'Photograph' Review

Directed by Ritesh Batra, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra starrer Photograph got released today in India. After movies like The Lunchbox, The Sense of an Ending, and Our Souls at Night, Ritesh has landed up with another masterpiece. Ritesh and his films have been acclaimed globally: from Brazil, Cannes, Toronto to UK. Photograph is another of his master work which is also another unique love story with hesitance. Previously, the movie was premiered at Sundance Film Festival and was also selected in Berlinale Special section of 69th Berlin International Film Festival. The plot basically revolves around Rafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who is a street photographer at Gateway of India and convinces Milony  (Sanya Malhotra)  to pose for a photograph which then leads to slow romance between them and path of self-discovery.
Photograph gets a cinematic plus poetic touch which will attach you to the characters just from the very beginning. Not only the settings around but the names itself are too cinematic. You can enjoy the movie by amazing discount offers available while choosing to book movie ticket online with Bookmyshow Coupons. Nawazuddin who plays as Rafi and later in the movie, he and his young woman friend go for a movie and the song ‘Tum Ne MujheDekha’ plays which was originally sung by Mohammed Rafi.


When Rafi meets Miloni at Gateway and persuades her to get a picture clicked, he uses some cheesy lines to convince her,just like a shopkeeper does. As he says, every time she will look at the photograph, she will be reminded of the sun caressing her cheeks and her hair flowing with the wind. The words play the role and Milony gets her picture clicked but she went away without paying.

Rafi's grandmother who has gone off medicine won't have any more until Rafi gets married. Rafi makes up a story that he has to find someone named Noorie. Hearing the song ‘Noorie’ of the 1979 hit movie Noorie, he comes up with the name and shows the picture of Milony as his lover. So, Rafi tracks Milony down and convince her to fake their relationship.

In the movie, we get to see two very different people, just like old Bollywood classic. Milony who comes from a rich Hindu Gujarati family and is a Chartered Accountancy topper whereas Rafi is a struggling photographer who lives in a trashy kind of room that he shares with four others. Also, you can see that dramatic Indian color range where the girl has kept conventionally fair and boy quite dark. So, it all ironical in the film when it comes to two characters and how they meet.

Directed by Ritesh Batra, you will feel this movie is a free flow not knowing where it will g, but wherever it will leave you in the end, the end will be beautiful. In this 108 minutes of times, the movie at parts leaves you with questions like: Are we free to love anyone irrespective of caste and classes? How is Miloni more comfortable in the lifestyle followed by Rafi?

Miloni being quiet women and non-flamboyant woman is an introvert basically who feels like she is prisoned at her own home. And, all credit goes to the Ben Kutchins’s camera which makes you believe that by taking the shots of window grills which look like the iron bars of a prison. But, when it comes to Rafi, she loves to know more about him and drown in his life. Being the topper, she feels it a burden now and not feeling motivated whereas Rafi is all comfortable in his own space.

The director of this film makes this a very unique kind of romance, unlike Shah Rukh Khan genre. The movie moves sweet and simple where you can feel the current social problems when it comes to love. There is a hesitance in their love, awkwardness and class difference too. Both the actors, Nawaz and Sanya perform their roles brilliantly and you can see that in their eyes, body language (that's the cherry on the cake) story plus the crisp acting. Farrukh Jaffar playing the grandmother of Siddiqui also delivers a solid performance with both sarcasm and her wisdom.

Not only has the cast including Nawaz and Sanya, but Mumbai also played an important role in the movie. You can also try to book this on available online ticket booking platform and grab good discount by using Freecharge Offers for movie tickets.The settings, the frozen time and how characters evolve while going places in the city. The cinematographer develops Mumbai as a character too and it looks really great to see that. The unique bond shared between Miloni and Rafi is all this film is about living in the moment by cutting the threads of the past and don't caring about the future- sweet and simple.

All said, Photograph by Ritesh Batra is a beautiful Pindaric to the city of dreams, Mumbai, and to the Bollywood hits too with a unique love story throwing questions.

Rating: 7/10

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