One of the most soothing cinematic experiences at Sundance this year was Photograph, the latest drama from Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox). Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra, it explores a class divide as two unlikely strangers form a bond under a guise. Ahead of a May release from Amazon Studios, the first trailer has now arrived.
I said in my review, “Street photographer Rafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) makes a living snapping tourists in front of the Gateway of India. He has a simple sales pitch: the sun you feel, the wind you hear, and the people around you will be gone when you leave, but you can keep the feeling with a single photograph. This detailed attention to the environment is also the greatest strength of Ritesh Batra’s Photograph, a lush, willfully low-key romantic drama that explores the age-old tale of how the class divide is a barrier for what the heart may desire.”
See the trailer below.
A struggling Mumbai street photographer pressured to marry by his grandmother convinces a shy stranger to pose as his fiancée during a family visit. Despite vast cultural differences, the pair develops a surprising connection that challenges their worldviews in a wistful and funny romance from Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox). Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra.
Photograph opens on May 17, 2019.