[In Eng.] Chinese Portrait of Photograph

Photograph, Ritesh Batra’s latest movie (The Lunchbox) is a romantic drama between Rafi, a simple photographer for tourists in India, and Miloni, a young talented and intelligent woman from the middle-class of Mumbai. After photographing Miloni at the Gateway of India, Rafi is tormented by his grandmother’s arrival, who blackmails him into getting married. In order to humour his precious grandmother, Rafi asks this young stranger to pass off as his girlfriend in front of his grandmother. But gradually, the fake couple gets lost between lie and truth. (or game and reality)

For the curious who want to know more about the film, here’s a Chinese portrait of it.

If it was a country?
It would be India
(because of the shooting location)

If it was a work of art?
It would be the 8th art, photography
(because of the main character’s job)

If it was a genre?
It would be drama and romance
(because of the drama caused by the lie, and the love story)

If it was a colour?
It would be orange
(because of the actor’s traditional dress)

If it was an element?
It would be water
(for the numerous boat trips)

If it was one of the five senses?
It would be touch
(because of the single and symbolic contact between the two protagonists)

If it was an object?
It would be a camera
(because of its important role throughout the movie)

If it was a photograph?
It would be the photograph of the young woman
(because it’s the premise of the film)

If it was a place?
It would be the Gateway of India
(because it’s the characters’ meeting place)

If it was a world?
It would be an exotic one
(for the landscapes and the culture)

If it was a sound?
It would be a car horn
(because of the numerous traffic jams in the city)

If it was a drink?
It would be the “Campa Cola”
(because it’s the young woman’s favourite drink)

If it was a feeling?
It would be love…

Maëlle Lesourd — Avril
Trad. Gaelle Herbreteau