The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Barah by Barah is a restrained drama about Sooraj, a death photographer whose livelihood at Varanasi’s Manikarnika Ghat is threatened by camera phones and a changing city. Its patient rhythm makes mortality and urban change part of the film’s texture, but it also leaves some scenes feeling overextended. Whether it is worth watching depends largely on how much time you are willing to spend inside that stillness.
What is Barah by Barah about?
Gaurav Madan’s Hindi feature follows Sooraj (Gyanendra Tripathi), who photographs the dead before cremation at Manikarnika Ghat. As more people use phones to take pictures, the work that supports Sooraj’s family becomes less viable. He has to consider whether to persist in the profession or find another way to earn a living.
![Barah Aana [Dvd ] a Film By Raja Menon Nasheeruddin Shah](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ir7zg542L._SL160_.jpg)
The conflict is personal, but the film places it within a larger transition: Varanasi’s old city is changing physically and culturally, while family pressures make Sooraj’s choices harder. Madan’s official film page lists Geetika Vidya, Bhumika Dube, Akash Sinha and Harish Khanna among the cast, alongside Tripathi. Official film page
Why does the film move so slowly?
The measured pace is deliberate. Madan has described the film as languid and meditative, and said he wrote the script with a documentary approach, particularly for exterior scenes. The aim is less to hurry from one plot turn to another than to let the city, work and daily routine set the rhythm. Madan’s project statement
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
That approach divides the critical response. Scroll’s Nandini Ramnath finds the pacing ponderous, arguing that scenes can feel stretched. Dhaval Roy’s Times of India review, by contrast, sees the pace as suited to the city and says the restrained treatment rewards patient viewers. Roy rated the film 3.0/5; that is his individual critic rating, not a consensus score. Scroll review · Times of India review
My judgment falls between those readings: the slowness is meaningful when routine and changing surroundings accumulate into a sense of pressure, but the film does not always make every pause feel necessary. Viewers seeking a brisk plot may find the stillness more tiring than absorbing.
Does Varanasi feel like part of the story?
Yes. The city is not simply picturesque scenery behind Sooraj’s dilemma. Its crowded, constraining layout shapes what he can do, while the visible transformation of old Kashi gives his threatened profession a wider context. Madan has said the project was built around contemporary Varanasi and the migration of the old city into a modern one. Ramnath also notes how vividly the city’s layout presses on the character. Madan’s project statement · Scroll review
This is where the film’s observational method works best: place becomes a source of dramatic pressure, not just atmosphere. The ghat and the city’s changing spaces link the intimate question of one family’s income to a larger question about what modernization leaves behind.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →How do the performances support the restrained style?
Tripathi plays Sooraj with a contained, inward quality that suits a character whose work brings him repeatedly into contact with death. Ramnath praises his immersion in the role, while Roy also singles out his performance. Both critics note Dube’s presence; her performance helps give the family dimension weight rather than making Sooraj’s work the film’s only concern. These are critical responses, not a claim that the film’s restrained acting will suit every viewer. Scroll review · Times of India review
What does the film say about technology and obsolescence?
Phones matter because they offer a practical substitute for Sooraj’s service. But they also stand for the speed with which a livelihood can lose its place as habits change. The film’s premise is particularly tied to its moment: Ramnath points out that the festival premiere came several years before the 2024 theatrical release and argues that technological change affected how current the story felt by then. That is her assessment of the film’s timing, rather than a general verdict on the death-photography profession. Scroll review
Rank #4
Who inspired the death photographer in the film?
Madan has said that meeting a real death photographer inspired the character. In an interview with The Indian Express, he described wanting to document a profession and a person who might disappear, and discussed filming at Manikarnika Ghat. Recalling the photographer’s regret that he could not direct his subjects, Madan quoted him: “I can’t ever instruct my subjects!” This is Madan recounting the photographer’s words, not a statement of Madan’s own regret. The Indian Express interview
In that interview, Madan also reported that the production used a 35-member crew and shot for 22 days, and that the film had toured more than 40 festivals before its Indian theatrical release. Those are production details as reported by the director, not independently audited counts. The Indian Express interview
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Best Value
Is Barah by Barah worth watching?
It is a worthwhile choice for viewers drawn to slow cinema, restrained performances and stories about mortality, work, family and urban change. Its strongest idea is the way Sooraj’s private economic uncertainty is tied to a city in transition. Its main weakness is the same quality that gives it that perspective: its languor can make stretches of the film feel longer than their dramatic payoff warrants.
The film was released in Indian cinemas on 24 May 2024, according to Madan’s official page. Its listed runtime differs by source: the project profile gives 1 hour 58 minutes, while The Times of India lists 2 hours 1 minute. No current streaming or disc availability is established here. Official film page · Project profile · Times of India review
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
