Photograph (film)

2019 Indian film by Ritesh Batra

Photograph

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Ritesh Batra
Produced by| Ritesh Batra
Viola Fügen
Neil Kopp
Michel Merkt
Vincent Savino
Anish Savjani
Michael Weber
Starring| Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Sanya Malhotra
Cinematography| Tim Gillis
Ben Kutchins
Edited by| John F. Lyons
Music by| Peter Raeburn

Production
companies

The Match Factory
Poetic License Motion Pictures
Filmscience
DAR Motion Pictures

Distributed by| AA Films (India)
Amazon Studios (United States, India and Japan)
NFP Marketing and Distribution[1] (Germany)

Release dates

* 27 January 2019 (2019-01-27) (Sundance)
* 15 March 2019 (2019-03-15) (India)
* 17 May 2019 (2019-05-17) (United States)[2]

Running time

| 108 minutes
Countries|

* India
* Germany
* United States

Languages| Hindi
English
Box office| est. ₹1.29 crore (India)[3]

Photograph is a 2019 Indian romantic drama film written, co-produced and directed by Ritesh Batra. It stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra in the lead roles.[4] The film follows a street photographer Rafi (Siddiqui), who tries to convince Miloni (Malhotra) to pose as his fiancee so that his grandmother stops pressuring him to get married.[5]

Photograph had its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and the European premiere at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival.[6][7] Initially scheduled to release in India on 8 March 2019, it finally released on 15 March to positive reviews from critics.[8][9] It released in several countries including the United Kingdom, United States, Spain, France and Australia later in summer.[1][2]

## Plot

[edit]

The plot revolves around a struggling street photographer Rafi, based in Mumbai, who works day and night to pay off an old family debt. His grandmother wishes to see him married and constantly pressures him to find a suitable match. He convinces his grandmother by showing her a picture of a shy stranger, Miloni. When Rafi’s grandmother further prods to introduce her to his fiancé, he tracks down Miloni, a student belonging to a middle-class family. Rafi convinces her to fake their relationship, to which Miloni readily agrees. Despite the difference in their ages, culture, status and economic background, the two form a unique bond. The film is a love letter to Mumbai, bringing the city out as a character sheltering the two protagonists and their extraordinary journey.

## Cast

[edit]

* Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Rafiullah "Rafi"
* Sanya Malhotra as Miloni Shah/Noorie
* Farrukh Jaffar as Dadi, Rafi's grandmother
* Ramesh Deo as Dr. Kher
* Geetanjali Kulkarni as Rampyaari, Miloni's househelp
* Sachin Khedekar as Kantibhai Shah, Miloni's father
* Lubna Salim as Sheilaben Shah, Miloni's mother
* Vijay Raaz as Tiwari's ghost
* Jim Sarbh as Anmol Sir, Miloni's teacher
* Brinda Trivedi as Saloni
* Denzil Smith as Hasmukhbhai
* Veerendra Saxena as Beverage vendor
* Akash Sinha as Banke
* Saharsh Kumar Shukla as Zakir Bhai
* Shree Dhar Dubey as Raghu
* Amarjeet Singh as Bilal
* Ashok Pathak as Gopal Taxi driver

## Production

[edit]

Photograph was filmed on several locations in Mumbai.[10] The shooting was finished in November 2017.[11]

The film also features the song "Tum Ne Mujhe Dekha" by R. D. Burman and Mohammed Rafi from Teesri Manzil (1966).[12]

## Marketing and release

[edit]

Photograph was selected in Berlinale Special section of the 69th Berlin International Film Festival. The film was screened on 14 February 2019 for its European premiere at the festival.[13][14] The film was released in India on 15 March 2019 as announced with a new official poster unveiled on 14 February 2019.[15] Amazon Studios released the film in the United States on 17 May 2019.[2]

### Home video

[edit]

Photograph was made available as VOD on Amazon Prime Video in May 2019.[16]

## Reception

[edit]

### Critical response

[edit]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 79% based on 91 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critics' consensus reads, "Photograph enriches the familiar arc of its love story by refreshingly refracting its characters' budding bond through a sociocultural prism."[8] Anupama Chopra of Film Companion gives 3 stars out of 5 and finds the film tender, meditative, and poetic. She says, "The film is so quiet and so still in some parts, that you will get impatient. But it is evocative and its tenderness will stay with you."[17] Guy Lodge of Variety said that the film "has the same quiet streak of wistful sentimentality that made The Lunchbox (2013) so globally beloved — and, for that matter, the same softly-softly humanity found in his two subsequent English-language efforts."[18] Caryn James of The Hollywood Reporter called it a "nuanced, slow-burn, will-they-or-won't-they romance" and noted that Batra "turns a story that sounds tired and goofy into a lovely film with a tone of tender sadness."[19]

Fionnuala Halligan of Screen International noted that the film's "deliberate pace does bring some rich rewards for the patient viewer, while a lovely ending feels like a throwback to the old-fashioned big-screen romances of yore."[20] Rahul Desai of Film Companion praised Malhotra's performance and wrote: "The reason Photograph really works, despite an airy premise, is the character of Miloni, and especially Sanya Malhotra’s evolved performance."[21] Prahlad Srihari of Firstpost felt that the film "fails to replicate The Lunchbox's magic and called it a "slow-paced dramedy that can't quite transcend its clever setup."[22]

### Awards and nominations

[edit]

List of awards and nominations

Award  | Date of ceremony  | Category  | Recipient(s)  | Result  | Ref(s)
Filmfare Awards | 15 February 2020 | Best Film (Critics) | Ritesh Batra | Nominated  | [23][24]
Best Actor (Critics) | Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Best Actress (Critics) | Sanya Malhotra
Best Costume Design | Niharika Khan

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Wiseman, Andreas (25 January 2019). "Ritesh Batra's Sundance Drama 'Photograph' Pre-Sells To Major Markets, Sets India Release Date". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
2. ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (12 February 2019). "Amazon's 'Photograph' To Make Memories This Summer". Deadline. Archived from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
3. ^ "Photograph – Box office collection till now". Bollywood Hungama. 15 March 2019. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
4. ^ "Lunchbox Director Ritesh Batra Announces Release Date of Next Film Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui & Sanya Malhotra". CNN-News18. 22 January 2019. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
5. ^ "Ritesh Batra's Photograph, starring Nawazuddin, Sanya Malhotra, to premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2019". Firstpost. 29 November 2018. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
6. ^ Khandelwal, Khush (18 January 2019). "Photograph: Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra's film will release on March 8". Times Now. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
7. ^ "Ritesh Batra's 'Photograph' to be screened at Berlin Film Festival". Scroll.in. 18 January 2019. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
8. ^ a b "Photograph (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
9. ^ "Nawazuddin Siddiqui-Sanya Malhotra's Photograph to release on March 8". The Indian Express. 18 January 2019. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
10. ^ Ramasubramanian, Uma (25 October 2018). "Sanya Malhotra is excited about Photograph". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
11. ^ Chaudhuri, Mohini (4 December 2017). "Ritesh Batra On Wrapping His Film In Mumbai And Finding A Friend In Robert Redford". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
12. ^ Photograph - Tum Ne Mujhe Dekha Song. Amazon Studios. 8 March 2019.
13. ^ "Before India, Nawazuddin's 'Photograph' To Premiere At Sundance & Berlin Film Festivals 2019". The Times of India. 18 January 2019.
14. ^ Bollywoodelfe [@bollywoodelfe] (14 February 2019). "Applause for @riteshbatra @Nawazuddin_S @sanyamalhotra07 in Berlin. #Photograph is a very sensitive film with sympathic Mr.&Mrs. Shy😊 #Berlinale I like it! (no paid review) https://t.co/pByyhVyLvc" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
15. ^ Taran Adarsh [@taran_adarsh] (14 February 2019). "Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra... #TheLunchbox director Ritesh Batra's new film #Photograph to now release on 15 March 2019 in India... New poster: https://t.co/XyJVclhOPm" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
16. ^ "Here is the list of latest movies to watch on Amazon Prime in May 2019". GQ India. 18 May 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
17. ^ Chopra, Anupama. "Photograph Movie Review: A Tender, Meditative, Poetic Film". Film Companion. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
18. ^ Lodge, Guy (27 January 2019). "Sundance Film Review: 'Photograph'". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
19. ^ James, Caryn (27 January 2019). "'Photograph': Film Review: Sundance 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
20. ^ Halligan, Fionnuala (28 January 2019). "'Photograph': Sundance Review". Screen International. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
21. ^ Desai, Rahul (28 January 2019). "Slow-Burning Mumbai And A Leap Of Inter-Faith In Ritesh Batra's "Photograph"". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
22. ^ Srihari, Prahlad (2 February 2019). "Firstpost at Sundance: Ritesh Batra's Photograph fails to replicate The Lunchbox's magic". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
23. ^ "Nominations for the 65th Amazon Filmfare Awards 2020 are out!". The Times of India. 3 February 2020. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
24. ^ "Technical Nominations for the 65th Amazon Filmfare Awards 2020". filmfare.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website (Archived 6 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine)
* Photograph at IMDb
* Photograph at Rotten Tomatoes

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Ritesh Batra

* The Lunchbox (2013)
* The Sense of an Ending (2017)
* Our Souls at Night (2017)
* Photograph (2019)

*[est.]: estimation
*[Ref(s)]: References
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*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template