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''Dhobi Ghat'' (), released internationally as ''Mumbai Diaries'' and ''Bombay Diaries'', is a 2010 Indian
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed by
Kiran Rao Kiran Rao (born 7 November 1973) is an Indian filmmaker who works in Hindi cinema. She has directed the films '' Dhobi Ghat'' (2011) and '' Laapataa Ladies'' (2024). In 2016, Rao co-founded Paani Foundation, a non-profit organisation. Early li ...
in her directorial debut. The film was produced by Rao and
Aamir Khan Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and television personality who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. Referred to as "Mr. Perfectionist" in the media, he is known for his work in a variety of film g ...
, and stars
Prateik Babbar Prateik Smita Patil(born Prateik Babbar; 28 November 1986), is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Hindi films. The son of late actress Smita Patil and former MP and actor Raj Babbar, he began his career as a production assistant befo ...
,
Monica Dogra Monica Dogra is an American musician and actress. She has acted in six feature films, as well as released five studio albums with the band Shaa’ir and Func. She is a member on the judging panel of India's first English music talent show, ''Th ...
, Kriti Malhotra and Khan in the lead roles.
Gustavo Santaolalla Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla (; born 19 August 1951) is an Argentine composer, record producer and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Gustavo Santaolalla, numerous accolades for List of works by Gustavo S ...
was signed to compose the score and soundtrack of the film, which includes a song by
Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Music of Japan, Japanese musician, composer, keyboardist, record producer, singer and actor. He pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the Synthesizer, synth-based band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his ...
. ''Dhobi Ghat'' had its world premiere in September 2010 at the
Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...
and was released on 21 January 2011 in cinemas. The film being mainly tagged as an
art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...
and
parallel Parallel may refer to: Mathematics * Parallel (geometry), two lines in the Euclidean plane which never intersect * Parallel (operator), mathematical operation named after the composition of electrical resistance in parallel circuits Science a ...
cinema was critically well-received, although it was an average performer at the box office. The film was longlisted for the 65th BAFTA Awards in the
Best Film Not in the English Language The BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language is a film award given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. The award was first given at the 36th British Academy Fi ...
category.


Plot

Arun, a reclusive artist, moves into a run-down flat in the older part of
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
. After attending an
exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...
of his works, he meets Shai, an American banker who has come to Mumbai to devote time to her hobby, photography, and takes her back to his flat, where they have a
one-night stand A one-night stand is a single sexual encounter in which there is no expectation that there shall be any further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single night performanc ...
. The next morning, Arun expresses his disinterest in continuing the relationship, and Shai angrily storms out. Shortly after, Zohaib “Munna” Shaikh, a ''dhobi'' (washerman) who dreams about getting a break in
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
, arrives to deliver Arun's laundry. Arun moves into a new apartment the next day. While unpacking, he finds a small container that had been left by the previous tenant, Yasmin, of the apartment. In it, he finds a silver chain, a ring, and three videotapes (Pehli chitti, Doosri chitti and Aakhri chitti) by Yasmin Noor. The tapes turn out to be video diaries through which Yasmin communicates with her brother. In the tape, she is generally happy and shows her apartment, which is the same one Arun is occupying now. The next morning, Arun is informed by his manager that art dealers, impressed with his art, have decided to open a gallery in Sydney featuring his works. Arun is pleased by this, as it would also give him a chance to visit his ex-wife and child, settled in Australia. He begins to work on a new painting. When Munna delivers laundry to Shai's house, they meet and soon become friends. Munna agrees to show Shai around Mumbai and help her gather photographs about the occupations of the poor. In return, Shai agrees to shoot a
portfolio Portfolio may refer to: Objects * Portfolio (briefcase), a type of briefcase Collections * Portfolio (finance), a collection of assets held by an institution or a private individual * Artist's portfolio, a sample of an artist's work or a ...
of Munna to help him get into the film industry. Arun continues watching Yasmin's tapes and learns more about her life, including that she has recently married a man who seems distant. Shai obtains Arun's new address from Munna. Shai's father's construction company is constructing a building opposite Arun's apartment. Shai starts shooting photos of Arun from the construction site without Arun being aware of it. Munna continues struggling to find work in films. To earn a living, he washes clothes by day and kills rats by night. He disapproves of his brother's criminal activity but they are close, and Munna's brother uses his underworld contacts to try to get Munna a break in the industry. In the meantime, Munna shows Shai the different facets of Mumbai, including the ''dhobi ghaat'', where he works as a launderer. Munna develops feelings for Shai but is unable to express them, mostly because of his working-class status. One day, Arun spots Shai nearby and invites her to his house. He apologizes for their first meeting. Munna sees them together and feels betrayed but Shai is able to convince him to keep helping her. One night, while Munna is at his rat-killing job, Shai sees him and takes pictures. Dismayed, Munna flees from her. Arun watches the final video by Yasmin. Her tone has changed considerably since the previous tape, in which she revealed learning that her husband was in an extramarital affair. She strongly indicates that she intends to commit suicide. Shaken by the knowledge that Yasmin might have hanged herself in that very room, Arun flees the apartment and moves into a new one. Munna arrives home to find that his brother has been killed. He and his family relocate to a new flat and Munna visits his brother's contact in the film industry to show him his portfolio. Arun studies the painting he has been working on, which is now complete. Yasmin is prominently featured along with other things she had left behind. Shortly after, Shai finds Munna and Munna again tries to flee her, but she catches up with him. She insists upon their friendship and asks about Arun's whereabouts. Still hurt, Munna lies to her and they exchange an abrupt farewell before Shai leaves. Moments later, Munna changes his mind and runs after Shai's car, weaving through the traffic. The film ends when Munna catches up to the car and gives Shai Arun's new address.


Cast

*
Prateik Babbar Prateik Smita Patil(born Prateik Babbar; 28 November 1986), is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Hindi films. The son of late actress Smita Patil and former MP and actor Raj Babbar, he began his career as a production assistant befo ...
as Zohaib "Munna" Shaikh *
Monica Dogra Monica Dogra is an American musician and actress. She has acted in six feature films, as well as released five studio albums with the band Shaa’ir and Func. She is a member on the judging panel of India's first English music talent show, ''Th ...
as Shai Edulji * Kriti Malhotra as Yasmin Noor *
Aamir Khan Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and television personality who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. Referred to as "Mr. Perfectionist" in the media, he is known for his work in a variety of film g ...
as Arun *
Kitu Gidwani Kaushalya "Kitu" Gidwani (born 22 October 1967) is an Indian actress and model. She has starred in several films and serials on Indian television. Kitu played the role of Svetlana in ''Swabhimaan'' which brought recognition for her. Then she ...
as Vatsala * Danish Hussain as Salim * Jehan Manekshaw as Pesi * Ashok Varma as Yasmin's Husband * Nafisa Amin Khan as Amma * Sunny Charles as a taxi driver *
Aditi Rao Hydari Aditi Rao Hydari (born 28 October 1986) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi cinema, Hindi, Tamil cinema, Tamil, and Telugu cinema, Telugu films. Born into the Tyabji family, Tyabji–Hydari family, she made her acting debut with the Mal ...
as guest at art gallery


Music

The soundtrack of the film was composed by Academy Award-winning
Gustavo Santaolalla Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla (; born 19 August 1951) is an Argentine composer, record producer and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Gustavo Santaolalla, numerous accolades for List of works by Gustavo S ...
and includes a song by
Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Music of Japan, Japanese musician, composer, keyboardist, record producer, singer and actor. He pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the Synthesizer, synth-based band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his ...
. All of the songs were only included in the film. No soundtrack of ''Dhobi Ghat'' was released in the market. Two other songs included in the movie are "Ab Ke Sawaan Ghar Aazaa" which is a
thumri Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dram ...
in
Raga Tilak Kamod Tilak Kamod is a Hindustani classical raga. Origin The raga emerges from Khamaj thaat. Technical description The raga is of Shadava-Sampoorna nature, i.e., in its arohana (ascent) six notes are used (D is excluded), whereas the avarohana (de ...
sung by
Begum Akhtar Akhtari Bai Faizabadi (7 October 1914 – 30 October 1974), also known as Begum Akhtar, was an Indian singer and actress. Dubbed "Mallika-e-Ghazal" (Queen of Ghazals), she is regarded as one of the greatest singers of ghazal, dadra, and thu ...
and "Dil Tadap Tadap Ke Kah Raha Hai Aa Bhi Ja" which is from the film ''
Madhumati ''Madhumati'' is a 1958 Indian Hindi-language paranormal romance film directed and produced by Bimal Roy, story and screenplay written by Ritwik Ghatak and dialogues written by Rajinder Singh Bedi. The film stars Vyjayanthimala and Dilip ...
'' and sung by
Mukesh Mukesh is an epithet for the Hindu god Shiva, and literally means "conqueror of the Muka demon". It is commonly used as a male given name in India. People with the name Mukesh include: * Mukesh (singer) (1923–1976), Indian playback singer from ...
and
Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...
.


Production

In an interview, Rao expressed that the film was meant to be a tribute to Mumbai and that she sought to reveal other sides of the city not often portrayed. The film was shot in Mumbai using "guerilla" techniques. Due to the
2008 Mumbai attacks The 2008 Mumbai attacks, also referred to as 26/11 attacks, were a series of coordinated Islamic terrorism, Islamist terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist o ...
, shooting was delayed when, citing safety concerns, the government denied Rao permission to shoot scenes at a railway station. According to the director, Mumbai is the "fifth character" in ''Dhobi Ghat''. The movie was shot at skycrapers under construction, Mohammed Ali markets, sea facing bungalows at
Worli Worli (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Varaḷī'', Help:IPA/Marathi, əɾ(ə)ɭiː is a locality in central Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. It is one of the four peninsulas of Mumbai with the others being Colaba, Bandra and Malabar Hill. The sea connect ...
, Dhobi Ghat at
Mahalaxmi Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with ...
, Chowpatty and Marine Drive. No special sets were constructed to shoot the movie. The movie was released in 2 versions. The original version is around 40% English, while the second version has all dialogue dubbed in Hindi. Rapid Eye Movies, a German distributor bought the rights for the film's theatrical release in Germany. ''Dhobi Ghat'' was released without an
intermission An intermission, also known as an interval in British and Indian English, is a break between parts of a performance or production, such as for a play (theatre), theatrical play, opera, concert, or film screening. It should not be confused with ...
, becoming the first Indian film to do so.


Release

In spite of some expletives, the film was originally passed with a U/A certificate by the
Central Board of Film Certification The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory Motion picture content rating system, film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of ...
, but Khan did not want "parents to come with their eight year olds for it", and hence got it re-certified with an A certificate. He felt this was him "reducing his audience by half". On the other hand, the film received a 12A classification from the
British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organization, non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited ...
for theatrical release, and a 12 rating for home video release.


Critical reception

Upon release, the film received mostly positive reviews from critics, and review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
gave the film a score of 70%, with an average score of 6.8/10.
Bhawana Somaaya Bhawana Somaaya is an Indian film journalist, critic, author and historian. She has been honoured with the Padma Shri in the year 2017 by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee. Starting her career as film reporter in 1978, she went to work w ...
, senior editor of ''Ticket Please'' gave the film a five out of five stars, stating that "Rao portrays the drudgery and the magnificence of the city in unforgettable imageries". She also says that "There is no doubting that Dhobi Ghat is amongst the most significant films in the history of Indian cinema" Blessy Chettiar, film critic of ''
Daily News and Analysis The ''Daily News and Analysis'', abbreviated as ''DNA'', is a Hindi-language news program on Zee news that was earlier an English-language newspaper with multiple local city editions across India. ''DNA'' was first launched as a broadsheet newsp ...
'' wrote, "With Dhobi Ghat, Kiran Rao finally gives Mumbai a film that represents its true hues and tints." Mathures Paul of '' The Statesman'' gave the film four stars out of five noting that, "''Dhobi Ghat'' is part atmospheric portrait, part video diary that has enough heart-breaking moments you don't want to watch. But neither can you look away". Pratim D. Gupta of
The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
compared ''Dhobi Ghat'' with
Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...
's ''
Charulata ''Charulata'' (, ; also known as ''The Lonely Wife'') is a 1964 Indian drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray. Based on Rabindranath Tagore's novella '' Nastanirh'', it stars Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, and Shailen Mukhe ...
'' in the way that the five characters, including Mumbai, operate like a string quintet. Mayank Shekhar of the ''
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
'' gave the film three and a half stars stating, "Bombay, is the centre of this film's attention. It's probably the only city in the world where so many classes so closely merge into a common river of sorrows, beauty or hope: unaware of how each affects the other every day. This film is first-rate tribute; it's visceral, I realize -- both clichés for compliments. Nothing more appropriate comes to mind."
Anupama Chopra Anupama Vinod Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist and film critic who served as the festival director of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image, MAMI Mumbai Film Festival from 2015 to 2023. She is also the founder and editor of the now-de ...
of
NDTV New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. It was founded in 1984 by economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy. NDTV began as a production house for news segments, ...
gave the film three stars, stating, "If you are willing to have patience, Dhobi Ghat comes together nicely. It has a poetry and melancholy that stays with you." "Dhobi Ghat is a Poetry on Canvas!" said Swati Deogire of The ILIKE Times giving it a 3.5/5" Gaurav Malani of '' India Times Movies'' gave the film two stars, stating "Dhobi Ghat is a pretentious attempt at producing an arthouse piece".


Box office

In spite of being an
art film An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...
with dark theme, Dhobi Ghat grossed after its theatrical run in India. Besides, Dhobi Ghat did well in the overseas markets including USA, UK and Dubai collecting after the second weekend. The movie completed its overseas theatrical run with a collection of about $2.6 million. Aamir Khan commented on Dhobi Ghat's success saying, "I am very happy with ''Dhobi Ghat's'' collection. Films like 'Dhobi Ghat' are really breaking grounds. It's a very unusual film and the kind of business it has done is huge for this kind of film. The kind of budget the film was made at, it's a very successful film. It made double the money it had cost us to make the film.". Boxofficeindia.com declared the film as "Average".


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dhobi Ghat 2010 films 2010s Hindi-language films 2010s Indian films Films set in Mumbai Films shot in Mumbai UTV Motion Pictures films Films scored by Gustavo Santaolalla Indian avant-garde and experimental films 2010s avant-garde and experimental films 2010 directorial debut films Films about poverty in India Films about artists Films about fictional painters Aamir Khan Productions