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Photograph Movie Review: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra starrer is slow paced, ambiguous and melancholic
Photograph Movie Review: Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra's Photograph is ambiguous and melancholic. Read to know the full photograph movie review!
Movie: Photograph
Photograph Movie Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra
Photograph Movie Director: Ritesh Batra
Photograph Movie Ratings: 2.5/5
Photograph, directed by Ritesh Batra, is set in Mumbai, a familiar city for the director and a story which, might as well, appear to be an adaptation from a book, word by word. Batra establishes a world which is melancholic, sad and filled with bottled up emotions in Photograph in a rich-girl-poor-boy setup. Both, Rafi [Siddiqui] and Miloni [Shah], played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra respectively, despite their apparent class different are unhappy people, looking for an escapade from their mundane life. Though the duo meet in what can be called an unusual setup, Rafi and Miloni end up finding a lot of similarities between them. To start with, their fondness with childhood memories, their silence and quiet demeanour.
Rafi, a road side photographer who runs his business near the famous Gateway of India, a place where both the worlds, the rich and the poor collide. Rafi promises to capture a precious moment to each of his potential customer by telling them that the "Chehre ki Dhoop (light on their faces)" and the "wind in their hair" wouldn't be the same as today. Miloni, a timid Gujarati girl who has been brought up to follow the path shown by parents, a class topper, who literally doesn't speak until very necessary, a Chartered Accountant student, visits Gateway with her family on an impromptu trip. In what can be called destiny, she ends up getting her first picture clicked by him, her first individual decision, only to leave while it was still getting processed. Rafi uses her photo to get his hands off her ailing grandmother who has been behind him to get married. Noori, he names her. An extension of his inner desires, burdened by the barriers, Rafi shows the vulnerability of a poor man who can't rest in peace in a city like Mumbai.
Call it a wishful thinking but Miloni, who is mentioned to be an aspiring actress in her childhood, founds a way to live her dream, perhaps for a short period by playing Noori, Rafi's fiancé on his request. She mentions while in a chat with her prospect groom that she aspires to stay in a village. Laugh as much as you may but that is her escapade, her silent rebel against the far thrusted wishes of her parents. On the other hand, Rafi is reminded time and again in different ways, be it his friends, his grandmother or the cab driver, of Miloni being out of his league, not just because of the exterior appearance but an indirect reference to the class, religion and other socio-economic barriers.
Batra's story is very roughly written and ambiguous leading to almost no where but what makes it watchable is Sanya's performance. Malhotra with her quiet expression and blinks and nervous clicking made sure to make us feel her vulnerability and emotions, making way for an emotional connection with her character. Nawaz, on the other hand, beautifully compliments her with his silent gaze and hopeful eyes. While we continued to guess if what the duo shares might translate into love, Batra surprised us with the climax scene. Some stories are not meant to go anywhere. Truly.
Though we hoped the movie was edited a bit tighter and could have been better paced. The slow pace to it made it a tiring affair by the end of it. Batra's Photograph is no Lunchbox but if you love melancholic movies, go and watch Photograph.
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