Banners of Dhobi Ghat at Mona theatre in Patna on Friday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, Jan. 21: After delivering the phenomenal 3 Idiotslast year, superstar Aamir Khan may have tripped this time. His movie Dhobi Ghat has not found favour with the general audience in the state capital.

Mona, the only theatre screening the film, did not have a full house even for the first day, first show.

Some of the audience members said they did not understand the movie, directed by Aamir’s wife Kiran Rao. Nor did they understand the purpose behind making such a film.

“What happened to entertainment in films?” said BBA student Samresh Singh.

Singh, a self-proclaimed Aamir-fan, said: “After a film like 3 Idiots, why would Aamir do such a movie? I did not understand what the movie wanted to say. The climax was also unclear. I came all the way from Kankerbagh but I was rather disappointed.”

“Dhobi Ghat is not for the general public,” added Singh.

That seems to be the general verdict of Patnaites. Some found the film so insipid that they compared it to documentaries.

“There is no song, no dance. It has no entertainment value. Kiran Rao has failed to live up to the expectations in her first film,” said Sunita Kumari, who had come to see the film.

For most, the film failed to touch them.

“I never anticipated the film would be so boring. Kiran and Aamir have tried to give a serious look to the film. I am not a film student, so I do not understand the intricacies of acting and directing. But the film was really boring,” said Ashish Shukla, a BTech student, who saw the first show.

Even for those who do claim to understand the technique of filmmaking, Dhobi Ghat failed to make the cut.

“Anyone can make such a film. There is nothing to the technique. Take your handy-cam and walk around the city,” said Aman Gupta, another member of the audience. Gupta added the film could only make people yawn.

Ajay Kumar Kataruka, the owner of Mona theatre, admitted that the film did not have full house shows.

“The first show had only 45 per cent audience. Some people have booked tickets till Tuesdays. But none of the shows are houseful,” said Kataruka. Mona is running three shows daily.

Dhobi Ghat had run into rough waters just before release with Akhil Bharatiya Dhobi Mahasangh raising a hue and cry over the portrayal of washermen in the film. But later Shyam Rajak, Bihar cabinet minister and president of the association, said matters were resolved after he spoke to Aamir.