Ahead of release of her directorial debut Dhobi Ghat, Kiran Rao and her husband Aamir, who acts in the film, Thursday apologised to the members of the dhobi (washerman) community if they had hurt their sentiments but said the matter had been amicably resolved. "This last two-three days' experience has been a learning experience for me. When I met (Amit) Khatriji, Kanoji and Dr Satishji (of the community's associations), I realized that unknowingly we might have hurt someone, at which I felt bad. If I have unknowingly hurt anyone, I would want to approach him and apologise. I want to say to all 'dhobi bhais' across the country that I have full love and respect for them and I deeply apologise if I have hurt you," said Aamir. Kiran said: "I wrote the script with best intentions and I have respects for dhobis and all such communities that have a stigma attached to the title given to them. I will make an effort in the future to be sensitive to that. I don't want to hurt someone's feelings and I want to understand what people go through." Kiran and Aamir, who faced objections on the name of the film from Akhil Bharathiya Dhobi Mahasanga and Akhil Bharatiya Dhobi Samaj, met office bearers of the associations and showed them the film. It was explained to them that the film was named after a place called Dhobi Ghat, which is a tourist spot in Mumbai. After watching the film, the association officials were convinced that nothing demeaning has been shown about dhobis and praised performance of Prateik Babbar, who played a dhobi in the film. But they still had objections to the film's title so Aamir thought of keeping it only to Mumbai Diaries instead. However, this was also solved. "They wanted me to change the title. I knew how difficult it was to change the title three days before the film's release but I agreed to do so. But when they saw I would be in a problem, they gave up their objection and let me go with the original name," said Aamir. Khatri, national secretary (youth cell) of Akhil Bharathiya Dhobi Mahasanga, said dhobi being a caste, the name of a film was "really hurting them whenever we saw the posters". "We were of course against the name of the film but were equally inquisitive about what message does the film gives about dhobis. We didn't know about the story. He (Aamir) agreed to show us the film before release and said he would do the necessary changes if we feel that its hurting the dhobi community in any way." "Seeing the film, we realised that the film is about something absolutely different from what we had thought. The film has given respect to the profession of a dhobi so we gave up all our objections," said Khatri.
She didn't want to work with Aamir Khan in " Dhobi Ghat", but once he was on board, first-time director Kiran Rao not only enjoyed working with her husband but also got some valuable tips from him. She is however not sure if she will write a script specially for him, although she says he is a "dream producer". "Aamir told me, 'Don't move on until you've got what you want and once you've got it, don't waste time.' That was his one mantra for me," Kiran told us. "I would love to work with Aamir again. As of now there is nothing that I have written exclusively for him and to be honest I don't think I can write something keeping him in mind specially. "I can work around an idea that I like, but I can't create something to suit him. So I hope in the future I write something that ultimately suits him," she said. Released Friday, Kiran's film is a beautifully narrated slice-of-life story and all the actors including Aamir fit into their roles and essays them with such elan that it makes "Dhobi Ghat" a wonderful movie. Talking about working with Aamir, she said: "I had great fun. It's very easy working with Aamir. He is a real support on the set and is very relaxed. At the same time he is very committed and was there whenever I needed him." So did he try to turn her into a perfectionist like himself? "He doesn't give up until he is satisfied with what he is doing, but I don't think perfection is anything. We can only be the best we can. What drives Aamir is basically his passion for what he does. That makes him pull out everything and I have taken that advice from him," said Kiran, who married Aamir in 2005. The two met during the filming of Aamir's home production venture "Lagaan". Finally, when asked how she would like to define Aamir as a producer, Kiran revealed: "Aamir is a dream producer. He is a kind of producer, if he likes your script, he would let you do whatever you want to. "He supports you and protects you and budget is also not a big thing. He gives you the freedom to fulfil your vision. I couldn't have found a better producer. I was really lucky to find him." Meanwhile, Aamir Khan, who is known for his diverse roles, says he does only those films that his heart tells him to. "I just go with my heart and go towards scripts that excite me, touch me and move me and which I feel I will be happy doing. I've been lucky that they have been successful," Aamir told us. For the last five years, all his films have been hits, including "Rang De Basanti", " Fanaa", "Taare Zameen Par", " Ghajini" and "3 Idiots".
Manager Marketing from
Distributor Club (PVT) Ltd for the country, Hassaan Rizvi said that the
main reasons for the movie's success are Hirani and Khan, with another
factor being Pakistan presented in a positive light.
