an abstract painting on celluloid. It is not clearly formed. The narratives sometimes get mixed up. For instance Munna's brother Salim - brilliantly performed by theater artiste Danish Hussein, is a character that is under utilized. I discovered to my surprise that Aamir is quite awkward when he has to speak English. He is very amateurish and delivers his strongest acting moments when he is silent. In fact his character is a tad exaggerated and his mourning of Yasmin is certainly like dhobi ka kutta - na ghar ka na (dhobi) ghaat ka.This film is really about Kiran Rao's gift to Indian cinema - Prateik Babbar. Prateik is just incredibly talented. I guess it helps to have Smita Patil, one of India's most gifted actors, as his mother. Dad Raj Babbar is actor-turned-politician turned generally obscure now. I remember Prateik playing Genelia's kid brother in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na - a role that got him a special jury award from Filmfare. It is in this film that Prateik shows you what he is capable of. Long after the film is over, his portrayal of Munna will remain as a aftertaste of the film. I hope he will continue to get the roles that will give him a chance to chisel his thespian talent. Dhobi Ghat is his film.What did I think of the film?The narrative style is original but the storyline is not always coherent and hence lacks the punch. The photography is amazing - right from the black and white stills of the different professions in Mumbai (black-and-white photographs by Jyotika Jain) to the dazzling shots of Dhobi Ghat. Since so much has been already depicted on celluloid about Mumbai, it is tough to show much else about the city that doesn't look cliched. Take away the character Munna (Prateik) or Shai (Kiran Dogra) from the film and the film collapses. It is their story that is the heart of the film. Take away Aamir's role in Dhobi Ghat and the film actually begins to look sharper. I am an Aamir Khan fan, but I never realized how average he is if he plays an English speaking character. Think of this film as the poetry section in the book shop. Most people's poems are average mush. No wonder, poetry does not sell.

My Rating: B+

-------------Read my take on Aamir's previous film as a producer - Peepli [Live]If you have not read my take on Aamir Khan's performance in Three Idiots