Photograph
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
companies
The Match Factory
Poetic License Motion Pictures
FilmScience
Distributed byAA Films (India)
Amazon Studios (United States)
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 (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), who tries to convince Miloni (Sanya 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 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

Filming

Photograph was filmed on several locations in Mumbai.[12] The shooting was finished in November 2017.[13]

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. 1 2 3 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.
  2. ↑ "Photograph – Box office collection till now". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. 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. Archived from the original on 26 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. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. 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. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  6. ↑ "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.
  7. 1 2 "Photograph (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  8. ↑ "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.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ "'Nawazuddin Siddiqui has changed face of Bollywood'". The Statesman. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  11. ↑ "कास्टिंग डायरेक्टर सुनील शाक्य ने की नवाजुद्दीन सिद्दीकी की तारीफ". Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ "Before India, Nawazuddin's 'Photograph' To Premiere At Sundance & Berlin Film Festivals 2019". India Times. 18 January 2019.
  15. ↑ Bollywoodelfe [@bollywoodelfe] (13 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.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ "Here is the list of latest movies to watch on Amazon Prime in May 2019". GQ India. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  18. ↑ Chopra, Anupama. "Photograph Movie Review: A Tender, Meditative, Poetic Film". Film Companion. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  19. ↑ Lodge, Guy (27 January 2019). "Sundance Film Review: 'Photograph'". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  20. ↑ 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.
  21. ↑ Halligan, Fionnuala (28 January 2019). "'Photograph': Sundance Review". Screen International. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ 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.
  24. ↑ "Nominations for the 65th Amazon Filmfare Awards 2020 are out!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  25. ↑ "Technical Nominations for the 65th Amazon Filmfare Awards 2020". filmfare.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
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