When Vidya Balan lit up a 'dull white cube'

Photographer Aparna Jayakumar was not sure if she could do justice to her shoot with Vidya Balan in what she called a "dull white cube". Everything changed the moment the actor walked in, writes Amrah Ashraf.

"How can we do a shoot here?" exclaims Aparna Jayakumar.



"This room is a dull white cube. I am a photographer, not a magician." Jayakumar and I are standing at Stage Eight of Mehboob Studio, waiting for actress Vidya Balan, who is expected to be with us in the next hour.

Jayakumar walks around the room looking for a spot. She tilts her head, bends, squints her eyes, walks ahead, takes two steps back, opens the windows, shuts the door, throws her hands in the air and gives me a deathly look.



"How?" I smile nervously.



We scuttle around the room, fixing lights, discussing angles to work with while drinking chai, without realising it has been over two hours. And right on cue, Balan walks in, sees the setup, sits in her spot and says she’s ready.



And just like that, within 10 minutes Balan gives us these stunning pictures. Suddenly Jayakumar doesn’t mind the white cube because she can’t take her eyes off Balan. Click, click, click… and it is all done.



Balan loved her pictures, Jayakumar was overjoyed.



And me? I was just relieved.



From HT Brunch, July 6



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