‘Photo’ movie review: A hard-hitting document of our dark times

Veeresh Gonwar in ‘Photo’.
| Photo Credit: Masari Talkies/YouTube

It’s evident that people have already forgotten parts of the pandemic period, and any film on the consequences of the global health crisis must be extra special to pique their curiosity. Utsav Gonwar’s Photo passes this tough test as it is a hard-hitting reminder of our dark times, especially for the urban audiences, who perhaps have less idea about what people from disadvantaged backgrounds underwent during the pandemic days.

Set in Raichuru, Photo begins with a boy’s dream. Durgya (Veeresh Gonwar) is in awe of the Vidhana Soudha, India’s largest state legislative building. People love taking photos in front of the majestic building, a famous landmark in Bengaluru. Durgya sees Vidhana Soudha’s picture in his neighbour’s house and his classroom and falls in love with it. He senses a chance to fulfill his dream when his school declares a 15-day holiday due to the pandemic.

Durgya convinces his mother (Sandhya Arakere) to send him to Bengaluru, where his father (Mahadev Adapa) works as a construction worker. On the day he steps out with his father to visit the building, Durgya’s hopes come crashing down when the government announces Janata Curfew to stop the spread of the virus. A couple of days later, the father-son duo’s future looks uncertain following the prime minister’s announcement of a three-week lockdown.

The camera zooms into the drawing of Vidhana Soudha in Durgya’s classroom, which has the line “Government’s work is God’s work” written next to the picture. With his debut film, Utsav asks this bold question: what happens when Gods who are supposed to be the saviours turn a blind eye to the plight of the poor? Photo is a rare Kannada film in recent times that’s bravely political. It questions the system’s management of a grave situation and reflects the atrocities faced by poor migrants who walked hundreds of kilometers to reach their home towns.

While those who could afford a decent living in the cities ensured they stayed at home safely, the migrants struggled to get basic facilities. With the duo finding it hard to locate a toilet or a place to sleep, Durgya and his father’s long journey depicts a harrowing situation that nobody must undergo.

The humour in Photo comes from the director’s sarcastic dig at some of the government’s instructions. Durgya’s father looks in bewilderment when he sees people on the road banging plates and chanting, “Go corona, go.” The day after, when another daily wage worker asks, “Can a procession kill the virus,” it feels like the director is posing the question to the government.

Utsav also points his finger at those who believed everything and anything said on social media during the pandemic. The film argues that while some visuals showcased love and brotherhood among people, some videos of the affluent lot lending a helping hand to the needy were pretentious.

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Photo has long stretches marked by silence, but the lack of dialogue doesn’t mean the film is uninteresting. Utsav uses striking visuals to convey his points. The father-son duo’s back-breaking journey on the road might feel repetitive, but it drives home the film’s point of how monotonous and laborious the entire episode was for the migrants.

It helps that the movie doesn’t dramatise the dismal situation of the people. The emotional end to a tender father-son bond is an apt closure to this document of our darkest times.

Photo will release in theatres on March 15