‘Barah X Barah’ review: A ponderous look at slow death in Varanasi

Gaurav Madan’s Barah X Barah is a study of Varanasi’s economy of death through the worried eyes of a long-time resident. Sooraj runs “Sharma Death Studio”. Sooraj (Gyanendra Tripathi) photographs corpses in Varanasi right before they are cremated. But this final link in the journey from life to death fears his own professional demise.

The culprit, naturally, is the cellphone with built-in camera. One of Sooraj’s peers gives up, switching to a job in tourism. But Sooraj soldiers on, guided by as much by confusion as a sense of moral obligation.

Barah X Barah attempts to show that Sooraj’s downturn has to do with the transformation of Varanasi itself. Even as protestors march against the demolition of ancient structures, Sooraj listlessly counts his dwindling income and wonders what to do next.

A related narrative thread revolves around Sooraj’s authoritarian father (Harish Khanna) who says little but orders his son about. This laconic patriarch equally represents the old order, and the question of whether Sooraj is better off without him hangs over their dynamic.

The passage of time and advances in technology have been cruel to the movie. The Hindi-language movie was premiered at film festivals in 2021 but has been released in cinemas only now. The plot itself is set before...

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