Freeze frame

Nariman Point, on November 14. For once, it was the 50 pictures on the wall rather than the celebrity crowd that thronged the venue, which got maximum attention.

This is not to say that the A-list crowd went un-mobbed. Among those present were the chief guest Salman Khan, saying he was an enthusiastic photographer, and guest of honour Anupam Kher, who said he wasn’t. Accompanying the two was the latter’s wife Kirron Kher, in one of her gorgeous saris and neckpieces. Also spotted were Mugdha Godse in an itsy number, Nina Manuel, in a stunning blue number, photographer and editor Farzana

Contractor, sportsmen Dhanraj Pillay and Dilip Vengsarkar, fashion designer Nachiket Barve, actress Kitu Gidwani, artists Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu.

The crowd was visibly impressed by the photographs. “Each photograph here tells a story,” Anupam said when asked what made this exhibition special. Mugdha, who’d stopped on her way to a party to celebrate her movie Fashion’s success, was also very taken by the pictures. “I think the one with the tigers mauling the man is the one I’ll remember,” she said, “It was just too scary.” Commenting on the importance of the occasion, Editor-in-Chief, The Indian Express, Shekhar Gupta said, “A lot of excellent photographs don’t make it to news pages because editors tend to pick routine images.”

But the quote of the evening came from Salman, who said he preferred film photography to digital. “With digital photos, you just keep clicking; with film, you actually pay attention.”