Le photographe

My Rating : 7/10

Nawaz is a favourite and any movie/TV show he's in I am sure to watch it. 'Photograph' is a much more delicate, sensitive and simple story of two strangers brought together by coincidence.

Is a damn good slow-burn, those wanting traditional naach-gaana may get bored but otherwise a good effort from the director of 'The Lunchbox'.

Ritesh Batra('Lunchbox') has done it again. This movie is about the budding romantic relationship between characters of two completely different backgrounds and the director is successful in capturing the nervousness, the newness and the hesitance of a growing relationship. The film has little dialogue, similar to real life situations like these, and focuses on capturing gestures. Nawazuddin has encapsulated the essence of a common man in a plain, subtle way like he always wanted to on-screen, and Sanya, is absolutely amazing in her calm, composed and measured performance of Miloni. Farrukh Jaffer as Dadi really binds the whole movie, and gives us the light-hearted laughs that any romantic story should have. Not to give anything away, a lot of moments are open to interpretation, including the ending which gives a feeling that you are listening to a love story, and you will be able to relate with most of these moments. It captures the essence of Mumbai, which is always refreshing, and reflects on the cringe of class and color which is kind of inherent in our society. Go watch it, probably with your mom, she'll love it.

A photograph captures a split second. A series of photographs becomes a motion picture and tells a story.

The story that director-writer Ritesh Batra tells in "Photograph" is of a street photographer, Rafi (Nawazuyddin Siddique) in Mumbai, India's most populous city. He hawks his service to anyone who'll pay 50 rupees. One day he approaches a young woman (a mousy Sanya Malhotra) and offers her a cut-rate price. He snaps her and produces her portrait from his portable printer, but she's called away before he can complete the transaction.

On the way to his flat, which he shares with three or four other bachelors, he hears that his grandmother is not taking her medications because he hasn't found a girl to marry. So he sends his grandmother, Dadi, a copy of the woman's photo, claiming that she is his girlfriend. Dadi, who lives in a village several hundred miles away, notifies Rafi that she is on the way to check things out.

How can Rafi find the girl in a city of 20 million? Fortunately a photo resolves the problem. A billboard advertising an accounting school shows the young women, Miloni, as its top student. By persistently taking a bus that picks up people near the school, Rafi meets Miloni and persuades her to pretend to be his girlfriend as long as Dadi is in town. For various reasons, including that she can no longer abide her parents making decisions for her (even telling her what her preferred color is), Miloni agrees.

Dadi (a scene-stealing Farrukh Jaffar) arrives and starts asking questions about Miloni, whom she knows as Noorie, the name Rafi made up for his "girlfriend." Rafi and Miloni devise their backstory, and Dadi seems satisfied--or is she? Meanwhile, Miloni's parents have other plans for her.

"Photograph" takes the viewer all over Mumbai--from its squalor to its middle-class neighborhoods, which is where Miloni resides. Her family can afford to send her to the United States with a potential bridegroom who has difficulty controlling his weight. Rafi, on the other hand, is struggling to pay off the debts of his late father.

The film could use some judicious editing. A taxi scene with Rafi arguing with the driver seems out of place. And it takes awhile before you can tell that Rafi and Miloni actually have more than just a tentative connection.

"Photograph" has an unexpected ending. Yet it appropriately bookends its opening. Remember this is a motion picture, not just a photograph.

Rafiq (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a struggling street photographer at Mumbai's Gateway of India, convinces a reclusive youngster Miloni (Sanya Malhotra) to pose for a picture. Their chance encounter leads to self-discovery and a fascinating tale of slow-burn romance.

The pacing is frustrating and needs a lot of patience but Batra's unique take on love, with shades of Basu Chatterjee's Chhoti Si Baat..

What does stand out is the brilliance of Nawazuddin Siddiqui. He is the master of his craft and conveys unsaid emotions effortlessly. Sanya underplays a bit too much but gradually holds her own in front of an actor like Nawaz.

If you seek purpose or motivation behind someone's certain behaviour, you won't find it here so Photograph eventually struggles to keep you engaged,,However, if you appreciate ambiguity, the film leaves a lot to imagination and interpretation, which has its own charm. The open-ended climax in particular is cleverly done. It makes you ponder and crave for more.

Photograph isn't a perfect shot but it's intriguing and takes you back in time. Like love and life, it's uncertain and hopeful.

This is one of the few movies which will be with me for a loooong time. This movie leaves you speechless when it comes to all the sections of it whether it is story arc, acting by the person who has least amount of screen time, background music, use of Mumbai locations which are unseen by many non Mumbai people and use of silence when required. Many people will complain about the pace of the movie, it is may be because they are so much habituated to movies of so called super stars, so called imported actresses who can't even speak hindi, item numbers, stupid & unnecessary songs, exotic locations, that they can't find beauty in simplicity of this movie. If you talk about the pace of the film my defence would be it is just like old & matured wine which do not give you kick in first sip but you have to feel it, give it time to grab you very slooowly. If you respect it then it will give you magical moments which will be with you for very long time. The best part of the movie is its simplicity in terms of storyline & acting. Characters of Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra are written/played so well, so imagine them to be someone next door to you. Ritesh Batra is once again able to do a good movie just like The Lunchbox. Hat's off to you guys.