If you like really HATKE films: Rating: 4/5 Else: 3/5
Kiran Rao. An assistant director of Lagaan who later became The Aamir Khan’s wife. But this would not be her introduction hereon. Her debut Dhobighat would be. What many people figured out as the main weakness of the movie turned out to be the beauty. There is no great story. It’s a montage of some interesting and some clichéd plots. Mumbai Diaries, as the poster suggests, is a collage of simpleton and the high society people living the concrete jungle.
Dhobighat has four semi-stories. A painter who is divorced and recluse. A banker on sabbatical who wants to see the common man through her lenses. A dhobi who wants to become an actor. A married girl who wants to tell her brother everything about her life. The first one seemed to be half baked however rest were fine. The high of the montage was the fourth plot. A Muslim girl showing her world to her younger brother through a handycam. Her expressions were genuine and the sequences in her story though not related seem to complete the flow. Dhobi’s plot is amazing but very clichéd. That’s the only turn off. The Banker’s story was bold and confident.
Actors have done great except Aamir Khan. He is the only one who seemed to be a bit out of place. Kiran should have picked up some low profile actor for this role. Prateik is brilliant. In every frame he is capable of holding you. Monica Dogra is beautiful and did a fine job as Shaii. Her smile takes you on a joyous ride. Kriti is interesting. Her expressions are perfect and she is one actress to look out for.
Cinematography is amazing though the shakiness thing seemed to be overdone. It should have been avoided. Dialogues are good but nothing out of the box. Background score and music is brilliant. It couldn’t have been better. Direction is good. It’s difficult to make such movies. Kiran Rao definitely have gray matter but she needs to ensure that too much of grey matter can be a major turn-off.
Written By: Sujoy Ghosh
