THE CHARISMA OF KARISHMA

There is a special kind of charisma that surrounds Karishma Kapoor. We have all gotten to see that in the bollywood movies. She is that someone who represents dignity and a myriad of style statement. She has been a model of action for many. Karishma just knows when to get all the nuances right and everytime when she is in the limelight she can grab others attention to their delight. How much ever highly we speak about her may seem less.

On the day of the shoot I went in the morning and carried the previous catalog we worked on for Hitansh itself and showed it to her personal hair and makeup team. They loved it. When Karishma came on set I showed her the same and she too liked it a lot. In fact, she even took that catalog from me and now I am left without a copy for myself.

Anyway, so since we had done a good job and received great response for our work, this time the challenge was to do something that supersedes the previously created mark. We started brainstorming 10 days prior to the shoot. The client, Mr. Manoj was after me to come up with something nice and was getting worried cause we were at a 2 day countdown without a clue of the final set for the shoot. Now the problem was that Karishma was the same, Luv Israni was the same, Hitansh was the same. The only thing that could have been played with was the décor.

So here came Megha, my sister with the idea of using a grandeur filled set of a European white wedding. We had real white flowers and it all looked extremely pretty. Since Megha has her wedding photography and cinematography company, with her help, instead of a set designer we had on board one of the top wedding decor companies to make our set. Lolo usually does only a 7-8 hour shoot but we shot for almost 10 hours this time. It’s a compliment and a source of encouragement when a star loves your work so much that they put behind the biggest factor in their life i.e. time.

It's amazing to capture sexiness and elegance of a star and I am glad that I got to do both. We experimented with some lengths while the shoot and different angles with Karishma in focus and that was made easy because she understands and gives importance to flexibility. There were a lot of happy moments and times when we exchanged a lot of smiles. I have had the pleasure to work with this pretty lady for two catalog shoots now. Each time it was a very delightful experience of its kind.  Signing off on this happy note; until next time that we shoot together again.

Sari's on my mind

The month of July, August and the start of September have been very fulfilling. I have been so flooded with garment shoots that most of which have been sari brands. My mind is saturated with Sari clad ladies –all related ideas come to mind and I try to be as creative as I can with them. Over the past few years doing uncountable portfolios and running campaigns for various garment brands have helped me gain solid confidence and that is going to stay as my forte. 

In the past my perspective used to be that a Model would help me take and make a good click. Now, it's twisted to a format of basically looking at garments. Over the past 2 months I have been breathing more of garments, more of sarees. I've been looking at sari's also in such a manner that I wake up in the morning and think that if I look at any girl in a sari on the road, the thought of her would give me some new ideas that would be essential to put it to work. I am just trying to be innovative and seeking better ways with a very dynamic approach to what I love to do.

This was never the case in my life, I mean I would only look at a model and get confined to all technical aspects only, but now I think of creative ways to do a photo shoot with her, make a portfolio etc. And when I would look at a girl, then I would look at her expressions and think of how to accentuate her smile, her eyes, her face, her hair. Now-a-days, I look at a model as that special object to be shot by the camera, as that someone who can be an important source of giving grace to all my respective work. But what’s even more important to me is How Sari’s can bring all the extra elegance and grace that she actually needs. There is a focus shift over here. My interest has been diverted towards stylish sarees and authentic garments that come in different combinations and patterns. Shoots with models wearing Sari’s have taken a peak in my career. So the diversion now from looking at how the girl was – as in the earlier case, has now moved to the product. Today i look at everything as a potential product even when i do a model make-over. I believe models need the recognition that they should get, whether its a model, who has to be absorbed for a TV serial/Ad shoot so to say. If it’s a sari - i look at it in that way, if it’s a shirt - i look at it in the perspective of suiting and shirting's. I try to work with a lot of creativity whilst giving my undivided attention to things- sometimes its a model portfolio, sometimes it’s a saree, sometimes its a model in shirt, so i am very much tuned to a lot of versatility. The way I see it, we have too many 'photographers' and not enough 'Innovative thinkers'. I even did a shoot for the brand Ramesh shirting's. There are a lot of great opportunities in the photography industry as a career, the different styles in garments and sarees gives me a lot of opportunity that I can use it to my benefit. Looking at sarees has broadened my horizons. And these two months have made my usual tendencies go in for a 180 degree flip. Today, selling the product in the best way possible through my photography has become my prime focus.

It's so funny when I think of how the brain gets atuned to few things if repeatedly trained. Maybe that is what conditioning is all about. A few nights ago I was in a club for a party, and there was this woman dancing in a sari, immediately that raced into my thoughts and seeing what I did I had an idea that sparked in my mind - I can actually have a girl in a club dancing in a sari as a concept. My latest apprehension has been about using the setting of a Ganpati idol for my next shoot that immediately caught my attention during Ganpati darshan. All my friends think that I am gone crazy and these thoughts may not seem right to them but this is the only thing that is real- that's how my mind is working. My Profession is my Passion. This is what I love to do. I have become so pre-occupied and inquisitive with such thoughts around saris and so much aware of the presence of this garment called sari in my life and environment that it is almost like an alarm, it rings a bell in my system. So if you have some fun concepts that you could share with me, I'd be happy to hear them, and who knows I may just really love your idea and use it too. Until then I will go back to spending my days and nights draped and cuddled in sari's instead of bedsheets.

When a day is Preity Sunny for a shoot..

So this one is about the shoot for Santoor me and my team did with the very cute and bubbly Preity Zinta and the very macho and strong Sunny Deol. It was a lively 3 day shoot at Whistling Woods.

A print shoot of a very different level. I wondered initially how it would be meeting them and then clicking them. Specially, when they are contrasting personality types on screen.

But Preity bowled me over by her dedication and gracious presence.

For a celebrity to actually extract time from a TVC shoot and come for a print ad shoot is indeed a big deal. I'd like to use this platform to thank her for being so sweet and adjusting.

A few instances that I recall from this amazing experience is that after the First day of shoot I got my staff to get a blow up of one of her shots that I took showing her dimple off to the best I have ever seen closely.

She loved it.. And I loved that..... To be appreciated for your work is something one’s ears are always yearning to hear. And when you get to hear it straight from the very pretty Preity, it is like cloud number 9 that you are on.

One of the most direct questions I've ever been asked has also been from Miss Zinta. Looking at my most recent hairdo, she asked, “Why the choti behind Luv, is it some sadhu trait?” To which I had no option but to reveal some truth that “Aagey baal thode kum hain, toh isiliye socha ki peeche thoda zyaaada baal uga lu.”

On the whole of very fun-filled 3 day shoot, It was a fab experience not only with Preity and Sunny but also Shakti Kapoor, Avtar Gill, Pappu Kanghi, Puneet Issar, Yash Tonk, Bobby Darling, Delnaaz Irani and her followers.

 I’m already counting down the days till my next opportunity to work with Preity and Sunny again. Until then, the wait is on.....