Photograph is the first movie in Mumbai by Ritesh Batra after having starred for the movie ‘The Lunchbox’. The story is based on chance encounter that leads to a friendship between two lonely people. It is also the first movie by duo Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra.
Both the characters live with actual families instead of two individuals living alone in their homes as depicted in his first movie ’The Lunchbox’. Rafi played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a photographer at Gateway of India. It is this place where he meets Miloni played by Sanya Malhotra, who lives in an expensive-looking house with her parents and siblings. Rafi convinces Miloni to let him take a photo and what captures Miloni is the joyful pitch that articulates as “Years later, when you see this photo, you’ll see the same sunlight on your face, the same wind in your hair, thousands of voices in your ears. These will all fade away"
When they meet again, he asks if she would pose as his wife for a day so that he can convince her grand mom played by Farrukh Jaffer to start taking medicines again after fake proofing her that he was married.
Further in the movie, this leads to Miloni coming to Mumbai upon her agreement. Maloni is seen to be thoughtful throughout the movie and the movie fails to depict something meaningful.
Photograph can remind the viewers of the movie ‘Lost in Translation’- a friendship between an older man and a younger woman. Nawazuddin is seen to be playing the character of a gentle romantic with his talking dadi and two of his roommates- Akash Sinha and Saharsh Kumar Shukla. Overall it is shot in nostalgic memories that is seen focusing our attention on mundane things that happen in day to day living.