As the editor of Movie magazine (1988-1999), I rubbed shoulders with the best shutterbugs in showbiz, including Gautam Rajadhyaksha, Jagdish Mali and Rakesh Shrestha. I conceptualised my cover shoots and collaborated with the photographer and designer to achieve the desired outcome.
I would like to believe that the bedrock for this was laid by my earlier stint as a photojournalist. In 1985, armed with a Nikon camera, I ventured into photo-journalism to supplement my modest salary and capture film celebrities not just in words but also in images.
Dimple and Jackie were my favourite muses but I shot almost everyone: Madhuri Dixit, Anil Kapoor, Meenakshi Seshadri, Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir and Salman Khan...
Here, I share some black and white images and colourful memories of a glorious cinematic era.
Dimple Kapadia
“You are Mr Walrus”
I clicked this picture of the gorgeous, auburn-haired Dimple Kapadia in 1986 on the lawns of Hotel Sun N Sand. She was shooting for Insaaf, her first hit after a 10-year break for marriage and babies.
Dimple had a crackling sense of humour. She nicknamed me Mr Walrus as I had a thick moustache that drooped unevenly on both sides.
{{/usCountry}}Dimple had a crackling sense of humour. She nicknamed me Mr Walrus as I had a thick moustache that drooped unevenly on both sides.
{{/usCountry}}Dimple had an insubstantial role in Ram Lakhan, and she was badgered by the press for an explanation. She asked me to think of something witty. I joked, “Say you were paid six lakhs to throw your hair about in the film.” We laughed; and I forgot about it. When I met her next, she guffawed, “That quote has made it to the cover of a magazine!”
Sridevi
Child-like, but not childish
This picture of Sridevi was shot in 1988 at a suburban studio during the shooting of Yash Chopra’s Chandni. I was a rookie journalist when I was first introduced to an unsure newcomer named Sridevi. Six years later, when I became the editor of Movie magazine, that gawky girl too had metamorphosed into a self-assured megastar. I wanted my first cover to be a standout, so I decided to bring Sridevi and Aamir Khan together. During the shoot, Aamir whispered to me, “She looks taller than me.” Sridevi overheard and quietly flung away her heeled shoes.
Sridevi could be child-like, not childish. Once, as my reporter interviewed Sridevi in my presence, the actress turned to me and whispered, “She asked me to comment on the changing face of Mumbai. How can a city have a face?”
Chunky Panday
No holds ‘bar’-red
Chunky Panday was always a sport — he took my cue and responded to my shout so I could get an aerial shot of him from the first floor.
Chunky’s birthday parties at his lavish Bandra pad were legend. He was very popular amongst Bollywood stars. He would take me aside and jocularly whisper, “Come, I will tell you which of the Bacardi bottles at the bar is genuine.”
Rakhee
Why she never eats at 5-star hotels
I shot this picture of the hazel-eyed beauty Raakhee in 1988 at her Aptegaon farmhouse. I was wary of the famously whimsical actress and Jagdish Mali bluntly introduced me with, “Raakheeji, Dinesh is afraid of you.” She impishly asked me, “Main tumko kha jaaungi?” Instead, I was the one feasting as Raakhee cooked spicy biryani and delicious Bengali-style fish curry for the entire unit.
Small talk reveals more about stars than recorded interviews. In the post-lunch break, Rakhee told me that she never eats at five-star hotels because she wasn’t comfortable with a fork and knife. “I starve at parties; I order room service when I am at location shootings.”
Salman Khan
A brat with a heart
I shot this picture of Salman Khan in the late 1980s at Natraj Studios. Before the release of Maine Pyar Kiya, Salman would regularly hang out at my magazine office, volunteering to type articles for me and jabbering non-stop with my female staff. In his quieter moments, he loved to doodle, an early indication that he would paint eventually. He was warm, friendly and funny. A brat but with a heart.
When MPK released, I told Salman he had a blockbuster in hand. That was the month Amitabh Bachchan began talking to the press after years of silence and all rival magazines had him on their covers. I decided to put Salman and the gamble paid off!
Shatrughan Sinha
His boisterous twins
This picture was shot below the Bandra building, Landmark, in which legendary 1960s actress Sadhana had a swish sea-facing flat. Her husband, director RK Nayyar, was shooting scenes for his thriller Qatl (1986). During a break, I captured Shatrughan Sinha with his toddler twins Luv and Kush; each was as cute as a button. When Sadhana treated them to ice-cream cones, the twins jumped all over her sofa, dripping ice-cream while she smiled indulgently.
Aamir Khan
Pulled the wool over my eyes
I shot this picture of a young Aamir Khan, with baby fat still intact, in the late 1980s at Sea Rock Hotel. A day before I met him, an actor had inadvertently let it slip that Aamir, a teen sensation post Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, was secretly married to Reena Dutta. I wanted the story from the horse’s mouth. Aamir completely denied the marriage.
Disappointed, I asked him to pose for me on the stairs of the hotel that led to the swimming pool. He happily obliged.
Subhash Ghai
The last showman
I chose this picture because it captures Subhash Ghai’s passion for cinema. I shot it at an outdoor location, one of the many he invited the press to.
A few years ago, I attended a do thrown by the dirctor at his Carter Road terrace flat and memories of many lavish parties hosted by him flooded back. An enterprising showman, he once organised a multi-cinema premiere and convinced editors to drive in a luxury van from theatre to theatre.
Jackie Shroff
The curious case of purana chawal
This picture of Jackie Shroff was shot in 1986 in Pahalgam on location for Subhash Ghai’s Karma. When Jackie saw me clicking away, he jocularly commented, “Kya bhiddu, ab yeh dukaan (photography) bhi khol diya?” In his pre-stardom days, Jackie would borrow a bike from our common friend, Ramesh Patel and sometimes join us in the Sunday gully cricket.
Jackie calls me “purana chawal” whenever we meet. His explanation: “Chawal jitna purana, utna achcha.”
Rishi Kapoor
The genial grump
This shot of Rishi Kapoor was lit for colour cinematography as per Yash Chopra’s instructions for Chandni, but I captured it in my favourite medium, black and white, taking full advantage of the chiaroscuro lighting.
When I first interviewed Rishi, I thought of him as a bear with a sore paw. I was penning a posthumous tribute to Raj Kapoor, and Rishi was disgruntled and unwilling. When he relented, he started speaking beautifully. He was dubbing at Ketnav, a stone’s throw from his Pali Hill bungalow and suggested we complete the interview there over lunch. Halfway home, he casually asked if I had a vehicle. When I said I had my motorbike, he glared at me, “Then why are we walking?” At home, he ate a salad only to follow it with a full meal! He said wryly, “The salad was to make Neetu happy.”
Dinesh Raheja is a reputed film historian, columnist and TV scriptwriter who has been writing on cinema for over three decades
From HT Brunch, July 4, 2021
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