Owner8217;s pride / J H Thakker

A blanch background; a curio of a camera! Yet what one gets each time is a for-keeps black-and-white frame. Jhamamal H Thakker8217;s lens is wholly in league with its subject 8212; be it Nargis, Nalini Jaywant or Meena Kumari. Or, for that matter, Jairaj, on whom the photographer8217;s lens shuttered down first.

With Thakker, his 51-year-old India Photo Studio in Dadar has also had similar exposure. quot;Almost every on-screen face visited the place and got etched in my memory and collection,quot; he says, remembering Madhubala to be the most beautiful person he ever came across. quot;Just a couple of photographs. Never again I got an opportunity to click her,quot; says Thakker of the two priceless frames, also displayed at NGMA. quot;Nalini Jaywant and Meena Kumari were two actresses whom I photographed the most. Probably because they were the most amiable, without any airs. Among actors, Balraj Sahni was a gentleman one can never forget. In fact, it was Pukar in 1948, starring Nalini, for which I did my first movie stills. Andthen she put me on to others. As they say, the rest is history.quot;

A history which was not allowed to gather dust and Thakker had his first show at Piramal Gallery in 1993. It had the same faces 8212; Kishore Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Naushad, Madan Mohan, Balraj Sahni, Dilip Kumar 8212; but in contrasting moods. quot;A burst of flood lamps, a dinky spotlight and a field camera are enough to create the magic,quot; says the man behind it. Though the changing scenario in photographic trade and Bollywood made Thakker quit in the late 8217;60s, stars still invite him for a shoot. quot;Our pre-occupation with our image sees no confines. Hence portraits remain important.quot; Even Kodak wants to make the concept popular again by opening portrait studios across the country. Thakker8217;s India Photo Studio will be the first.

But portraits are not what Thakker limited himself to. His forthcoming exhibition will have photographs taken on location. Same place, same time.

Chitranjali8216; at NGMA, Kala Ghoda. Till Feb 29. Time: 11.00 am to 7.00pm.