A Glimpse into this Frameless Photograph

Movie: Photograph

Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar

Rating: 3/5

The story begins with our male protagonist Rafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) clicking a photograph of our female protagonist Miloni (Santa Malhotra) in front of The Gateway of India. The iconic structure of Mumbai symbolises equality as it brings the entire city on an equal and common ground or platform. The movie then takes us to the backgrounds of Rafi who is a street photographer avoiding marriage and Miloni who is an academically bright CA aspirant stuck in her mundane clockwork life.

The movie builds up at a very gradual pace emphasizing the class divide between the protagonists. The movie beautifully frames the city of Mumbai and shows the immense class divide prevalent in the city. It shows how Rafi lives in a cramped up house along with his friends while Miloni lives in a huge apartment where she has a dedicated study room.
As the story moves forward, we are shown how both Rafi and Miloni are stuck in their mechanical practical life which is devoid of happiness, love and dreams. Rafi is adamant on not getting married but describes how his grandmother who insists on him getting married is so adamant that she once stood outside the school Principal's office for 3 days to get Rafi and his siblings admitted to the school. On the contrary Miloni is the idealistic Indian daughter who does not have any opinion about anything and does whatever her family tells her to do. In a striking scene it is shown she is asked to choose the color of her dress in a shop. She likes a different color but finally chooses the color that her mother selects for her.. Even her career choice as a CA ( she is shown to have interest in dramatics ) and her choice of her future husband (her family decides which boy will be suitable for her) has been made by her family.

A photograph of Miloni in front of the Gateway of India by Rafi triggers a set of events which brings happiness and love in their life. They find excitement in their otherwise mundane life.
We are then introduced to a fascinating character in the form of Rafi's grandmother (Farrukh Jaffar). She brings a much needed humor in the film to lighten the mood. But her humor and conversation start feeling repetitive in the movie, and the story fails to give depth to her character. She turns out to be just another nagging grandmother who wants her grandson to get married.
The story emphasizes on the mundane and boring life that Miloni is leading but it does not go beyond that except for a few scenes with her house maid where she tries to understand her way of life to understand Rafi better. The character of Miloni is left unexplored as we just observe Sanya Malhotra (Miloni) give a deadpan expression throughout the movie. The emotional side of her character is not at all explored and it just seems like a lost opportunity by the writers and the director.

While the character of Rafi is much better developed and you feel more connected to him. You feel for him when he looks at the fan rotating from the ceiling (reminding him of Tiwari who committed suicide by hanging from that fan) and thinks if his life is like this fan rotating which will stop one day and no one will care (same as a dysfunctional fan).

The movie shows the genuine community feeling among the lower class of society where Rafi lives in a well knitted social community where they help each other in their daily lives, while Miloni is shown to be feeling totally alone in her house and community and she connects with her house maid. It repeatedly highlights the huge gap between their backgrounds in the form of the Miloni's uncomfortable experience in a rat infested theater and her fragile immune system when exposed to street food.
The story also exposes the rat race in which Indian students are struck where everyone is striving to study in fields which guarantee them a big salary, rather than pursue their passion. The sad truth is exposed when in a poignant scene a taxi driver says that he had done MA in English from a reputed institute like BHU and now he is struck driving a taxi in Mumbai.

In another message which is quoted by Rafi's grandmother, people need to get over their past and move forward to find meaningful relationship, love and happiness in their life. Every human being needs a purpose in their life which will bring them contentment and happiness.
Miloni wants to break free from the shackles of her rigid upbringing and discover herself. The photograph of her represents the version of her she aspires to be. But the movie misses to add any meaningful dimension to her photographs.

The cinematographer of the movie are at the top of their game. The vistas created in each scene is very appealing and keeps your immersed in the movie. The use of mirrors, multiple reflection and natural light are beautifully captured in specific scenes. They capture the good, bad and ugly of the city of Mumbai perfectly.

The screenplay is the biggest flaw of the movie. It does not elevate the story beyond the warm and simple relationship between both the protagonists. The story does not delve into the emotional depth of the characters and it is such a lost opportunity because the setup was perfect for a memorable movie. We do not feel for the characters the way it is intended to.

The direction remains solid for most part of the movie. The intentional shot of Miloni's legs presenting the emotions she is going through is wonderfully captured. The use of mirrors to present the duality of personality and a confused soul is nicely captured. The director fails to put life into Miloni's character and overuses Rafi's grandmother for a humor outlet. Overall he puts out a story filled with humor and warmth but fails to strike a chord.

Nawazuddin gives a rock solid subtle performance. Sanya fails to give life to her character, which in part is the shortcoming of the screenplay. Farrukh Jaffar (Rafi's grandmother) gives the performance demanded of her.

This movie builds up at an elegant pace but falls short of being a memorable movie. Its presents an unusual romantic story filled with warmth but falls short in emotions.