Made on a budget of a mere Rs 5 crore, this small film about four lives that intersect in Mumbai won praise upon its release. The film stars Prateik Babbar, Monica Dogra, Kriti Malhotra and Aamir Khan. Dogra stars as Shai, an investment banker who takes a sabbatical to pursue her passion for photography. Babbar plays Munna, a washerman with aspirations of becoming a Bollywood star. Khan plays Arun, a lonely painter looking for inspiration and Malhotra stars as Yasmin, a newly married immigrant who documents her experiences on video.
Writer-director Kiran Rao made her debut with Dhobi Ghat. In an interview with Wall Street Journal, she said she named the film Dhobi Ghat because "it is representative of Mumbai: clothes from all classes come together and get washed in the same water." The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Two-time Academy Award winning music composer Gustavo Santaolalla provided the soundtrack for the film.