Photograph (film)

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Photograph
Photograph (2019 poster).png
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRitesh Batra
Produced byRitesh Batra
Viola Fügen
Neil Kopp
Michel Merkt
Vincent Savino
Anish Savjani
Michael Weber
StarringNawazuddin Siddiqui
Sanya Malhotra
CinematographyTim Gillis
Ben Kutchins
Edited byJohn F. Lyons
Music byPeter Raeburn
Production
company
Poetic License Motion Pictures
Distributed byAA Films
Amazon Studios
Release dates
  • 27 January 2019 (2019-01-27) (Sundance Film Festival)
  • 15 March 2019 (2019-03-15) (India)
  • 17 May 2019 (2019-05-17) (United States)[1]
Running time
108 minutes
CountriesIndia
United States
LanguagesHindi
English
Box officeest. ₹1.29 crore[2]

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.[3] 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.[4]

The film had its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and the European premiere at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival.[5][6] It was scheduled to release in India on 8 March 2019 but the date was pushed back and it released on 15 March 2019 to generally positive reviews from critics.[7][8] It is scheduled for release in several countries including United Kingdom, United States, Spain, France and Australia later in summer.[9][1]

Plot[]

The plot revolves around a struggling street photographer Rafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), based in Mumbai, who works day and night to pay off an old family debt. His grandmother (Farrukh Jaffar) 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 (Sanya Malhotra). 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 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[]

Filming[]

Photograph was filmed on several locations in Mumbai.[12] The shooting was finished in November 2017.[13] It will be distributed and released in USA by Amazon Studios.[9]

Marketing and release[]

The film was selected in Berlinale Special section of 69th Berlin International Film Festival. The film was screened on 14 February 2019 for its European premiere at the festival.[14][15] Photograph is slated to be released in India on 15 March 2019 as per new official poster unveiled on 14 February 2019.[16] Amazon Studios are releasing the film on 17 May 2019 in United States.[1]

Home video[]

The film was made available as VOD on Amazon Prime Video in May 2019.[17]

Reception[]

Critical response[]

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."[7] Anupama Chopra of Film Companion gives three stars out of five 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."[18] Guy Lodge of Variety said that the film "has the same quiet streak of wistful sentimentality that made The Lunchbox so globally beloved — and, for that matter, the same softly-softly humanity found in his two subsequent English-language efforts."[19] 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."[20]

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."[21] 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."[22] Prahlad Srihari of Firstpost felt that the film "fails to replicate The Lunchboxs magic and called it a "slow-paced dramedy that can't quite transcend its clever setup."[23]

Awards and nominations[]

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 [24][25]
Best Actor (Critics) Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Best Actress (Critics) Sanya Malhotra
Best Costume Design Niharika Khan

References[]

  1. ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (12 February 2019). "Amazon's 'Photograph' To Make Memories This Summer". Deadline. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Photograph - Box office collection till now". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Lunchbox Director Ritesh Batra Announces Release Date of Next Film Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui & Sanya Malhotra". CNN-News18. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Ritesh Batra's Photograph, starring Nawazuddin, Sanya Malhotra, to premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2019". Firstpost. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  5. ^ Khandelwal, Khush (18 January 2019). "Photograph: Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra's film will release on March 8". Times Now. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Ritesh Batra's 'Photograph' to be screened at Berlin Film Festival". Scroll.in. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Photograph (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Nawazuddin Siddiqui-Sanya Malhotra's Photograph to release on March 8". The Indian Express. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  9. ^ a b Wiseman, Andreas (25 January 2019). "Ritesh Batra's Sundance Drama 'Photograph' Pre-Sells To Major Markets, Sets India Release Date". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  10. ^ "'Nawazuddin Siddiqui has changed face of Bollywood'".
  11. ^ "कास्टिंग डायरेक्टर सुनील शाक्य ने की नवाजुद्दीन सिद्दीकी की तारीफ".
  12. ^ Ramasubramanian, Uma (25 October 2018). "Sanya Malhotra is excited about Photograph". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  13. ^ Chaudhuri, Mohini (4 December 2017). "Ritesh Batra On Wrapping His Film In Mumbai And Finding A Friend In Robert Redford". Film Companion. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Before India, Nawazuddin's 'Photograph' To Premiere At Sundance & Berlin Film Festivals 2019". India Times. 18 January 2019.
  15. ^ Bollywoodelfe [@bollywoodelfe] (14 February 2019). "Applause for @riteshbatra @Nawazuddin_S @sanyamalhotra07 in Berlin. #Photograph is a very sensitive film with sympathic Mr.&Mrs. Shy