Saturday, September 11, 2010

Namak Went to See Dhobi Ghat at TIFF

It's hard to explain why I went to the Toronto Film Festival to see Aamir Khan not as a fangirl but as a movie lover, so I won't get into that in this post. But it must be said that even for a non-fangirl it was quite the fan experience to be there.

I'll get to the movie in a bit, but first the stars' entrances. People were waiting for at least an hour across the street from the venue, ready to mob the stars when they came in. Funnily enough I didn't even see Kiran when she jumped out of the SUV and squirreled into the theatre, and it's not because she's so tiny, but because I was too fascinated by the wave of people descending upon Aamir Khan like a tsunami. To give you an idea of what it looked like:



Haha! Fun times! By the way, Aamir is the wee little thing in the maroon suit (which I was impressed that he wore for us, AND with dress shoes FTW!). He was very gracious and walked the line of screaming fans twice.

Then we were shoveled inside and Cameron Bailey (can I just do a big w00t for this guy who manages to rock my world every year by bringing the most exquisite Indian films to the festival? w00t! w00t!) introduced the director (Kiran Rao) and the cast (Aamir Khan, Prateik - he dropped the last name by the way, Monica Dogra & Kriti Malhotra). They all came on stage, Aamir last, of course, and Kiran and Aamir said a few words.

Among the things that amused me (and also made me a bit sad) was Aamir mentioning (twice!, the second time just as he was getting off the stage) that "Guys, this is not a Ghajini". Ahem... Aamir, darling, I love you, but don't you think you're underestimating us? Maybe I am projecting a little much here, but does any festival goer expect to see a Ghajini? Or do they all, like me, expect to see beautifully crafted movies that were selected because they carry the film industry forward? A tough one, and I will admit I could be way off since this is the same festival that held the premieres of Dil Bole Hadippa and What's Your Rashee last year. But still, we could have done without the warning...

Anyways, on to the film. I don't usually tell the story of a film in my reviews, because it's available everywhere online and plus I like to think that my reviews give people reasons to watch a movie that are independent from the story. But since this one was such a secret until now, I will make an exception.



Dhobi Ghat is the story of 4 characters: Arun, the famous lonely painter (Aamir), Munna, the dhobi who wants to be a star (Prateik), Shai, the banker on a sabbatical in India (Monica) and Yasmin, the recently married Muslim girl who records her life in Mumbai for her brother back home (Kriti). They say that Mumbai is the fifth character in the movie, and if so, I found it to be a silent character, an immovable witness to the harmony and turmoil in which the characters function simultaneously. Much like the aunty in Arun's neighbouring apartment: always there, always seeing everything, but always silent. Not sure if that was a parallel that Kiran had in mind, but it seemed relevant to me.

The movie is a piece of their lives, and the narrative juggles a recent past and the present time beautifully. Among the daily routine of the characters, which is really what the story is about, we see a love story unfolding and it's not a love triangle but a love square. With a missing fourth connecting line. I swear I'm not trying to sound cryptic, but it's so charming to watch this play out that I don't want to spoil it for anyone.

So maybe I won't tell the story after all...

But I will highlight the three superstars of this movie, and neither of their names start with two Aa's.

First of all KIRAN RAO. 

Tiny little thing, with such a big heart! And this picture captures everything that is adorable about her! But I won't ramble about that now. I had no doubt that she would make a good movie, I knew it would be a well thought out story. What I didn't know was that she would wow me with the little touches like a bunch of fake grapes hanging from the rear view mirror in a car during the monsoon, which is the opening shot of the film. Or the chance encounter between Shai and Arun in the street when Shai is on her way to literally stalk Arun in his apartment which is so subtle and funny in so many ways. Or the painting that Arun makes towards the end of the film (who made that? I want it!). Or the old neighbour sitting in her chair with a vacant look - the most powerful image in the whole movie in my opinion. Or Munna leaning over Shai when she's asleep. Or the women on the train that Yasmin is filming. I could go on... but then I'd just be telling the whole movie. Suffice to say that every single shot in this movie tells a story, every image counts, and that is no small feat for a first time director.

When I heard that Dhobi Ghat was being filmed guerrilla style, with handheld cameras and moving shots, I was a bit terrified, because there's a right way to do this, but mostly I've seen it done the wrong way. Kiran, thankfully, got it right and I cannot praise her enough for this!

Secondly PRATEIK (BABBAR).
At the end of the screening when Aamir gave the mic to each of the actors to say a few words, before Prateik even touched the mic he got a long, loud, standing ovation from the audience. He was so shocked and overwhelmed that he literally was speechless. He tried to mumble a thank you to Kiran and I bet he would have had some very heartfelt words to say, but he was so choked up that he didn't manage to put two words together. It was beyond charming!!

Well, he stole the show, it's no secret. He had the audience's emotions in the palm of his hand: when he wanted us to laugh at his shyness, we did; when he wanted us to bite our fingers for his next move, we did; when he wanted us to be in love with him, we were; when he wanted us to pine with him, we did. An outstanding performance if I've ever seen one! Between Kiran's deeply intelligent script and Prateik's immensely intuitive acting, there was not much room for it to get better. 

And still it did, because then there's...


THE STORY.
It's been said enough times by now that this is not a Bollywood story. But I don't think that stops it from being an Indian story, and if Bollywood continues to do stories like this, then I am on board with this new wave of what Cameron Bailey reluctantly jokingly calls "hindie movies". In a way I can't help but compare Dhobi Ghat to Slumdog Millionaire because they both show various aspects of poverty in Mumbai. But Dhobi Ghat succeeds for me where Slumdog somewhat failed because it shows me the little things that make one happy despite the poverty, unlike Slumdog which was always focused on wanting more. Munna has his own world with its ups and downs, with things that make him sad and things that make him smile, but his life does not revolve around poverty, his life revolves around his feelings, as it should.

And I know I tend to talk more about Munna than about everyone else because he was the star of the show for me, followed closely by Yasmin's story, but make no mistake, this movie is about all four of them in equal measure. More importantly, this is a story about people. It's not about lessons learned or growing up, it's not about relationships created or maintained, it's not about finding yourself, it's not about careers or hobbies. It's just a series of snapshots of 4 people... living. And while that can sound boring, it's really not, because the film is so well crafted that much like in real life when someone is telling a good story, you keep asking: "and then what?"

And lastly AAMIR KHAN.


Without presuming to know what's really in this man's head, I will say that I think I know why Aamir so badly wanted to be in this movie instead of letting Kiran pick another fresh face. In a world where Om Shanti Om, Ghajini and 3 Idiots are blockbusters, a soulful movie like Kiran's would have probably gone unnoticed had it not been for the presence of her superstar husband. Sad, but true... At the same time, I appreciated that Aamir played the part in such a subtle way that, much like in Taare Zameen Par, Aamir The Actor was rightfully overshadowed by his costar and by the director. I know he could have made this his movie, but there's a reason why he didn't, there's a reason why he played the part that many other actors could have played without making it an Aamir exclusive role, and I like to think that generosity and love are that reason.

I won't give a rating to this movie because as I said, Dolce was left at home (actually I suspect she was one of the people who mobbed Aamir on the street there and then she probably snuck into the theatre and saw the movie anyway), but I will say: don't miss this when it comes out in theatres!

158 comments:

dustdevil liz said...

Great post--I can't wait to see this!

Loved the fan-tsunami series of photos, what craziness!

Anonymous said...

Hi. Eles here from AK's blog. Followed your advice and finally managed to reach your blogsite.

Loved your post including photos. Am so happy that you had the opportunity to watch our little man and woman up close, plus their lovely little film, to be a part of this festival.

Looking forward to watching the film when it releases in theatres in Feb; looking forward esp to watching Prateik again.Loved him in Jaane Tu...And how was the music...read a review that complimented the music and photography.

So Aamir stressed that this wasn't a Ghajini--ha ha! Really, as if the audience wasn't aware...ok, excuse it on the man's nerves.

AK is truly unselfish in his filmi outings--remember RDB where he so generously allowed Siddharth to shine in the final scene. Most stars are not so accommodating, are by nature scene-hoggers.But AK is more bothered about the bigger picture.

So you are a Telugu film fan too? I'm a Tamil--who watches more Hindi than Tamil-Telugu South Indian cinema; I do watch, occasionally,good Southie films.

Will peep in here again.

Love, LS

Dolce and Namak said...

Hi Liz! Yes, the tsunami was hilarious, if I wasn't so busy laughing I would have taken more pictures. Apparently the movie comes out in February, so yes, keep an eye out for it!

Hey there Lals! Nice to see you here! Glad you made it! :)
Haha! Yes, you're right, I've become a Southie masala fan lately. Love their crazy kick-ass movies! But I write about Bollywood too as much as it warrants it ;)

And you're right about the limelight hogging (or lack thereof), it's always nice to see how AK approaches it and how he gives space to his costars. Props to him for this one!

Oh, and the music, people keep asking about it, but honestly I didn't notice it at all. I think it just went so well with the flow of the movie that it never demanded special attention (which is a good thing in my book). The photography was really oustanding, reminded me of Wake Up Sid in certain places, same love for the city.

Can't wait for you guys to see it too, it's such a refreshing change to see Aamir in a role like this.

Great hearing from you, my dear!!

tolly said...

On a side note about your two avatars(dolce and namak),

I am watching this movie Kick nth time (for Ileana of course) and thought about your two avatars after seeing this scene where she is thinking about two hearts she is feeling about hero ( the avatars follow in into the subsequent song as well) .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV4y9pF-7nw
(Starts at 1:30 )

btw, Movie and songs rock.

Anonymous said...

hey dude, what an awesome write up. I am looking fwd to this movie like never before. More so than peepli

Unknown said...

What a wonderful review. Worth doing the film just for this one reaction. Thank you. Aamir.

Anonymous said...

aamir has once again proved he is a genius

Unknown said...

Amir khan is an amazing personality and a genius and he is an excellent story teller , a terrific sensitive actor and a great human being i am told by his son's principal Mrs Fernandes!
Kudos to you all great job !
God bless u all Binita Sarkar

Anonymous said...

That was a wonderful, wonderful write up! I can not wait to see Prateik on the big screen again and am so glad his performance was well appreciated. Also really interesting to hear your thoughts about Amir. You compared the photography to Wake Up Sid! If I wasn't already convinced I'd like this movie then I am now based on just that line (having just finished a 3 part picspam of WUS on my blog because every frame was just so gorgeous :D).

Anyway, thanks for this lovely post.

Anonymous said...

Liked your view and thanks for not disclosing the story of the movie it would have spoilt watching the movie, Anyway I am Vicky from the blog if you at all know me.

Take care

Anonymous said...

Love your review and impressions! thanks, even when you didn't let poor Dolce have a word! I'm sure she was at the premiere with the mental part of me that I sent you to take along!
Thanks for writing so much from the heart (yeah, even Namak does that!) so you gave us poor sods a glimpse of how it was to be there. Lucky girl! I'm a nice shade of jade green with envy!
And I'm glad the right people got to read it! ;-)
Cheers and keep the good work up!
PkG!

triShie said...

amazing review!! so heartfelt and honest!! i seriously can't wait to catch this one and your review has only ignited a bigger desire!! :)

Anonymous said...

i know i cannot express my feelings about the master pieces made by our own legenry man but i can put in my support by supporting all have you written above

Anurag Iyer said...

hey, the blogger with name "aamir" is aamir himself in reality!!!! he posted this link to fb, and its him!!! OMG aamir!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

hey.. the way it is narrated by you is just unspeakable....awesome.. im looking forward for the movie...

Anonymous said...

Lovely Post ... You have given a fair treatment to this movie in totality.. Keep up the good work, Amir himself likes your work, you should be really proud... :)

Domnic

Anonymous said...

Thanks to Kiran Rao for such a wonderful movie. Thanks Aamir for his support and love to his wife, which makes this movie possible. Excited to watch DhobiGhat

Anonymous said...

hello, your page has been displayed by the "little man"Aamir on FB, and hence we get to read your review, thank you for this, so that we arrange advance ticket booking to the theater. kuddos..

Subodh said...

Oh my god ! I am reading your blog for the first time and i cant stop to say i LOVED the way u write. Absolutely brilliant.
Moreover i always look forward to Aamir's movies! :)

Anonymous said...

Really?! I picked another winner? woot! ;)

great job!( I didnt read your review(between wanting to see the film, and my tendency to read only things that pique my curiosity, it fell between the cracks i guess, but im sure you wrote a (seriously ;) ) awesome piece.

Anonymous said...

What a terrific review! No wonder Aamir is appreciative, I bet it will be one of the best reviews -- best-written, I mean, not most praise-ful -- Dhobi Ghat gets! Besides everything else I really think this is a lovely gift for him, Kiran, and everybody else.

I've been waiting for this movie ever since I saw Prateik in JTYJN and hungry to know about it. So thanks from me too. VIRGINIA (Darshana)

Anonymous said...

aawesome....written..!! cant wait to watch dhobhighaat.

Anonymous said...

It is wonderful to perceive such positive energy from your review. So refreshing to know there are still nice people that can see our world highlighting the best...thanks!

I am a South American married to Indian, really admire Aamir Khan as a person and his films;somehow I have imagined Kiran being this really charming lady so thanks for the comments about her too...Have been looking forward to watching this movie, even more so now...thanks Dolce and Namak!
Marcela

Unknown said...

No doubt that this movie is going to create tsunami in India too.....I stay in bandra, just a stones throw away from Aamir, but havent been able to meet him.....wait i did,,,,in 1993, when Parampara released,outside his bldng. He was coming from a walk and having a Cadbury also....Sameer

Rupinder Singh said...

ERROR -- "In a world where Om Shanti Om, Ghajini and 3 Idiots are blockbusters, a soulful movie like Kiran's would have probably gone unnoticed had it not been for the presence of her superstar husband."

Amir khan was not in the movie Om Shanti Om..
You should have done a little homework..

Dolce and Namak said...

@ Aamir - wow, what to say? I'm shocked and honoured that you liked my review. Really, speechless... And thank you for giving Toronto the opportunity to watch it first, it's a dream come true to have one of your movies premiere here! Thank you for being the wonderful actor (and the wonderful person) that you are!

@ Everyone who commented - THANK YOU! I am overwhelmed, thank you for reading my review, and I hope you will love Dhobi Ghat just as much as I did. Looking forward to it releasing worldwide to see what impact it has.

LOL @ Rupinder Singh - I know he wasn't it OSO, but I was quoting big entertainers (as opposed to arthouse films) that were blockbusters in general, not just AK's movies ;)

Anonymous said...

Nagesh Yadav- Mr. Rupinder plz understand... 'Om Shanti Om' was mentioned as an example of the blockbuster genre she meant not as an Aamir film..... A trully Fantastic review ! her views show HOW much THE FILM has moved , touched, shaken, stirred ,inspired n motivated her to put those fellings in words so much so that Aamir was pleased (nothing wrong with that )enough to post it on FB (why not?) .... thank u Dolce n Namak for being so unbiased in ur review...u have done a commendable job... Your review has whetted the appetite of film goers n made the wait for the films release an impatient one....Aamirs films have become like an yearly affair . one that cannot be missed... kudos to u Aamir sir... cant wait to see the film...

Ravinder said...

Hi...thanks for this review. Will wait for this movie to get released. I found your review to be honest and simple..it was quite refreshing to read a review which did not have the typical review phrases. I normally read the first and the last para of the reviews nowadays.

Anonymous said...

Dolce and Namak,

I wrote my comment before AK mentioned it in his blog. I was gonna post it on his blog praying and hoping that he'd see it.

I am SO glad that he saw your blog entry.

Congratulations to you !

Aamir_K_Fans said...

@Rupinder
Well i think the reviewer got the sentence right, author never mentioned AK movies, by "in a world" the author means Indian cinema, and yes Om Shanti Om was blockbuster and is a product of IC. So i think the author deserves a little respect after all, this review has been approved by AK himself.

Nagesh Yadav said...

:) not bcos AK approved it .... the reviewer deserves it bcos IT IS JUST THE PLAIN TRUTH.. :) TRUTH NEEDS NO ENDORSEMENT ! ... n i am sure even AK will agree with that.. :)

SURAJ said...

mind blowing review out standing..

Anonymous said...

I saw this movie yesterday night....waited for 2 hours because of the technical delay...rain and big line outside scotia theatre but in the end it was worth...still thinking about the movie...its a masterpiece must watch. Kudos to Kiran, Amir, Prateik and Monica aka Shi...she was outstanding in her role. oved her character the most.

jjake said...

Wow excitement. I think Dolce is passed out somewhere knowing Aamir read her blog and also it has been tweeted by Rajiv Masand. Well Done! Dolce and Namak!

Liesie said...

My first time here :) Great review!! Can't wait to see the film here in South Africa.

Anonymous said...

yes Amir khan work or in whatever he is associated is good and always praise worthy

rachna said...

good work by Amir and his team

Rajesh Kumar said...

Looking forward to this movie

Anonymous said...

Hello Friends..
This is Jishnu from Aamir's blog, thanx for the insight on the film. I am extremely eager n anxious to see Dhobighat for 3 reasons-The Story,Kiran's Direction & hoping to see Aamir bring something very very special through his performance like He has never ever done before. Really hoping that this will be His THE SPECIAL PERFORMANCE EVER!!!

A special helloo to ELES!!

Cheers...
Jishnu

Anonymous said...

After reading the fab post, I just read the " who are dolce and namak" before commenting here. So, you left Dolce ( the sweet part ) of you home before seeing the movie.. and still you suspect she probably sneaked into the theatre anyways ! Thats a bit hard to understand.. actually the whole naming the 2 characters inside u is a bit weird ! :P
But, fab post.. loved the heartfelt rush of emotions u described :)

Geovannella said...

Aamir Khan is definitely a brilliant man and he deserves every success in the world .... Aamir always forward.
thank for this blog it is grat...
A hug from Colombia
Geovanna

Anjula said...

I read ur review and sent it to my sister saying this was a very good review. Your comments pointed out the key elements of what I felt i.e. regarding Aamir's comments "this is not a Ghajani" etc. and the fact that you acknowledged that Prateik stole the show and especially your reading of Aamir's role in it. Oh and I got a really good feeling from Kiran and her personality and you also felt the same way.
So I liked the way your write-up had everything it should have had.

Then the next day I saw Aamir's comment here!
Good for you !

btw, did you ever find out if they went to the showing the next day at Scotiabank? I had a feeling they would.

Anjula said...

Oh and was the after party at Kultura. I heard it was going to be and wasn't sure if I should show up there!
If you approach Aamir for an interview I am sure he would oblige as he obviously realises you are talented!
He still might be in Toronto.

Dolce and Namak said...

Well, now that this has slowed down a bit, I'll take my time replying to everyone who signed their comment. I did take the liberty to delete the posts that were directed at Aamir or that were completely off topic (feels like I should have deleted more, but whatever) because the man hardly even gets through the comments on his own blog, you can rest assured he won't read the ones here. :)

Anyways, here it goes (this may take multiple posts, sorry):

@ Tolly: Superfun video! Also reminded me of that other one with Prabhas from Yogi with a very similar idea, except it's the guy who is torn :)

@ never_evil: hey, thank you for the visit!!! How cool to see you here! Yes, I think any WUS lover will appreciate the art direction in Dhobi Ghat. Definitely have to check out your blog and that WUS post, there can never be enough screencaps from it :)

@ Vicky, of course I remember you, and I'm sure you'll be the first to see the movie when it comes out in theatres, so I'm glad I didn't spoil it for you!

@ PkG: Haha! I knew you would scold me for leaving the fangirl at home, but this movie needed to be watched objectively, no squeeing allowed, so I tried to keep it objective in the form or Namak. But don't worry, you were there with me anyway! How would I forget to bring you along! :)

@ triShie: thank you, and I too cannot wait for more people to see it. Glad if I helped build excitement for it in any way.

Dolce and Namak said...

@ Domnic: thank you for the kind words, I am right now more shocked than proud, but I'm sure once it sinks in that Aamir Khan read my review and liked it, I will be proud of it too :D

@ Subodh: Awww! Thank you! So you read more than this post? That makes me very happy! Hope you'll come back and chat even on non-Aamir posts :)

@ Ramesh: I'm not talking to you until you read the whole post :P Chi! :D

@ Virginia: hehe, I think you will be very proud of your baby when you see this. :) And thank you for the compliment for my post, it means a lot that you liked it! :)

@ Marcela: I also think Kiran is a complete lady, and she is also very talented, as Dhobi Ghat has proved. Looking forward to seeing more from her (and more of her, she's so cute :D).

@ Sam: haha, good luck meeting Aamir, I hope you do someday! And I do hope this movie creates that tsunami, or at least some waves to ensure Kiran gets all the attention she deserves for her next films! :)

Dolce and Namak said...

@Jjake, you were half right, I was hiding from the madness here in a theatre watching Dabangg :) Fun times! Hope you guys get it in theatres too, it was much better than I expected.

@ Nagesh: thank you for taking my side (twice!! :)), you're very sweet (and don't worry, I'm a big girl, I can handle criticism :)). Aamir's films are indeed rare and much is expected from them, and this one will not disappoint. I tried to keep it unbiased even though I am a big Aamir fan, because I don't think he wanted the movie to be perceived as his movie to begin with. So it was only fair to direct all attention and praise where it was due.

@ Ravinder: well, I'm flattered if you read more than my first and last paragraphs (because the first and last are kind of boring anyways :D)! Thank you for the kind words!

@ Player 2: haha, no worries, I think I explained that one about Om Shanti Om well enough! It's all good!

@ Liesie: I hope it releases in South Africa, and I hope you enjoy it when you see it!

@ Anonymous poster who didn't understand who Dolce and Namak are. Hehe, it's hard to explain, I watch movies from two perspectives: one is the fangirly and VERY forgiving one and the other is the more critical one. I wanted to take my critical side to the movie to not be blinded by the "OMG Aamir is in the movie and I just saw him on stage" side. Does that make more sense? :)

@ Geovanna: thank you! And I love the little man too :)

@ Anjula: That's great, you got the same vibes as me from the movie! High five! :) It was a great experience. No idea if they showed up at the Scotiabank the next day, one day of braving the crowd was enough for me, so I'll wait until February to see the movie again. But so glad TIFF is now doing multiple showings, gives more people a chance to see good movies.
Haha! I don't think I'll be approaching Aamir for an interview, I wouldn't even know what to ask the man if I ever met him. I am more than happy with his presence on this blog, this is beyond anything I could have ever wished for! :)

Anonymous said...

hah one aamir khan post and phull nakhra shuru!

can't read this one because i may decide to review it. i gotta keep my mind pristine for that (even no spoiler posts bias me..). I promise ill read your next post, if you dont somehow get to watch mummy returns...err robot...err..enthiran before sep 28..

Dolce and Namak said...

Haha! Ok, Ramesh, I forgive you, that's a valid reason :)

Anonymous said...

Dear Tesoro!

When I told you that you were gifted, I wasn't to_O much kind ... I'm just sincere! :-)
I'm happy to be the first one who posted and suscribed on your blog because I love the good writing which defines a sensitive soul! But, dear Tesoro, I didn't find the comment that I wrote!? Never mind...:-) I'll always take pleasure reading you! Take care!
Jamila

PS/ I suscribed on your blog under my twitter ID ... Midjala! ... with a big ♥

Anonymous said...

hey dolce n namak thanks for explaining in such simple n true words .............cant wait to see the movie

Anonymous said...

Dear Namak, your honest review impressed me so much that I can't wait to watch the movie in theatres. Thankyou so much for making me feel that I m witnessing the whole event live..

Anonymous said...

Wow! your review of DB is indeed worth every minute of reading time. You entice, nibble and rush around every nook and cranny so much so that well I am completely for it hook, line and sinker.
On a serious note, this boy Prateik seems to have "inherited" his mother's brilliance. He has the looks of a changeling waiting patiently in the wings for a ray of sunshine to visit his lonely abode. And according to both Namak and Dolce, well Kiran managed to sneak that ray of light to wake him up.
Loved your review Namak. It was a rivetting piece after long years of reading stereotyped and jaded narrations of the mundane!

Dolce and Namak said...

Hi Jamila, LOL You posted two comments, but in a different post :) They're still there, I'll see if I can move them into this one. But thank you anyway for the warm thought!

@ The last three anonymous comment authors: so happy that I got you excited for the movie! That is really the only reason why I blog, so if I managed to do it with this post, that makes me very happy! :D

Anonymous said...

Hi Namak !!
Thanks for the review on DG... I felt as if I was peresent at the screening... Very good narration of the event... U lucky to see DG so much before all of us.
Love
NKR

Anonymous said...

Hi...

Well I was so caught up with life that I had no plans to watch this movie.. Infact I have not even seen the clips... But yes... the review has done it for me... :) Am gonna watch it..

sudie said...

After reading your post, I feel what it is like to be a true fan.most of us who like good cinema feel like this but very few people can pen down the way you did.Thanks for sharing your experience and look forward to watch the movie:-)

Anonymous said...

Strong and thought provoking comments from a "REAL" movie lover...

Anonymous said...

Hi Tesoro (D-N), and all other friends from AK blog. Hi esp to Jishnu who gave me a spl hello here.And a hello to all here, even those unknown.

Enough hellos.

I am so happy that this sensible and sensitive review got such wide publicity, happy that the reviewer-personality's fan-half stayed at home and allowed the critical half to take over--after all we want to read a true view, not a fan-gush that may side step reality.

I am happy that this film is creating waves---but unhappy that we the general public has to wait five months for its general release. Feb 2011 is what Aamir has mentioned in a recent interview--the possible release date. Now I hope he realizes that this wait period is simply too bloody long, unfair to the AK fan plus lover of good cinema. So let's all press the man for an earlier release--strike while the iron is hot, catch the film while the flavour is still there vide internet...too many cliches here, but you get the point.

Must tell this to the man on his own blog--if he ever gets round to finding time for all that, in the midst of his busy schedule...but FEB 2011 is TOO far away!

BTW, in my usual fashion--here is a link to an interesting and amusing little article about AK-Kiran-DG. Really worth sharing.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jMRvqPU-QYguo_W7gzcKbCIQPogQ

And a longer piece, about the same press conf, at this site--

http://movies.rediff.com/report/2010/sep/13/aamir-khan-on-how-he-fell-in-love-again.htm

Sorry for taking so much space.

LS

Anonymous said...

Awww thanks for the warm welcome :) I didn't even know you had a blog till I spotted a post on BW? So glad I found it though <3 Even happier to see Amir read your post!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I am the one who wrote abt the Dolce and Namak part. Just read ur reply... Yes that does make sense :)

Btw, as I said earlier, I loved ur post a lot ! Can i post it on facebook ? ( Ofcourse it would be the link above, so your blog's name would very well be seen.. so credit will be urs only ). Dont want to post it without ur permission since it is a personal blog.. like a diary :)

Anjula said...

I think that Aamir liked your blog entry especially because you put into words what he felt but could not publicly say about his intentions while doing this movie. It was very insightful.
Another thing i noted is that u r very classy in your comments i.e how you respond to any negative comments. And in how you made a reference to reviews that reveal the entire story w/o putting them down ;)

Namak, I have been reading your blog more and as a result am thinking of checking out Telugu films ! That would never ever have been on the agenda but :)... well, I will start with Varudu. I think at one point i lost my way n ended up on another blog. Was Varudu ur 'recommendation'?
I wish there was a list of recommended movies here that I could follow without going through the whole blog - not that I didn't enjoy it but just at times I am looking just for a suggestion of a movie.

I am also hoping that in ur description of urself you will include how being Eastern European u ended up getting into Indian movies. I am especially fascinated by your deep knowledge about the subject. Perhaps it's ur addiction to digging deep like Abhay Deol's name ! Funny ! I loved the part about how Ranbir slowly dug the tunnel to ur heart and i can always relate to ur comments e.g. his looks but then he has this down to earth quality which is endearing. tho' i feel the same towards things, i couldn't put it into words so well as u do and that is the great thing about ur writing. You put ur finger on things and then the reader realises that that's where they wanted to put the finger too ! But it's also how u write so well and intelligently i.e. ur observations are intelligent.

Really I came on to add to my first post and to reply to ur reply. So you mentioned that you don't care to interview Aamir, I thought hmm... well, considering that I hate most of the reviews I get to see on Indian movies and I loved yours (as Aamir did :) ] I would love to see your reviews more regularly.

Next year apparently IFFA is coming to town in the summer. Is it IFFA? anyway the indian film festival that takes place outside india every year.
So I would love to see you work your way towards doing this work formally.
I am a fan now, you see.

Reviews on india today suck. e.g. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/112312/Cinema/aamir-magic-has-toronto-wondering-if-jesus-christs-come-to-town.html
Well, this one on dhobi ghat doesn't even suck as much as others. So contrived, even this one.

Now one thing, I know you mention u r a big girl and all but I just saw Aamir's comment on his blog and he again mentions your review ! I feel that he should have sent u some kind of invite, y'know like to the press conference at Sutton this (Sunday) morning or something ! I think you deserve to win something; well, u did win something w his 'presence' on ur blog as u put it, but it would be cool to see u rewarded in a real way.

Anyway, hope it's ok to write this long comment. :)

Unknown said...

salam............
Dear Namak, your honest review impressed me so much that I can't wait to watch the movie in theatres. Thankyou so much for making me feel that I m witnessing the whole event live..

Telugu Movies said...

Mr.Blogger Really i like your blog Thanks for this information in your blog.....

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this inspiring, touching, making-want-to-see-review!!!
It is a good piece of chocolate until the movie releases (here in Germany ...or just the dvd).
Me too, I love how you describe Kirans "little things" like the grapes...
I want to see...:-)
Tina.

Unknown said...

Normally i hate reading,,, But when something like this... I mean something perfect & real like this is written who could dare to neglect it... Loved your review... & I am a big fan of Aamir,,, So it's really nice to know that he's back again with a bang!!

Congrats Aamir!

Anonymous said...

the review is amazing. heyy, nice pictures of aamir's with that elegant suit. loved the way by which kiran was addressed "tiny little thing,with such a big heart".of course the words are true.truly well explained.fabulous job.responses for DG is terrific which is expected. 'ope movie is going to be unusual as usual b'coz of aamir.
its not fair to leave without saying any wishes to friends. have a gr8 day. ALL IZZ WELL!!
INDHU

Anonymous said...

aamir u r a genius...

pls keep the good work going...

Anonymous said...

Nice comments....you have actually made us more eager to watch this film.....i will keep my opinion only after i see the movie...but yes the details given will help us in much better evaluation ....

Anonymous said...

hey Namak ..(i call u that coz i am myself more of Namak then Dolce about Indian movies..) first of all i have to congratulate you on this UNIQUE concept of Dolce and Namak.. wow.. its so intuitive we all pretty have it but you put it in words so well..Talking about the movie.. I loved your review. Additionally as someone else already mentioned (and I would like to definitely second that being a photographer myself ) - what great photos yaar.. i was totally wowed.. and the guitar (another passion of mine..that I haven't yet tapped in life) that kept playing as background score.. that was very very touching..! I so enjoyed the movie but your review put it in words so damn well for me. Its like spitting out my brains for me.. Thanks. Love it. Keep 'em coming..

Unknown said...

WOW, great review! Im not sure when i´ll be able to see it, thank you so much for letting me feeling Dhobi Ghat through your review

Nagesh Yadav said...

@Namak-Thank you D & N...n keep the CHATTERBOX:) working over time , Giving us such UNBIASED, ENGROSSING insights in your own wonderful way n words..... :)

Unknown said...

nice review ofcourse the film would be great as
aamir did this...and great review...

Ghanan said...

^_^... I guess the pressure reached a complete other scale level than just having a random hardcore fan today ; ) ...
Omg this is just tooo good !

Dolce and Namak said...

@ Ghanan: you can say that again three times, sister! :D But you're still my first one, not even Aamir can beat that :)

@ NKR: TIFF is always special because of the atmosphere. It can't really be put into words, but if I managed to capture even a bit of it for you, then that makes me very happy.

@ Sudie: I tried my best knowing people were not going to see it for a long time. And happy to share the experience!

@ LS: Oh Lals, you know better than anyone that we can't pressure the man to do anything he doesn't want to... :-/ But I do also wish it gets released sooner rather than later because I am dying to see it again...
Hihiii, and thank you for the links, as always :D

@ never_evil: ooooh, I went to see a bit of the screencap-vaganza and I have to come back for more!! :) (Um... and yeah, not many people knew I had a blog, I wasn't really advertising it LOL Well, those days are gone Haha!)

@ Anonymous reader who I wish would sign their posts so I could reply to you by name :D Of course you can quote it on FB. You're right, I used to think of this blog as a journal, that's very intuitive of you, but as you can imagine, that's not the case anymore. :) So feel free to link wherever you wish! But that is very sweet of you to ask, thank you! :)

@ Anjula: Ayyo! I'm not going to reply to everything you said (though I really appreciate the vote of confidence :)), because I got stuck on you wanting to start watching Telugu masala (yay!!), and I got very nervous about your first movie being Varudu. I'm not going to say don't watch it, but if you watch it keep in mind that there's Telugu masala, which is over the top and super fun, and then there's Telugu masala times 20 and THAT is Varudu :) I personally love it, but if you want something more relevant to the genre (and with the same guy that dances like a dream and makes my heart go dhadak dhadak), then maybe try Parugu. My first Telugu movie was Pournami and I still love it dearly. A lot of people came to Tollywood via Magadheera, even if it's not a favourite of mine, but it seems to be a good introduction movie. So I'd recommend those three before Varudu (and THEN you'll really appreciate Varudu and more importantly, you'll really appreciate the awesomeness that is Arya 2!) Whatever your impressions, good or bad, come back and tell! Please :)

Dolce and Namak said...

@ Chapuru_ali: yay! That was the idea :) Thank you for sharing the enthusiasm!

@ Tina: Oh, I feel the pain of having to wait for the DVD. We're usually lucky in Toronto to get the big releases from Bollywood, but some of the smaller films skip us as well. Keeping my fingers crossed for a Germany release (and not just for you :))

@ PKT: Uh-oh: you hate reading? That can't be good! :) I hope it's reviews only, and in that case I am very flattered you read mine :)

@ Indhu: Haha, yes, I have become a Kiran fangirl now, sounds like you are one too ;) They make such a sweet couple.

@ leofoto: Yes, you got exactly what Dolce and Namak are all about, and it sure makes me happy that I'm not the only one who watches movies that way :) High five!
And I take it you saw the movie too! Good, I needed some back-up here so people wouldn't think I dreamt the premiere ;) So happy you enjoyed it as well!

@ Cecilia: I sure hope you get to see it soon! It's an arthouse film, but because it's Aamir I really hope it gets a wide release.

Sandeep said...

Story sounds a bit like "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry.

Princess said...

Most welcome ! Thanks for the intuitive compliment.. yes thats one of letters in the personality test's results that I always get :) Actually, I thought I need a particular id to sign in, so I didn't use the name... but trying this time ... its working ! Its me, Princess :)

Anonymous said...

love 2 c d actor prateik in lead....a person really impactful evn in 5 scenes is expected 2 create majic....thankx mr. blogger 4 d rewiev..:-)

Anonymous said...

I think you got it wrong. She did not mean that these were all Amir Khan's movies but movies, created success recently at Box-Office. I am sure Dhobi Ghat minus Aamir will not be able to pull huge crowd to theaters inspite of brilliant direction and a very well made movie. it was a very intelligent decision from Aamir's and Kiran's point of view to make the movie more saleable and marketable.

Anonymous said...

Glad to know this Christmas - Three Big Movies - 1) Tees mar khan
2) Yamala Pagla Deewana & last but not the least ...Long awaited Dhobi Ghaat getting release ...!!

Amazing !!

Filme said...

D!
Have been offline the last days due to some serious technical probs. But the other bloggers texted about your review and Aamir's reaction on the blog. Congratz!

Oh, I can't wait to see this movie! And 3i (the order is delayed somehow - argh).

All the best. Hubby and kids send their love, too.

Filme

Subhan said...

HIE.... !
Thank youVery much dear for this Wonderful post...
I would surely Watch the movie....
I always like to watch Aamir's Movies 'coz they are all "DIFFERENT" ...In sense to say that his movies makes me feel ALIVE..
Once again thanks for bringing my interest towards this Film much deeper. :)
I hope u understood my words in the above lines.. :)

Anonymous said...

this is really a nice N wonderful post.... i was so busy with ramadan tht i skipped this movie of amir,,,, i am going to watch this asap.. thanks

Dolce and Namak said...

@ Filme: hello stranger! :) Glad to see you back! WHAT??? You guys still haven't seen 3 Idiots??? Oh, something is very very rotten in the state of affairs in Europe :( That makes me very sad... (Mind you, I'm also waiting for the DVD from one of the American providers and they don't seem to be in a hurry either :()
Sending all the love right back at you and family! :)

@ Sandeep: is that a good movie? Should I watch?

@ Princess: aha! You have a name! Excellent! :)

@ Subhan: you're most welcome! This movie is definitely different, so I hope you enjoy it when it releases worldwide!

chatty said...

yeah looking forward to the film. Aamir shines always.

Deepesh said...

wow.... when will they actually release the movie?

Dolce and Namak said...

Deepesh, I think I read at one point February. But I hope I read wrong... :-/ Hope it's sooner than that :)

Strippers said...

wow that's awesome!
I think it would be a GREAT movie!

Anonymous said...

Amazing writeup, wise choice of word. I have got a craving to see the movie, don't know when it will be released.

Prema said...

What an amazing write-up..and thanks for not revealing the story :)...am so waiting for this movie now....as always, Aamir is a genius :)

Glenn said...

the write up is so good..that i thought i was sitting along with u and watching the movie...just dying to watch this once it comes out in feb.

Filme said...

Yep, so far no 3i :( That happens, when you decide to wait for the official DVD and one of the two Indian shops in Germany, that doesn't sell bootlegs does not deliver on time.... OK, the number is slightly exaggerated, but only slightly!

Anonymous said...

Hi Cher Trésor!

What a pleasure to read this chain reaction of so enthusiastic comments! And well justified!
I got a little time yesterday to come take a look at your blog. I read your review about the film "Inception" I've seen recently. Although criticism has been good, I personally wasn't very excited about it. Too complex at my taste. But in reading your review, I wonder if I'm not going to give it a second chance . But this time, in a state of mind better prepared...O_O... I really love reading your blog! :-)
Definetely in my favourites!



Jamila...♥

Anjula said...

Hey Sandeep was referring to the book "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry. Well known author and book. It's not a movie :).
Tried to find ur review on Inception . Couldn't find it. I wasn't a fan of the movie - the plot wasn't clever enough especially to match the hype. Loved Leonardo and 'ex-wife' scenes tho'; the Fr actress is great. Love Leonardo since Blood Diamond, The Departed.
Anyway, wanted to see what u had to say about the movie.

I don't surf too much in this way, and never read/follow blogs so might be my inability to navigate well that I can't find the review. I m not happy about the way this blog site is, and perhaps many other sites are, set up:). Hard to at a glance see what ur posts are.
Thanks for response to my telugu movie comment. Will find ones suggested by you as soon as i get a chance. :)
wonder if you are going to see "that girl w the yellow boots"?

Dolce and Namak said...

@ Strippers, Prema & Glenn: can't wait for more people to watch it, and share their thoughts! Curious what the genral public will think about an art movie like this. And thank you for the compliment: being able to generate excitement is the best outcome of writing a movie review as far as I'm concerned.

@ Filme: I will join you in your :(
Idea: why don't you grab the family and move to Toronto, I know a good guide for the city and some pretty cool breweries ;)

@ Jamila: well, you must read minds my dear, because I did love Inception (mostly for the concept, but also because I am a ridiculous DiCaprio fan and I'm always proud when he does a good movie), but I never blogged about it. Wondering where you read that review, but if you find it again, send me the link too, I always like to read what other people thought of a movie I liked.

@ Anjula: guess you've figured out from above comment, I didn't review Inception. :)

I hear you about navigating the website, it's not the most friendly set-up. But a way to see the titles of all the posts (though a lot of times the title doesn't really help) is to click on that triangle to the left of each month in the Archive of Posts (on the sidebar to the right), that will open up each title for posts written that month.

Ah, as for your last question... I am going to see That Girl... but not very enthusiastic about it (I am starting to wonder why I'm even going, force of habit I think: "it's Bollywood, tehrefore I must go"). I have a feeling (supported by a few recent reviews) that it will be too gritty & dark (and possibly heavy on the psychological abuse theme) for my tastes. Unless it blows me away, I will probably not write about it here, I try to stick to movies I would recommend, rather than reviewing movies I didn't like... We'll see...

Filme said...

Good breweries?! You know how to tempt a German Mädchen! ;) lol

I am so proud of you and your blog getting the attention of Aamir. Can't stop smiling.

Hugs, Filme

Dolce and Namak said...

Filme: Hehehe :) I knew that would get your attention :P

As for the real blog boss, I still think of it as a huge fluke, the planets just aligned that day :D Very surreal... But I will probably be smiling about it (from ohr to ohr) for a long time to come as well! :)

Anonymous said...

Awesome review. I typically don't post any comments, but this time, I couldn't hold back. Really looking forward to the movie, more so because of Prateik than Aamir...

Anjula said...

Re: That girl in yellow boots: I think i am skipping the movie. I think you liked Dev-D by I think the same director... (or maybe u didn't like it?).
I am going to the after party though. Weird (I mean just unexpectd) but u can request to be on the guestlist.
http://simplygaurav.com/
Just text one of the guys listed at the bottom.
[you might already b going but thought i would pass on the info just in case]

triShie said...

sorry this'll be out of topic, but i just came by to say thanks!! for dropping by. i left you some words on the same post. you've made my day, i need you to know that! :)

Dolce and Namak said...

@ triShie: That's awesome, because your pictures made my day! So there, now we're even! :)

@ Anjula: oh God no, thank you for sharing but I am definitely not going to the party. Imagine shy old me (along with my partner in Bollywood crime who could even be more shy than me) sitting in a corner. LOL
On a different train of thought, Dev D was good, but also from what I understand not Kashyap's typical movie (and not his idea either ;)), so really, I based my purchase of this ticket on... um... hope... We'll see, who knows, maybe I'll like it... :-/

@ Anonymous: Seems to me like you have just the right expectations for this movie, so enjoy! (when it releases... soon... I hope...)

Anonymous said...

O_h yes! You're right, my dear Tesoro!
I read it in "allusirish", the link on the side.
I'm so used to taking the same path that leads to AK's Blog since 3 years, once outside, I'm completely lost when I visit another. HELP!!! lol!

However, I found the article well written. But, you know! All things considered, I remain in my position. The dream for me, is my sacred garden. The review, even very good, about "Inception" do not get me carried away too much :(. I think you will have to use all your know-how to convince me.

I'm not really an admirer of Leonardito but I still enjoyed the movie "Titanic" & the film "The man with a Iron Mask" - L'homme au masque de fer (in french) -by Randall Wallace with the great... John Malkovich, Gérard Depardieu, Jeremy Irons, to name a few..!:)

I must say it was an EXCELLENT film...with a great casting!...a "Must see!!!"

Wish you a wonderful week end, dear Tesoro!:)

Jamila...♥

Anonymous said...

Dear Treasure – you certainly live up to your namesake – and I am sure glad I decided to take a breather from the fast lane. Just saw a media clip on our TIFF and had to stop by to see if there was a write up on DG ~ Well ~ and what a write up! Reading your review, I had the same euphoric sense that I get when I see the cherry blossoms in spring, or the vibrant colours of fall that leave me breathless and make me want to question the validity of my senses! Awesome command of language skill – left me wanting to read more! BTW Aamir – loved PL – and how true – does anyone care in this day – so long as “their” purpose is served – whether it is media, government, society or corporations! Bravo for another good one! Glad that DG is a far cry from Ghajni – my fingers are still smarting from all the gnawing!

Dolce and Namak said...

Hm... treasure, namesake, "our TIFF" and cherryblossoms... I'm gonna take a wild guess here at who this anonymous poster is... Neeta? If not, please don't let me burn with curiosity and tell me :) And regardless, thank you for the kind words! :D

@ Jamila: aaaah, so it was my cutie pie Sirish! :P Yes, I remember that review, he writes good articles, I'm not surprised you enjoyed it :) And if it didn't convince you to like the film, then so be it, it's definitely not everyone's cup of tea. As long as you gave it a fair chance, that's all that matters.

And of course, what kind of fan would I be if I hadn't seen almost all of DiCaprio's films ;) Even if Titanic is not in my list of favourites (he was so commercial in that compared to some of his older roles, but I suppose he had to be). On the other hand, for a Dumas fan like me, there was no alternative but to love the Iron Mask. :)

Have fun and keep smiling!

Anjula said...

Okay, so I went to see the movie tho' I didn't think i was going to. I m referring to That Girl in Yellow Boots. And since u went too, I am wondering what you thought of it. You had a way of putting into words this mush that was in my head, about Dhobi Ghat atleast.
I am open to any topic being discussed so there were no problems w the topic of That Girl in Yellow Boots. It was just that it lost its focus throughout the movie. I didnt really feel the emotional connection w the movie. I also didn't feel the connection/chemistry b/w Kalki and her boyfriend in the movie, at any point. I thought that Naseerudin was the only actor who brought some emotinal content to the movie. I can't say I disliked the movie. It always becomes an EXPERIENCE to watch it during TIFF so I lose track of what I liked and didn't like.

The dialogue was confused at times e.g. Prashant's story w the main thug (anurag?) - I didn't even know what was going on and it felt like an amateur effort during those times.
A lot of it didn't ring true for me. Also, Prashant, the character, was too anorexic-looking, and his character too dysfunctional to be able to relate to him in any way. He seemed more like a street junkie than a - what was he supposed to be, again?

The character, Anurag (?not sure of the name), had enough originality for me at times, for it to grab my attention but like all elements of the movie that section also seemed pieced together rather than following a coherent flow to the story.

But I have to say that the fact the movie was shot in 13 days was pretty fr...ing amazing ! Considering that, I appreciated the movie much more.

As for the telugu movies, Namak, I tried to find them and found it hard to find ones w subtitles (online that is). I ended up watching Arya2 but first 3 'parts' w hindi subtitles - hindi words spelled in English- (hard to read for me - not used to it) and rest of the parts w no subtitles i.e. watched most of it w/o understanding the dialogue.
I appreciated the dance moves and the girl was gorgeous. And I got the appeal of 'bunny'.
I honestly didn't know that Telugu actors/actresses were so hot. I always thought Bollywood actors/actresses are at the top of the Indian movies. But these guys are right up there.
And looking up Allu Arjun I saw a photo shoot w Tamanna on youtube and Tamanna seems like tho' she may not appear to be so on the big screen, she is super hot.
Anyway, it is hard to find a good dose of awesome indian movies so i am happy to find another platform that provides that same indian masala. The only problem is I am not sure if i can find these movies w english subtitles. So let's see where this takes me.

Anyway, the main reason for writing this: hope u write ur opinion about That Girl in Yellow Boots.

Anonymous said...

woow ! thx dolce and namak for this review and a little information about dhobi ghat !
i am excited to watch it !
and thx for showing the fann tsunami!

Sanix said...

The review is beautifully written. At the end of my reading, I've decided to watch the movie. Downloading it now ..

tolly said...

I wondered before about banner image of your blog , as i felt like something familiar.

yesterday when I rewatching Arya-2 then I realized it is from Ringa Ringa song.

Dolce and Namak said...

@ Anjula: I didn't read what you wrote about That Girl, don't want to be spoiled since I haven't gone yet (there are two more screenings ;)). I'll come back and read your thoughts after I see the movie :) But... we may have a guest post about it, depending on how the movie works for my friend and I. So there may be more talk abut it at this address :)

But I had to reply to your quest for Tolly AND to the fact that you watched my favourite Tollywood movie in the whole world, Arya 2: YAAAAAY!!! :) I watch a lot of unsubtitled movies, but for this one, you really need the subs, they explain a whole lot. Um... yes, Telugu movies are hard to find, I buy them from Bhavanidvd.com, but Nehaflix.com also has some of the newer ones (for sure they have Arya 2). They're more expensive than Hindi movies unfortunately :(. You can also watch them on youtube with subs, but I don't recommend it (well, first of all it's illegal, and secondly the print quality is not as good as a DVD and you miss out on the facial expressions and the dance bits that sometimes make a movie for me). But all that aside: you liked Bunny!!! I am right now doing a happy dance just for that! :D :D :D

@ tolly: you mean you hadn't figured it out before? :-O But it's so iconic that dance (or maybe just for me after having watched the songs in that movie dozens of times?... :-/) It was a few hours of Photoshop in the making, but I love that banner, it symbolizes so many things to me :)

@ Sanix: hehehe, good luck downloading it! I doubt you'll find it, TIFF is very very careful about piracy. Also, I know Aamir would tell you to not even try that, he has very strong opinions against piracy. Of course in this particular case I'm not worried because I know you won't find it, but I'll be more than happy if you see it in the theatres when it releases and come tell us all about it!

ishahuja said...

good movie, enjoy it. running short of words.

Anonymous said...

Adore you, and yes, you hit it on the button, gal! And Treasure you certainly are!! :)) Once again - will be off on another project for a while - so hugs to you all - and tell Aamir/Kiran to keep the thought provoking movies coming! Lots of Love - okay, and a little sunshine ~ but you know, this means I have to live with the rain - right? :)) Anything for you ~ my sweet treasure! Keep Smiling - that is what we Canadians know how to do!

NeetaD

subodh said...

awesome review! very very well written. thank u.

Anonymous said...

hey treaure,

email me if you will..( address on my blog's profile page.)

Para said...

So watched Arya2 w subtitles and Magadheera ! I loved both ! You did get me on to Telugu movies! Will be searching for more good ones :) Thanks.
P.S. Funny that the main boys in these two movies , both are super short. Just an observation !
Good actors all of them. But to get to that 'dhak dhak' stage, i m not there yet :) But left w a feeling of wanting more so getting there !
Anjula.

Dolce and Namak said...

@ Anjula: You do know that you just made my day, right? :D Hee-heeee!! And well, why didn't you say so? Had I known that "tall" was a pre-requisite, I would have sent you to Prabhas and Mahesh Babu right away! They're not quite at the level of Arjun and Charan when it comes to dancing, but I have a feeling you will be able to get over that. So whenever you're in the mood, get thee in front of Pournami or Munna for Prabhas and in front of Athadu or Pokiri for Mahesh. We'll see how it goes from there :D

@ Neeta: hey girl! So proud of myself for guessing (even though the cherryblossoms were a dead giveaway! :P) and I am glad to be hearing from you, even if briefly! Many kisses!

@ Ramesh: arre yaar, we should get to know each other better before emailing, no? :D But you make a very good point. I should look into creating an email address for this blog (and hope that I will not be as lazy as I am in my everyday correspondence... though, who am I kidding? :))

@ Subodh and Ishahuja: thank you for stopping by! Glad you enjoyed the review :)

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Dolce and Namak said...

Ramesh: ROFL! But seriously, personal information is pretty much the only area where I don't disclose anything. Other than that, ask and you shall (probably) be answered :)

Para said...

Thanks, Namak. I am watching Parugu now. Allu Arjun ("the stylish star" ha, ha) No, lack of height didn't come in the way ! Thanks for the other suggestions. Can't find that real Bollywood feel that was distinct to our movies, I guess what u refer to as masala and seems like Tollywood still has it going for it. And hard to find a good Bollywood movie these days. Now I am trying to get a couple of other ppl to watch these:)
My cousin was shocked I am watching Telugu movies and sounded a bit disgusted - funny how ppl make judgments on what they havent checked out - i should know - I had a similar outlook :(

mintu said...

w0w let's see new blast of Aamir .. gr8 All the very best...



mayank shrivastava

prime focus ...

Neeti Kamath said...

Hi Namak!!

Thank so much for your review,I got this link from Aamir's blog just today.

I am quite like you,except that you could say I have several more sides to my brain...LOL...I have a nice time,with all those quirky comments that arise constantly in my mind.

Thanks and take care!

Dolce and Namak said...

@ Anjula: haha! I get that all the time from my desi friends: "you watch SI movies? ewww!!" You'll learn to ignore it :) Hope you're still enjoying your trip down south, and don't hesitate to come back for more recommendations after you're done with Varudu (which you're probably much more prepared for now) and whatever else you choose from my long list of suggestions :) I feel like I should warn you against some of Arjun's older films in case you want to go that route, but maybe I'll leave you the fun of discovering them all on your own. :P *insert evil laughter here*

@ Neeti: :D It's always nice when someone understands this phenomenon and doesn't think I'm either schizophrenic or making it up :) Glad you liked the review as well!

Para said...

So I ve seen all Allu Arjun's newer movies (including Varudu) from the list on ur blog (animation page) (!) except Happy but trying to find it.
After a quick look, I know what u r referring to regarding his older movies but might check em out when there r none to watch, w him in it ;)

Dying to find Vedam - have u seen it yet? AA looks hot from what little I saw of the movie.

Magadheera was pretty good.
Paragu - I really liked the dialogues.
I think Parugu and Arya2 were my favorite.
But here is the real verdict: Allu Arjun definitely has the hotness factor and I am wanting to watch all his movies.
The other actors: Mahesh (yet to watch his movies), Prabhas umm... taller (lol) but no, not the same. And unless their movie is super good, ...not sure if i'd watch it.
The Magadheera actor (who happens to be AA's cousin !) is cute but i ve to watch more of his movies to see if his movies I will follow w/o another thought.
I really like the actress : Magadheera and Arya2.


Some stars u don't want to miss no matter what and I have added Allu Arjun to my list :)
Plus I am still going to watch all Telugu movies that my research shows were good movies like Gamyam, Kota Bangaru Lokam, Prasthanam, Banam.

I have watched Allu Arjun's interviews etc. (hardly any available in English) but he comes across as such a nice guy - down to earth, personable....Love him! And definitely the best dancer of the lot. So here I m showing my tendency to go on n on about him :)

Any other suggestions are WELCOME.
If u ve any other Telugu movie recommendation w really 'watchable' stars, I'd love it.

Did you watch this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY_ZxlJF084

CovidMaharashtra said...

superb post..all i want to do now is watch the movie :)

Irfan said...

What a great movie review! Thanks. When I finished reading, I realised that I had tears, thinking that there is still some hope and reason for a commom person to just keep living in this crazy world.

Dolce and Namak said...

@ Anjula: I'm going to move this conversation to the AA Animations page (which you seem to be familiar with ;)) just because this post is already full of comments.

@ JS: Thank you! And you know, I feel so bad sometimes when I get comments about people wanting to see this movie because I really wish everyone had access to it right away, instead of having to wait for so long until it releases :( But I hope the excitement will last until the release!

@ Irfan: If my review alone stirred all that emotion in you, I can't even imagine what the actual movie will do when you see it. It really is very touching on many levels. I hope you enjoy it!

Para said...

I was waiting to see when that would happen ! Good idea !

Telugu News said...

Good idea.Great Review of this movie.Thanks!

Rita Mukherjee said...

Hi Namak, loved your reveiw & will watch the movie for sure.

Check out Aamir's facebook , he's got a word of appreciation for you.

Dolce and Namak said...

Thank you Telugu News and Rita! And thank you Rita for the heads up on the FB note, I did know about it :D Made my week when it happened! :)

Anonymous said...

Awesome Review! Love your style of writing! Keep on tapping at the keys narrating thoughts straight from the heart which flow out in a natural conversational spirit of sweet somethings, perfect in every sense. God Bless! Will watch the movie when it comes out.

Love YB in Chicago

Dolce and Namak said...

Thank you YB! It always makes me happy to know that I got someone interested in this little gem! And thank you for the compliment, you are much too kind! :)

Rajeev Dubey said...

The review did not have noisy words and actually had a flow rather than T20 tanks breaking barriers. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Phew! What a review! Probably the best till date that I've read ANYWHERE. And I'm glad it's for a Indian-Hindi Film.

Thank you for such an rich experience, I promise to watch it first day, first show. :)

Dolce and Namak said...

Thank you Rajeev! Your image of the T20 tanks made me laugh! :) And glad you like the way I write because I can't do it any other way :)

And Snadhogopalm, you flatter me! That is a huge compliment, and I will be very happy if you do watch it when it comes out and come back and tell me all about it!

Anonymous said...

Great write up and wait please, this could well make her bid for being amongst the scriptwriters, since she has a wonderful way with words and expressions that make you truly wishing you were seeing the movie when it is released, and I sure do...

Aamir you are honestly the pick for Actor director scriptwriter or the one who picks and knows what will be the entertainement of the year for all the audiences..and frankly I do know that acting and all that makes for an Aamir Khan is born..we are honoured to be with a great film maker and everything else.

Thank you Aamir.


<3 ॐ <3

Tercia said...

Well, Dear Dolce and Namak, your blog / review is officially on Dhobi Ghat's website! Congrats! Nicely written! Looking forward to enjoying the movie now.

Dolce and Namak said...

Oh wow! Thank you Tercia, and welcome! What lovely news to wake up to! :D
It's a nice website too! I'm very excited about the release especially after seeing the trailer. Can't wait to go again!

And thank you kwest4truth for the kind words! Spoken like a true Aamir fan :D

Anonymous said...

Hi Dear Tesoro

Just saw your revew on the Official website!
Superb!!! :D Congratulations!! Hat to Kiran Rao Khan & Aamir Khan! Great & lovely duo! When I was telling you that you wrote really beautifully... hm?.. ;) ... Very happy for you :D ...
Cheers & HuG.... &..
Bisous.. :D

Jamila................♥

Dolce and Namak said...

I know! Isn't that wonderful? :)
Keep smiling my dear! Nice to see you here again!

Anonymous said...

Nice review.. Came here as per Aamir's suggestion.. But impressed to read your review. You do have gift of amazing writing style.. keep up.

Dolce and Namak said...

Thank you! :) Glad you liked it!

Unknown said...

waiting eagerly for Aamir's movie.

SAGAR GUJRATI said...

waiting for aamir's next movie as this is just a cheating to the fan following of aamir....
the film failed to tell me it's vision and people with me in theater just abuse their other frnds who force to watch the film..
read my review on www.sagarsg.blogspot.com

Dolce and Namak said...

Well, good to know that, Sagar Gujrati. There will be quite a few people of your opinion I'm sure, but I hope Kiran and Aamir don't let that undermine their love for the film and the faith in their choices. And thank you for finally making me understand why Aamir and Kiran were warning people so much that this wasn't the typical Aamir film. I thought they were wrong to be so apprehensive, but I see they were not. Sad.

On the bright side I just saw it again yesterday and fell in love with it even more :)

Mimi said...

i can't wait to get my hands on a copy..im so behond already!;) lovely review.

Dolce and Namak said...

Oh lord, that's sad to hear that you have to wait for the DVD :( Considering it's an Aamir Khan production and knowing how long Kiran had been working on it before it even came out, I have no hope for seeing the DVD any time soon. :-/ But everyone I went to see it with has loved it, so I hope you like it too when it does come out. It's such a great little piece of world cinema!
In the meantime, enjoy the journey through other Bollywood gems!

Temple said...

I finally got around to seeing this...and I have mixed feelings. I can sum it up as I loved the film but I hated a lot of the dialogues. As long as the camera was observing things, watching the way people behave, following a character's gaze around the city I was drawn in and loved it. The moment any of them, particularly Shai, opened their mouth, I often felt like I was thrown out of the story with a great wrenching crash. So it was very uneven. Unlike you, I did think Aamir succumbed to ACT!ING! a couple of times, especially when he put 2 and 2 together about Yasmin, but overall he was restrained and believable. Prateik was stunning though - I completely agree with you on that. His performance was so delicate in some respects yet completely hit the emotional notes required to keep me glued to the screen. Monica Dogra was hampered by the clunkiest lines. I understand Shai was partly a device for seeing things from a sympathetic outsider perspective, but she sounded stilted and wasn't totally successful in showin any real chemistry with the guys. And Kriti Malhotra had a hard task - creating a fully realised character with little interaction other than direct to camera. She was so good at subtly showing the change in her spirits and her love for her brother.
So yes I do really like the film, and I think Kiran Rao has an extraordinary eye for the little things that will make Dobhi Ghat stick in my mind.

Dolce and Namak said...

Mwahaha, you caught me, Temple! There's a reason why I didn't talk about Monica Dogra's performance in this one :P In fact, the more times I watched the movie, the less I liked her as an actress... But for me that gets overshadowed by everything that is wonderful in the film. And Kriti more than makes up for Monica's shortcomings.

Re: Aamir and the scene you referenced: I know, there were a few seconds there where I cringed a little myself the second time I watched it, something was very off all of a sudden, but then it went back to where he should have been all along. A single moment against everything else in the film, so I chose to gloss over that.

Glad you liked it (sort of :)) overall. It's certainly a different movie than what Bollywood usually serves us up with, so I'm happy whenever it gets love from people whose opinion I value. Guess you'll be tapping your foot just like me for Kiran's next one :)

Thank you for sharing your thoughts here, my dear!

Swati Sapna said...

Hey Dolce! I'm revisiting ur review after having watched the film last month.
Ok here's what I thought. A really good watch and gripping plot. But it was very amateurish...not being condescending, but its one step ahead of a student film. and we made and saw several such flicks in media college. a little stilted, but honest.
acting - i didnt mind monica dogre so much but aamir in acoupla scenes really rankled! and why aamir? i really think he forced kiran to cast him so that the film can have a wider audience. good marketing thought definitely.
kriti was brilliant i thought, and so was prateik. he is what held the film together. and playing a character so removed from his real self so early on in his career is commendable.
so overall, i liked the film but wouldnt sit thru it again. kiran rao has potential, but she needs to figure out which way she wants to go... if she is thinking Bollywood, even 'different' cinema can be made more appealing than this - case in point UDaan, LSD, Tere BIn Laden, etc.
So im going to reserve my opinion of her as a director till she gives us something more meaty...

Dolce and Namak said...

That seems fair to me, Swati: we can't judge a director based on one film alone. But I am personally very excited about Kiran's next one, and I find her direction superb, and would definitely sit through DG an inordinate amount of times (ahem... 3 in the theatre so far). The film IMO has so many layers, so many interpretations and I think that's where its strength lies, and that's why I could sit through it another 10 times happily, I'm always discovering something new. I wonder why you found it amateurish, this is the first time I am hearing this objection to DG, so I'm very curious. For example I would list TBL in the "amateurish but with heart" type of film-making, though of course, it was *supposed* to look like that. Still, interesting choice of words there.

I am as curious as you as to where Kiran is going to go after this, but I would say alternative (hindie) cinema seems like the most probable route. At least it's the one I hope she takes, without paying too much heed to the box office ratings of DG :P

Hey thanks for giving me your opinion on this one, even if we disagree! :)

Swati Sapna said...

ok, just to reiterate - i did really like the film :) just fell short of loving it.... i think my earlier note came across a bit too harshly which was not my intention. so while i will think twice if i were asked to watch it gain, i was totally involved when i watched it the first time around.
and yes, agree with u on TBL, that was amateurish and meant to look that way i think... DG was technically better in many many ways.
And like I said, KIran Rao is def a talent to watch out for. jus hoping she brings her talent to mainstream Bollywood too in some way and not limit her audience to the multiplexes. thats the true test of a filmmaker!

Dolce and Namak said...

Whew, ok, that's much better. You did like it :) I was getting a little bummed there.

Aha! Mainstream Bollywood. Here's what I think: yes, I totally agree that a good filmmaker will be able to grab eyeballs from all types of audiences, but I also think that can be done without becoming "mainstream". To be honest I thought DG would be that film, but it wasn't. Perhaps it was *too* subtle. I still have hope that her next one will do just that, because like you say, a great filmmaker, however niche, will appeal even to the people who were not the target audience. Here's hoping :)

Anonymous said...

... had to take a break in the middle of the film. Overwhelmed. Beautiful. Feels languid and tender... nuanced.... gentle, perceptive, so observant... cherishing the minutae... old buildings... my pick for friends as a must see... Sofia Coppola's "lost in translation'... comes to mind as does "sideways"... Still only 60 minutes odd into the film... feel like a long stretch... Aamir's blog alerted me to your love for the film. Thanks for being there, to share. More later N.

Dolce and Namak said...

Hi Nithila,

It's a very atmospheric film, it's true. I'm so glad you're appreciating it. It is very much a work of love, it should be treated tenderly, and I'm glad you also feel that way about it!

See you around!

Anonymous said...

thanks namak and dolce for that reply... and for keeping alive these posts and this blog!

The essence I cherish from Dhobi-Ghat, "the vulnerability in each of the characters... the birthing of inner potential, the building of sincere relationships... uncovering the source of meaning and value amidst the chaos of Mumbai...in fragile encounters..." The film as an homage to a city, resonates deeply with how i would approach or would hope to approach the chaos of beloved cities.... that our heart calls home.


The tonal range is different for each of the characters, in terms of fulfillment... shai's emotional threads result in one set of possibilities, munna's yield another, yasmin's and arun's the most poignant and heartbreaking... but there is hope of new narrative threads that can connect them to new realities... Loved the first 80 to 100 mins most. Moved by munna's last run too! The subtle nuances Shai communicates of her relationship to everyone and everything, is stunning. Ofcourse Arun communicates the creative process like only he can, a lens into what moves an artist to create - the representation was straightforward without all the psychological excess we have to typically process when we deal with representations of an artist in world cinema... from Frida kahlo to jackson Pollock to Picasso... Arun's creative process in contrast feels simple and direct in dhobi Ghat... that's probably how Kiran experiences it - enjoyed how compassionate it felt... Yasmin's performance and story while feeling a little typical, with that air of menace hanging around it... gives Dhobi Ghat an edginess...

... love the fact, that Kiran shares a linneage with me and a sensibility that I feel is nurtured at our master's program at AJK-MCRC (that we affectionately call jamia!)....here's to the birthing of another sensitive filmmaker! my best namak N.

Pakistani music said...

I really love its working amir khan is doing good.

Rabia said...

Nice read

tollywoodpolitics said...

great collection

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