So I recently watched 'Dhobi Ghat' by Kiran Rao, produced by Aamir Khan. A film that released in 2011, and didn't do all that well at the Box Office iirc. Not that that surprises me considering the kind of film it is, but I guess it worked out well that I only just watched it. Probably wouldn't have really understood its various themes and sub-themes (especially the ones related to neurodiversity) if I had watched it way back then.
So it's definitely a film ahead of its time. Also, so often neurodivergent filmmakers (both Aditi and I think Kiran Rao is neurodivergent) have such a distinctly visceral style of filmmaking. So much is about sights, smells, memories, moods, textures, places, music... inherently sensorial experiences. And being able to capture these things well is also the mark of a brilliant filmmaker, which is why I have never felt that story and plot come above all else. I'm equally happy seeing a filmmaker give time to a character enjoying an activity at their leisure.
Dhobi Ghat captures a sliver of the lives of four very different people as their paths briefly cross. The backdrop is the city of Mumbai, whose vibe pretty much dictates how the story unfolds. So much of what the story and plot are is because all of it takes place in Mumbai. And that's perhaps why Kiran Rao has said in one interview that the city is the fifth character in the film.
There's some other elements in the form of themes and motifs that I've identified, which are quintessentially all part of the realm of neurodivergent living.
1. Video diaries: So many of us absolutely love this format of filmmaking for the freedom it gives you, and the leeway you have in recording your thoughts, feelings and ideas. It is such an accessible and engaging form of capturing a lived experience. It took us back to AHKN S1, which was a hybrid of the video diary format and the documentary format. I really relate to Aamir Khan's character (Arun) getting taken in by the video diaries of the previous tenant (Yasmin) of the apartment he moves into, and using her as a muse for his art.
2. Sensory seeking: It's so difficult to capture the feeling of touch, smell and sight on film. In that film is quite a neurotypical means of mass communication. But combined with the right mood, music and backdrop, instances of sensory seeking can be beautifully portrayed on film, like Kiran Rao does. There's parts where Aamir Khan goes to the sea and writes Yasmin's name in sand, then feels the sea water running through his fingers. On other occasions he smells some of her jewelry, tastes some of his paint. The way he creates his paintings is also such a stimulatory experience - using wads of sponge and smearing thick blobs of paint across his canvas. These are some very common ways in which neurodivergents make sense of their world and express themselves.
3. Mood fluctuations: The dynamism of our personalities means every day we wake up feeling differently. Arun is shown to be in a pensive mood at the beginning of the film, right after he has a fling with Shai (Monica Dogra), possibly because he's about to move house, which could be a potential cause for anxiety (very few of us like change). But then later when he's completely entranced by Yasmin's video diaries, he's in such a good mood when Shai comes over by surprise. It's almost like he's a different person altogether. He's also not typically overcommunicative - and is, in fact, shown to be quite a recluse - but Shai's sudden appearance at his doorstep doesn't seem to bother him. Depicts a personality nuance that most would miss.
4. Hyperfocus & special interests: Arun is shown in hyperfocus multiple times: while watching Yasmin's video diaries, painting, setting up his home. Shai's special interest is photography (and later Arun), and she goes to an under construction building to spy on him. Yasmin's special interest becomes vlogging her life, when her husband leaves her and goes away.
5. Masked v/s unmasked: My theory is that Shai is a masked ND while Arun is an unmasked one, which is why she starts to fancy him in the first place. But Aditi doesn't agree with me. Arun masks a lot less than Shai, which also goes to show that it is a lot more acceptable for men to be unmasked (and seen as quirky or creative) than it is for women. It could just as well be that Shai is a sensitive neurotypical who falls in love with Arun because she sees the same sensitivity in him as well. Although, I found it quite telling that Shai dismisses the idea that she and Zohaib (Prateik Babbar) shouldn't be hanging out together because she's high society and he's an “uneducated washerman,” as Shai's rich friends put it.
6. The city as a backdrop for your emotions: The murky bylanes of Mumbai, its roads, street lights, beaches, traffic, subways, trains, slums, its opulence and its poverty all come together to pilot the story. Gustavo Santaolalla provides a very minimal, Indian fusion soundtrack - headlined by the sitar and acoustic guitar - that deftly intensify the pervasive melancholy hanging over the film.
7. A sense of attachment to places, homes, objects & complete strangers: This shines through when, towards the end, Arun finds out that Yasmin took her own life in the same apartment he's just moved into. This is a woman with whom he's bonded through her video diaries, and never even knew existed until he moved into the apartment. And yet her death leaves him more distraught than when he upset a girl (Shai) he slept with by telling her he's not looking for anything serious. Very few will get the obvious irony here, but I found this to be so telling. There's a moment when Arun looks up at the ceiling where the fan once used to be, and rushes out of the apartment bawling. He soon moves out.
There's also a non-speaking neighbour whose significance I could not understand, but I guess her all-knowing eyes speak a lot. Nonetheless, this is a bit of casual inclusion I really appreciated.
Lots of other small things here and there that I'm sure I missed. One thing I found really sad was that they never released a soundtrack as a music album. I wonder why that may be, considering music labels bear the cost of album release and distribution. Or maybe it was different back in the day?
Ah, for the longest time both Aditi and I have wanted to meet Kiran Rao and figure out a collaboration on something in the non-fiction space. Manifesting it. 🤞🏻
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