TheReviewMonk
Dhobi Ghat backdrop
31 August 2010Hindi95 min

Dhobi Ghat

5.310 reviews
CriticsMixed

Bayesian avg · 10 critic reviews

7.5+ Exceptional · 6.5 Recommended · 5.0 Mixed

8.54 ratings
Users

User Score · avg of 4 ratings

8.0+ Exceptional · 7.0 Recommended · 5.5 Mixed

Kiran Rao DirectorAnil Mehta ScreenplayGustavo Santaolalla MusicTushar Kanti Ray Cinematography

The lives of four people intersect in Mumbai: a washer-man who wants to become an actor, a banker-turned-photographer, a painter looking for inspiration, and a newly-married immigrant who journals her experiences on home video.

Critic Consensus

Critical reception for Dhobi Ghat is mixed to moderately positive, with most reviewers acknowledging it as an unconventional and artistically ambitious entry in Indian cinema. The film's visual treatment of Mumbai and its lyrical, melancholic tone drew the most consistent praise, with several critics noting its beauty and poetry. Common criticisms center on its slow pace, uneven structure, and limited emotional or entertainment value for general audiences, with detractors suggesting it appeals only to a niche, festival-film sensibility. Kiran Rao's directorial craft was recognized even by critics who found the film unsatisfying overall.

10 reviews · 5 positive · 4 mixed · 1 negative

Praised: Visual depiction of MumbaiCriticised: Slow pace, limited accessibility

AI-generated summary of 10 critic reviews · may contain errors

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Critic Reviews (10)

Nikhat KazmiTop Critic· Times Of India
7.0
"A lyrical ode to the modern malady -- metro-eccentricity -- Dhobi Ghat is intelligent and artistic cinema."
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Rajeev MasandTop Critic· IBNLive
6.0
"Beautifully shot and aided by an evocative background score, 'Dhobi Ghat' is occasionally indulgent and moves at a glacial pace. Yet Rao creates some endearing characters, and embraces Mumbai despite its dichotomies. The result is a film that slowly grows on you."
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Anupama ChopraTop Critic· NDTV
6.0
"If you are willing to have patience, Dhobi Ghat comes together nicely. It has a poetry and melancholy that stays with you. I recommend that you give it a shot."
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Shubhra GuptaTop Critic· Indian Express
5.0
"A strangely uneven film. Its beginning feels amateurishly put together ; as it heads onwards, though, it finds an easy, flowing rhythm with just the occasional stutter."
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Raja SenTop Critic· Rediff
5.0
"Dhobi Ghat is a middling debut, watchable due to its nuances but simply not interesting enough to recommend. Yet Rao seems assured of her craft, and worth looking out for in the future."
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Mayank Shekhar· Hindustan Times
7.0
"This film is first-rate tribute; it's visceral, I realise -- both clichés for compliments. Nothing more appropriate comes to mind."
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Roshni Mulchandani· Bollyspice
6.0
"Dhobi Ghat is meant for Mumbai lovers. For good and bad, Mumbai is what it is: home to millions who adore the city which is covered beautifully by Kiran Rao."
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Pankaj Sabnani· Glamsham
5.0
"DHOBI GHAT is surely a different and brave step in Indian cinema; but not exactly a pleasing one."
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Blessy Chettiar· DNA India
4.0
"For entertainment or emotional stimulation look elsewhere. There's every reason you can miss this one. Unless you like to believe you're among the intelligentsia."
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Komal Nahta· KoiMoi
2.0
"On the whole, Dhobi Ghat is a gentry film for a very select audience which likes festival films. It will have to rely on Aamir Khan's presence in its cast and the Republic Day holiday mid-week to take its collections to a somewhat respectable level."
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Cast & Crew

Cast

Details

Release Date
31 August 2010
Runtime
95 min
Language
Hindi
Genre
Drama

User Ratings & Reviews

Users8.54 ratings

4 ratings from the community

Community Reviews (1)

NEJun 2013

Kiran Rao is in a league of her own. She has no intentions to pander to a commercial taste or use any tried and tested formulas here. It appears as though she has pretty much made this film from her own inspirations and not from popular influences. In short, you are more likely to appreciate it if you have a taste for experimental cinema and you don't mind the abruptness that leaves you lingering in the dark, like in many European films. I was pleasantly surprised by Prateik Babbar's immense acting talent and strong screen presence (much like his mom, Smita Patil). Aamir Khan never fails to impress. What I liked most about the film is that it stayed with me a long time after the end credits rolled and I realized that I really cared about the characters - the regular people of Mumbai - who pass you by in the crowds, each harboring an interesting story of their own.

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