Over the years, I have observed the paparazzi clicking bona fide celebrities and people, famous for being famous. For Flash Point, the second novel in my Mumbai trilogy, I sought to pay tribute to the coterie of lensmen, who stand on the other side of the velvet cordon. I wanted to portray the city through the lens of young migrants, who aspire to succeed in this fabled maya nagri. The book is about their hopes and their heartbreaks. It is also about the city’s glitziest denizens, who daily pose and preen for the paparazzi, exuding a shiny, happy persona. For the launch, a fortnight ago, I requested my friend, ace photographer Atul Kasbekar to shoot formal but fun portraits of eight of Mumbai’s well-known press photographers, on the red carpet. It was one of the most memorable days of my life as each paparazzo arrived on set, slipped into designer togs after getting hair and make-up done by professionals. They mimicked poses that they have seen celebrities strike a thousand times. Ashwini Sawant beamed as she kept her arms akimbo and pouted for the camera. This feisty girl had defied her conservative father’s diktat and insisted on pursuing her dream of becoming a top-notch press photographer. Yogen Shah, today a legend, spoke nostalgically of how he didn’t even know how to load a camera when he started out in the profession 25 years ago, while Manoj Sharma, often told that he resembles Aamir Khan, exuded charm and savior faire as he pirouetted in his black bandhgala. Pradeep Bandekar has been an industry stalwart for five decades and played proud papa as he posed alongside his handsome son Prathamesh, who is regarded as one of the finest press photographers in the business. Kedar Nene blew kisses at the camera and his natural swagger had us all floored as he effortlessly gave Atul one confident pose after another. Viral Bhayani holds an MBA and supplies photographs of Bollywood celebs to people and organisations across the world. He is as astute a businessman as he is a photographer and wowed us by turning up in an impeccably tailored three-piece suit. “We have been waiting all our lives for such a day,” said veteran lensman Ashish Rane, “where our talent and contribution to society has finally been acknowledged.” Writing a novel is a long and lonely process and it is great validation when your work meets with critical and commercial success. But, for me, nothing was more rewarding than getting this extraordinary opportunity to salute our unsung shutterbugs, the true chroniclers of the red carpet. samarofdiscontent@gmail.com
