#Photograph – Slow & aimless does not an art movie make! (- /10 negative rating, if I may)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Rafi), a street photographer at Gateway of India clicks Sanya Malhotra (Miloni), a CA student. On being pestered to marry, Rafi sends Miloni’s photograph to his grandmother, Farrukh Jaffer who immediately comes to Mumbai to meet her.
In class conscious India, how a mere photographer convinces a brilliant topper to pretend to be Noorie has not been shown really, especially in Mumbai, where one barely trusts even your neighbour! Mlioni’s controlling parents who decide their daughter shouldn’t waste time at school plays, what colour she should wear and who accompany her to the doctor for a mild gastric attack suddenly seem to let her free to wander with Rafi and his Dadi, eating gola, buying chamkeele outfits and riding endlessly in Mumbai ke kaali-peelis (taxis). A bold scene where Miloni goes to the loft that Rafi shares with a few others ends in sharing nothing more than pakodas. The bunch of friends though are a fun lot who discuss bhoot, Tiwariji over a few pegs. The search for Campa Cola is given a lot of footage which again leaves you wondering where the story was being taken, as do Melonis feet at family dinners and the maid bringing her a post dinner drink in a mug! Miloni’s teacher Jim Sarbs entry is the only time the few in the audience collectively ooh and cheer. While the only choice the CA topper with her pic on hoardings makes is to dream of sleeping under a tree in a khet for a career.
One does speak about the movie long after, wondering what just happened, laughing at ourselves for getting tricked by reviews into watching a movie that could have been so much more, but isn’t!
Title: Photograph
Year of Release: 2019
Country of Origin: India (Bollywood)
Language: Hindi
Directed and written by: Ritesh Batra
Image source: Official Photograph Movie Facebook Page