First of all, I am sure you are all wondering whether this is another one of Aamir's didactic stint with life soaked in soapy waters of poverty around a Dhobi Ghat. Let me first clarify this and tell you, it is none of it. Dhobi Ghat is a tale about Mumbai and its English name Mumbai Diaries certainly does it more justice. It is a soul searching film that captures Mumbai in its myriad hues of ruthlessness, slums, drugs, rains and selfishness.  Dhobi Ghaat is more an off beat film that parallely views the life of a poor young guy, living in a chal, trying to make ends meet by working as a Dhobi and a jamadar at night but has dreams of becoming an actor and an artist.

Aamir Khan plays the elusive painter Arun, who is so enamored by his hermitage that he has chosen a life of disconnection and alienation. That however doesn’t stop him from having his little one night stands that he apologetically dismisses to his women the next morning.

Arun ends up spending one such night with Shai an investment banker who lives in the US and is taking a sabbatical to make a photo documentary on the lives of the Indian poor. But loner Arun will obviously have no one to keep him company for long. While Arun lives the life of an itinerant, the only person who keeps a permanent tab on Arun's temporary pads is his Dhobi Munna.

Incidentally Munna is also a Dhobi for Shai's neighbourhood. And when Shai realises this, she will use this information to her advantage almost till the very end. And caught in the web of his sometimes delightful and unreal and most times broken dreams, Munna will probably pay the price for it. In the meanwhile Arun will by stroke of chance lay his hands on three cassettes that will detail the story of a newly married young girl who narrates her everyday life in Mumbai to her brother through a video camera.

Dhobi Ghat is like reading a book that leaves you somewhat intrigued and somewhat confused with its story, language and build up. It is like reading a book that is open to many interpretations thanks to its open ended, almost non-existent climax. But whichever way, the hope and avarice to understand the film may be through and in the end will not let a viewer walk out mid way. But the same avarice when not quenched with certainty will also pave way for a sense of disappointment.

The movie boasts of some very interesting camerawork and captures every nuance with great detail. Whether it is the beggar children on the street who start dancing when they see a camcorder or the bai demurely posing for the camera and her daughter reciting a poem in English, all prove that Rao's a stickler for perfection. But at the same time, what was the significance of the mute neighbourhood Amma or the Yasmin's story in the film are questions of vagueness that  perfectionist Rao will find difficult to answer.

Aamir Khan delivers through his silence in the film but could have been used better. Prateik delivers a fabulous performance as Munna. Kriti Malhotra is most believable in her character Yasmin. Monica Dogra too ends up looking very real as the parsi-NRI Shai.

If the intent was to make it to international film festivals and seek critical appreciation abroad and  amongst a niche in India, then Dhobi Ghat will achieve what it set out to do.