Texy Posted January 30, 2011 Author Posted January 30, 2011 I really dislike this attitude of "my choice is better than your choice" ......there is a reason there are multiple genres, multiple types of script that has its own niche audience. Some people are born followers and hence they are completely devoid of any independent decision making. How many times it happened in the past you passed on an opportunity to see a movie heavily critiqued by so called experts only to realize later, "it wasn't so bad afterall" My review of this movie was primarily based upon the fact that I have never visited mumbai and for me this script depicted the vibrancy the city possess and the ending was realistic and profound to me. I don't care what anyone here thinks or how badly they disliked this movie, for me it was original and well executed...I don't give a damn of your intellectual movie viewing capability...your opinion is only valuable to yourself. and for those here who are basing their decision on others...I suggest you see it for yourself and then come up with an opinion.
urbestfriend Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Watched it yesterday ..! An art movie lover myself, somehow this movie fail to impress me probably because plots are heavily underplayed and somehow I couldn't relate to a creative mind Amir's internal struggles , neither with Shai's relationship with Munna. Though I liked Shai's character ( A rich girl trying to break normalcy to find individuality) and Noor Yasmin's plot. An excellent photography, good background score and good acting, not a bad effort from a debutant director.
urbestfriend Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 And I must add, Mumbai meri jaan and Peepli live , both were loud compared to this movie, but still liked them better.
Manny_Pacquiao Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Some people are born followers and hence they are completely devoid of any independent decision making. How many times it happened in the past you passed on an opportunity to see a movie heavily critiqued by so called experts only to realize later, "it wasn't so bad afterall" . i havent read a single review prior to watching this. well apart from yours and some others on this thread
coffee_rules Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 ^Does every movie have to be a 'paisa vasool' types? I haven't seen this movie yet, but I don't agree that a movie should be about something. Boring scripts are sometimes acted so well, you watch the movie for it's acting. 'There will be blood' is one such movie. It seems to be pointless, but one hellevu guy to watch Daniel Lewis to see him portray this character. And what grabs one's attention is highly subjective. Some people find MNIK rivetting drama.
Rajiv Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 I think Paisa Vasool is really a cliche unless the crowd still goes to see Madhuri dance and get satisfied I think the likes of Shwetabh, BB, MP and myself are sayng that it was way too "bland". It seems it might go wit some more storyline, or lil bit more drama but it was ultimaltey passive. If texy enjoyed it, then so be it..thats his perrogative and Kiran would probably be happy about it too Waise, if you guys really want arthouse - then watch some classics like Pestonjee, The Party etc I don't think there is a single movie which would bring out the complete vibrancy of Mumbai. I would recommend these Such a Long Journey - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120848/ Amir - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1241195/ Salaam Bombay - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096028/ Satya - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0195231/ Bombay Boys - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168529/
Dark Warrior Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 I really dislike this attitude of "my choice is better than your choice" ......there is a reason there are multiple genres, multiple types of script that has its own niche audience. Some people are born followers and hence they are completely devoid of any independent decision making. How many times it happened in the past you passed on an opportunity to see a movie heavily critiqued by so called experts only to realize later, "it wasn't so bad afterall" My review of this movie was primarily based upon the fact that I have never visited mumbai and for me this script depicted the vibrancy the city possess and the ending was realistic and profound to me. I don't care what anyone here thinks or how badly they disliked this movie, for me it was original and well executed...I don't give a damn of your intellectual movie viewing capability...your opinion is only valuable to yourself. and for those here who are basing their decision on others...I suggest you see it for yourself and then come up with an opinion. ++
ravishingravi Posted February 1, 2011 Posted February 1, 2011 As the end credits of “Dhobi Ghat” rolled, I felt……. happy. For two reasons. One was on seeing an A-lister taking a risk with his brand-name, headlining something that was unapologetically “niche”, with Kiran Rao the director, not once, pandering to the dictats of popular taste. This I believe is worth congratulating considering Aamir Khan’s contemporaries (they shall remain nameless) who lack the balls to step outside their commercially successful zones for even a wee bit. Even more importantly, after a long time, I could say that a Hindi movie left me satisfied. “Dhobi Ghat” is very visual, almost as if director Kiran Rao is painting on a large canvass, lazily moving her directorial brush, with the wet colors, like Mumbai rains, dripping down, creating their own paths, coalescing for brief moments into shapes before moving away once again. She is not just painting, but also standing back and observing languidly, an action that is reflected in self-absorbed artist Arun (played by Aamir Khan) surveying his own work. It is these moments of quiet contemplation that are Dhobi Ghat’s greatest flourishes, almost as if Kiran Rao is taking us on the scenic route and unlike some other guides, she will let you stand and appreciate the beauty of what is in front of you, without jostling you to the next destination. Given the immensely visual nature of “Dhobi Ghat”, it is not surprising that one protagonist is an artist, another a photographer and another a lonely newly-wed making a video-mail to send to her brother. In their way, each of these characters capture a slice of Mumbai, with their visions colored by their own emotional states and by their identities—in terms of class, gender and personal history. Through this multi-perspective view, Mumbai becomes a fascinating tapestry of travellers (all the characters are “outsiders”) all looking for something—— be it fame, love, happiness or solitude. And yet it is perhaps the heartlessness of the city that for each character, this “something” remains hypnotically alluring but never truly attainable. Performance-wise, “Dhobi Ghat” is absolutely a director’s movie. Aamir Khan, despite the huge name, is merely a daub of color, never allowed to blot out the other shapes. As a matter of fact, this is very unlike the standard Bollywood “star vehicle”; so insignificant is Aamir Khan the star here that he could have easily been replaced by a character actor and “Dhobi Ghat” would have lost none of its appeal. And this is one of the movie’s greatest strengths since Kiran Rao never tries, not even once, to give the audience what they expect from an Aamir Khan starrer. Commercially of course, this kind of intransigence has worked to its detriment. Its film studentish, art-house look and feel is understandably off-putting for people buying a ticket with set expectations of conventional entertainment. For instance, there is a lot of puzzlement about this old lady the characters observe in the flat next to Arun, who sits silently and even when spoken to does not speak but yet maintains eye-contact. Unless you are the film-school type, you will scarcely recognize that the lady there represents a “watcher”, a device used most famously by Krzysztof Kieslowski in his “Dekalog” series, a similar sequence of vignettes of life in a Polish apartment complex which also had a “watcher”, a man who silently observes each character. This “watcher” is explained as an angel who is “pure gaze”, able to “record human folly and suffering but unable to alter the course of the lives they witness.” [from Annette Insdorf's book on Kieslowski, quoted by Ebert here], which perhaps here represents the spirit of Mumbai itself. So be warned. “Dhobi Ghat” has neither the pulp activism of “Rang De Basanti” nor the frothy feel-good of “Three Idiots”. Instead, like the city it worships, it is open-ended, complex and somewhat bewildering. And I am thankful for that. http://greatbong.net/2011/01/31/dhobi-ghat-the-review/ As for some of the points of capturing vibrancy of Mumbai, I am from Mumbai and I thought this movie captured it to the T. Now, everyone isn't going to be satisfied at the end of the day because everyone has their own image of he city. As for blandness, what is bland for one guy is "subtle" for another. Depends what you are being fed on generally or what your expectations were. Not masterpiece. But damn good film. Reminded a lot of early works of Wong Kar Wai esp. Chungking express. I saw the film with industry people at Yashraj Studios including some of the legends of the art house films of 70s and 80s and they loved it, so there we go.
Texy Posted February 1, 2011 Author Posted February 1, 2011 Thank you Ravi ! I'm glad Arnab - Great Bong & me think alike :D That one scene where it shows his finished portrait towards the end where all the colors blend together silhouting the dark shadow & recanvassing the story of struggle of not only Yasmeen but all the characters in the movie as it comes together....eye opening moment --- Wow
ravishingravi Posted February 1, 2011 Posted February 1, 2011 ^Yup that was an auteur shot. "Eye of the duck scene" as Lynch would call it.
Sir john Posted February 1, 2011 Posted February 1, 2011 Dhobighat not for everyone :wall: too much talk about dhobighat all NRI likes it but its fail in north india audidence did't like movies in which they have to use there brain
flamy Posted February 1, 2011 Posted February 1, 2011 ^^ Excellent review :) Hey! I know you! :acute:
yoda Posted February 1, 2011 Posted February 1, 2011 Will wait for the DVD. Seems like it is worth watching based on some of the reviews here.
Texy Posted February 2, 2011 Author Posted February 2, 2011 Dhobighat not for everyone :wall: too much talk about dhobighat all NRI likes it but its fail in north india audidence did't like movies in which they have to use there brain :hysterical: Edit: Just noticed under name it says 'himalay putra'
Manny_Pacquiao Posted February 2, 2011 Posted February 2, 2011 I don't think there is a single movie which would bring out the complete vibrancy of Mumbai. I would recommend these Such a Long Journey - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120848/ Amir - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1241195/ Salaam Bombay - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096028/ Satya - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0195231/ Bombay Boys - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168529/ now THESE are some incredible movies. satya has got to be the best bollywood movie of the last 20 years. those giving a steaming pile of poo like dhobi ghaaut an 8.5 need to watch them^ to get an idea of what a good indian movie looks like
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