Monday, January 24, 2011

Dhobi Ghaat

This is going to be a quick post.. I hope :)

So we watched Dhobi Ghat on Saturday night. What surprised me was.. A booked the tickets without me even asking about it. I guess that goes to show that he too was curious about the movie! Just to give you a context - usually I pester him on booking a show - thats an initiative usually I take. So I am often surprised when it happens the other way round - last it was Terminator salvation / Avatar I think.

So anyway, I have been working late these days (yes Scarlett, what to do!!!) and have been traveling. So I hadnt actually read the review for the movie before watching. So I didnt really expect anything - not having read, heard or seen anything.

And I loved the movie. It is so refreshing. Its been a long time since I watched such a movie.

4 stories intertwined. A simple story (ies). Nothing complicated.. no shouting.. no loud music.. Kiran Rao portrays life as is..

I loved Prateik Babbar - the emotions flitting across his face are so real. You can actually see him falling in love with Shai... the initial stage where you are just friendly.. the realisation of the crush building up.. the awareness of the "other"... the sense of touch..the jubilation, the jealousy.. He is just perfect!!!!!!!!! And it is all you can do to stop yourself from giving him a hug. He is GOOD!!! he is BRILLIANT.

Shai, a New York returned character, on a "sabbatical" so to speak.. she was good too. Monica Dogra I think her name is. She was good. Her character was refreshing.. refreshing from the perspective that usually rich children in movie are always portrayed to be like snobs, b*****s of the first order. And that was so not the case here!!!! I quite liked her character and the actor!!!!!!!!!

For me the character who was outstanding was - Yasmin. Besides Prateik Babbar i.e. I was hard pressed to decide who is better. Kriti Agarwal I think who played Yasmin was brilliant. Her screen presence is limited to some shots, her voice is the only thing you can hear as she shows you around Bombay through her eyes. Despite this, despite this, she was awesome. Her presence in the movie is through her voice - and her presence in the video she shoots as a message for her brother.

You actually go through her full journey along with her- you feel her excitement as she reaches Bombay.. when she sees the sea.. and then little by little the despair creeping in her voice as the realities seep in.  She was the most beautiful of the lot.. Yasmin's story gets you!!! Pretty much as it gets Arun, aka Aamir Khan.

Now the best thing about the movie - it does not shine because of Aamir. He is good.. he is subtle in his role of the "painter". But this is not his movie .. very unlike a Ghajini OR a Lagaan...

All other characters outshine him - and that is the best thing about it. It is not 'touched or sullied' (I cant think of any other word).. not overpowered by stars. The director sticks  to the story.. the story is the hero.. the characters are the heros.

And when I watch Aamir's interviews and he says he needed to convince Kiran Rao about his playing a part in the movie - I believe him now that I have watched the movie.

The casting is brilliant.

I wouldnt mind watching it again. A 4.5 / 5 from me.

MUST MUST watch.

8 comments:

Kalyan Karmakar said...

I felt that DG was ok. It was watchable but did not make you stop in your tracks. IT was trying hard to be the sort of movie that has been made world over for a while.

Aamir slipped into character in TZP too. Which is an achievement in Indian cinema

Moonshine said...

You didnt love it?? I found the movie so refreshing!!! Though I do agree there have many international movies like this - but still this one was really good I found!!

Only secure people lik AK can do the "character role"!!!

Scarlett said...

I loved prateik! He slipped into munna's character so naturally. And the last scene where he chases down Shaai's car just so he can give her Arun's number was a total 'awww' moment for me.

I do agree with Knife - the Europeans have been making such movies for a while now but it was refreshing to see something like that in Bollywood.

Moonshine said...

He was really good.. esp if you compare him with his previous role in Jaane Tu!!!!!!

Ru. said...

I am yet to watch this movie, just like the many other :(
Nice template, I love the pink flowers :)

lak said...

Liked the New look for the blog:).

Moonshine said...

@melee Please go and watch before it leaves the theatres!!! It is worth catching :)

And hey thats a pic of a tree near commercial street!!!!! :)

Moonshine said...

@Lak Thanks for dropping by and leaving a message!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And thats a pic I took!!! :)