Arjun Rampal has been already signed for one of the characters of the film. However, Madhur wants a young actor who in the film will play the role of Aishwarya’s man whom she is shown involved into a serious relationship with. The three actors who are running in the contention to fit the role are Ranbir Kapoor, Imran Khan and Prateik Babbar.

According to a source, “Ash has a very interesting track with a young actor who falls in love with her. He basically uses her to climb the social ladder and make it big in the industry. There are also a few romantic scenes between the actor and Ash. It’s a role that’s being battled for between the three actors.”

Ranbir and Imran are the first choice for the role but recently Prateik too has been taken into consideration, if the former two didn’t give it a fix. It will be interesting, because none of the actors have earlier worked with Aish in any film. “The decision is yet to be made but it will be one of these three guys. Madhur is still in the process of casting and will be making his decision in the coming weeks,” added the source.

After the critical appreciation for his role in Dhobi Ghat, Prateik Babbar is becoming an actor of substance. The actor will be the desi Romeo in Issaq, an adaptation of the Romeo and Juliet. The film will be directed by Manish Tiwary and produced by Shailesh Singh and Dhaval Gada.  The story of Issaq is set in Banaras. We just hope it gets the right kind of treatment like ‘Omkara’.

However, it is not understandable where ‘Dhobi Ghat’ was unusual except a film without songs and interval. For the sake of intellectual and art film one can’t appreciate a half baked, ill executed project, just for the sake of Aamir who has a lot of good work behind his back. Do we really applaud a documentary that is influenced by a drama rather than being raw and uncut, it only ends up as a chase in travesty.

The documentary rather than the film actually tells us the story of a girl Yasmin Noor (Kriti Malhotra) whose recorded tapes finds a hand in Arun (Aamir Khan), a painter, loner, intense and mostly silent who meets the girl Shai (Monica Dogra), an investment banker who is on a sabbatical trip to Mumbai from USA to pursue her hobby, photography. Shai gets a friend in Munna (Prateik Babbar) who is a ‘Dhobi’ and aspires to become an actor. On paper you will find the story intriguing. How the four characters are linked?

Shai meets Arun in an art exhibition and falls for him after a one-night stand but Arun gets apologetic in the morning and withdraws himself from any emotional attachment, displays a remorseful and impulsive behavior which makes Shai more than surprised.

She gets close to Munna and becomes his friend after realizing he knows Arun and his whereabouts.  Shai gives a favor to Munna – portfolio pictures – and in returns asks him to show her the real Mumbai. The intriguing and poignant part of the story is Yasmin’s video tapes that shows her life in Mumbai which is narrated and captured on a handheld video camera which Arun finds when he shifts into a new flat.

Overall Dhobi Ghat is all about Aamir and the story of Yasmin that plays on the video, Prateik and Monica works as fillers to the story all this while. Aamir’s character is a little too silent with same expression till the end and moreover his lighting up cigarettes too often looks artificial.

Dhobi Ghat being Aamir’s movie will get audience on the weekend but it will start hurting the actor later in the week more than anyone else.

The cinematography of Tushar Kanti Ray isn’t applaud-able, barring few frames. The background score of Argentine composer Gustavo Santaolalla was only soothing aspect when you start getting mild headache.

The film is a contrasting reality to what Aamir has done so far before this and that is the gist of the film which comes on the canvas at the end, but only few, who understand art, can make it out.

It seems we are walking on the lines of Hollywood movies when it comes to the length of the film, ‘Dhobi Ghat’s’ running time will be only 95 minutes, half to that of ‘Devdas’ OSO’ and most of the Hindi movies that are stick-your-a** for three long hours.

It is a clause no-interval, for screening ‘Dhobi Ghat’, set up by Mr. Perfectionist and it will be followed across India, be it multiplexes, single screen theaters or theaters in small cities. For this Aamir Khan has personally visited the multiplex chain owners and managers and got it in writing.

The film is directed by Aamir’s wife Kiran Rao and is set to release this Friday, stars Aamir in an important role along Prateik Babbar.

Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries) may have some differences in the treatment, in comparison to ‘Saazish’ where the characters fall in love and set up for a romantic sail on a yacht, only to get into a conspiracy that shakes their belief on each other. However, Dhobi Ghat’s storyline intersects the four and changes their lives, leaving them into a compelling relationship which later turns upside down.

Apart from Aamir, the film stars Prateik Babbar (Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na), Monica Dogra, Kriti Malhotra, Kitu Gidwani, Nafisa Khan.

Dhobi Ghat will be released in the last week of February and it is 25th 2011, after too much of consideration and final thumbs up from Aamir.

Writer is a freelance journalist, script writer, avid blogger, poet, dreamer and story teller. Can be reached at http://twitter.com/#!/arziyaan