Bollywood paparazzi to go out of action again in second Covid wave, they say things never got better

With less celeb spottings, zero big events, and a virtual lockdown till April 30, how are the Bollywood paparazzi photographers grappling with the situation? Here’s what they tell us.

With the hub of Bollywood, Mumbai reeling under the impact of Covid, and the subsequent shut down of shoots till April 30, one of the worst hit sectors will definitely be the paparazzi. With no big events or award shows happening and in the absence of any shoots and celebrity spotting at the airport or outside gyms and restaurants, it’s not going to be easy for them to cope with the second wave of the pandemic.

Currently, Bigg Boss contestants like Shehnaaz Gill and Rakhi Sawant fetch better engagement than other celebrities according to Bollywood paparazzi photographers.

Viral Bhayani, a popular pap photographer, admits the situation is the same as 2020. “It was getting better with people used to coming out. I’m not dependent on this career, you’ve to keep your options open. Last year I decided to discontinue the whole team. Supporting 18 families isn’t an easy job. Then I let it be. I’m looking at different careers and possibilities to make money, so I can sustain these 18 families,” he says.

The demand for the regular gym and airport photos, they say, has gone down in the current times. He reveals that contestants of the reality show Bigg Boss do generate buzz. “Pictures of the rest of the artistes, nobody wants to buy. The engagement is so low. What do we do capturing these artistes? Just the stepping out content itself isn’t very interesting for people. They want engaging content, conversations about current issues,” Bhayani adds.

Manav Manglani, another well-known photographer, concurs that things are equally bad even now. In fact, he claims, it’s getting worse. “Work never started. Our main work is movie promotions, red carpet events, which magazines and channels look forward to. That helps us, but there were hardly any film promotions, no big ticket events like fashion weeks. The financial condition never came back on track. It’s back to square one for us,” he rues.

Last year, a string of celebs had come out to help the paparazzi fraternity. This time around, till now, no such help has been extended, says Manglani. “Many had helped us then, this time there’s been no response,” he informs.

However, keeping a positive attitude, paparazzi community would like to believe that work won’t come to a full stop. “People are getting inspired, seeing what we’re doing, and everybody wants to get on to the bandwagon. We’re actually staying away from it. We’re done with gym pics, so every month I have different themes. Whatever is happening, my content also revolves around that,” shares Bhayani.

He goes on to cite an example of content that Rakhi Sawant gives and why it works. “She talks about everything, including the government. She has become my number one content provider, financially and views wise also. You might be the best actor, but if you shy away and get into your car, what attitude is that? People don’t like that now,” he says.

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