The inside life of India’s paparazzi: the making of celebrities, one chase at a time

The location present boasts a caller alloy almirah, a washing instrumentality and a cooler. One partition features an LED TV portion an unfastened room sits other the entrance. The washroom that erstwhile relied connected a tarpaulin expanse for privateness is present a factual operation with a door. The mezzanine level allows the 27-year-old and his brothers to discontinue astatine night. Manjrekar credits this alteration of luck to his profession: helium is simply a pap, abbreviated for paparazzo.

Photographer Aniket Shashikant Manjrekar with his parents extracurricular his renovated kholi successful Naralwadi, Byculla, Mumbai. (Photo: Ganesh Shirsekar)

The word traces backmost to Federico Fellini’s 1960 movie La Dolce Vita, wherever Paparazzo, an intrusive photographer, aggressively pursued celebrities. The word gained planetary popularity — oregon notoriety — implicit the years. The paparazzi civilization successful the West received a immense backlash aft a frenzied car pursuit successful Paris led to the decease of Princess Diana successful 1997.

In Mumbai, Yogen Shah, wide regarded arsenic India’s archetypal paparazzo, recalls the genesis of this culture. “It each started astatine manager Subhash Ghai’s girl Meghna’s wedding successful 2002. I was assigned by a work to screen the lawsuit but erstwhile I arrived there, I wasn’t allowed in. Upset, I called the writer who commissioned me, but she asked maine to travel back. Rather than leaving empty-handed, I decided to photograph celebrities entering and exiting the venue. Those pictures made it everywhere,” Shah recalls.

While personage photography has agelong existed, with photographers covering movie premieres, day celebrations and different events, on with exclusive features for personage magazines — which were notorious for uncovering scandalous scoops connected Bollywood actors — the aboriginal 2000s marked a transformative play for photographers successful India. The emergence of integer media saw the emergence of amusement websites similar SantaBanta, GlamSham and IndiaGlitz, which sought photographs of Bollywood celebrities. Along with Shah, different photographers specified arsenic Manav Manglani, Viral Bhayani and Varinder Chawla entered the scene, and person since travel to predominate it.

“Bollywood was getting connected this integer bandwagon. Vashu Bhagnani wanted to motorboat a website for each film, similar The Hero: Love Story of a Spy starring Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta, and Armaan starring Amitabh Bachchan,” says Manglani who started his vocation arsenic a graphic and website decorator successful 2001 with the present debt-ridden Pooja Entertainment. His occupation initially progressive sending photos from movie shoots to publications for promotion. Later, portion moving astatine Bollywood Hungama (then IndiaFM.com), helium attended events, and by 2004, helium began freelancing.

Those aboriginal years were a grind. Manglani, a nonmigratory of Thane, would permission location astatine 7 americium and instrumentality a bid oregon a autobus to scope studios similar Film City successful Goregaon East, Filmistan successful Goregaon West, Filmalaya successful Andheri West oregon Mehboob successful Bandra. Chawla’s beingness was arsenic hectic. “I’ve had astir of my lunches either successful workplace canteens oregon astatine nutrient stalls extracurricular Juhu autobus stand,” helium laughs. He, too, covered 4 to 5 events a day, backmost erstwhile photography inactive relied connected movie rolls. “I’d unreserved to the 24-hour workplace successful Andheri West precocious astatine nighttime to make my negatives, selecting the champion shots for printing. The adjacent morning, I’d manus present these prints to publishing houses,” says Chawla. He fondly recalls the joyousness of upgrading to a integer camera, which revolutionised his work.

The grind of the aboriginal 2000s has paid disconnected but backmost then, they would past connected a slumber of a fewer hours and were perpetually uncovering innovative ways to get candid shots. “I neglected my household wholly for many, galore years,” says Chawla, who joined successful 2005 and has 2 sons, aged 14 and nine.

“I would bash each sorts of things to get a bully shot,” recalls Shah. He shares however helium erstwhile tipped 2 taxi drivers to assistance him get the close airy without alerting the celebrities. “There was a fashionable hangout spot successful Juhu wherever celebrities often came to party. To enactment retired of sight, I’d beryllium connected the steps of a store other the entrance. But however could I instrumentality photos astatine nighttime without utilizing a flash? If I utilized a flash, they’d cognize I was there. So, I’d wage 2 taxi drivers to parkland their cars successful specified a mode that I could hide, and their process lights would springiness maine the cleanable lighting for my shots,” helium laughs.

Taimur: The Turning Point

Saif Ali Khan with Taimur Ali Khan and Jeh Ali Khan.

Shobhaa De, who has been the exertion of respective magazines, including Stardust, says the conception of the paparazzi is lone 10 years aged successful India. “Pap civilization exploded with Taimur’s arrival. He became the most-stalked prima kid successful Bollywood history,” she notes.

Paparazzis hold that the commencement of Taimur Ali Khan successful 2016, was a landmark lawsuit successful their profession. Public request for photos of Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor’s lad rapidly eclipsed adjacent the biggest Bollywood stars specified arsenic Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. “At 1 point, 25 to 30 bikes would pursuit Taimur’s car conscionable for a picture,” recalls Chawla, adding that aboriginal they realised the dangers of chasing him to school. It became truthful overwhelming that Saif erstwhile mislaid his chill astatine them incessantly flashing cameras astatine Taimur’s face, saying, “Bas karo yaar, bachcha andha ho jaayega (Stop it, the kid volition spell blind)”. Both parents person since addressed the contented successful assorted interviews. “Today, Raha (Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor’s daughter) has that aforesaid craze,” adds Chawla.

Over time, paparazzi present successful India person adopted restraint, partially owed to boundaries acceptable by nationalist figures specified arsenic cricketer Virat Kohli and histrion Anushka Sharma, who person made wide requests to support their children retired of the media glare. Others person reached informal agreements with photographers. “When we learned that Ranbir and Alia took their girl for greeting strolls, we managed to get her photo, but Ranbir called each of america to their gathering for a meal spread. He showed america photos of Raha and promised america that they would present her to america properly, asking for immoderate clip until then,” shares Manjrekar, adding that they fulfilled this committedness connected Christmas past year.

The penetration of privateness isn’t constricted to personage children. Even now, they person a analyzable narration with Jaya Bachchan, who is often heard scolding them. Last year, Bhatt publically called retired photographers for taking pictures of her wrong her flat from a neighbouring building. She took to Instagram to denounce the “invasion of privacy” and tagged Mumbai police. This incidental has near a lasting content connected the paparazzi, starring to stricter aforesaid regulations. Manglani, a well-known photographer, present has a database of dos and don’ts for his team: “Don’t participate backstage property. Be respectful — don’t shout, misbehave oregon telephone retired radical with phrases similar ‘Ae Kartik!’ Look presentable, and if idiosyncratic doesn’t privation to beryllium photographed, respect that and don’t instrumentality their pictures.” Similarly, Chawla intimately monitors the contented that goes connected his societal media platforms. “If there’s thing controversial, demeaning, oregon inappropriate — similar a wardrobe malfunction — I won’t station it. And if 1 of my squad members has uploaded it, I region it immediately.”

The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a large stroke to the industry, but it has since bounced back. “I present person implicit 200 clients,” says Manglani, listing brands that wage to diagnostic their ads and run shots connected his page. It whitethorn each look orchestrated, but helium insists that’s not the case. “My squad puts successful a batch of effort, conducting extended probe and gathering connections to unafraid exclusives. For instance, we were the archetypal to seizure a photograph of Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal connected their wedding time successful Rajasthan. The changeable was taken from a sizeable distance, but it was the effect of our groundwork and tract experience. That day, we went to the sarpanch’s house, which had a terrace with a nonstop —though distant — presumption of the hotel. One of my teammates noticed that the spot disposable from the terrace was besides cleanable for sunset photos, truthful we decided to hold there. It paid disconnected — they came for pictures, and we got our shot.”

Yogen Shah, Varinder Chawla

Today, the paparazzi concern is thriving, with pioneers managing teams of 10 to 40 people, including photographers, videographers and societal media managers. Social media, successful particular, has go a important portion of the business. Viral Bhayani, for instance, boasts 11.8 cardinal followers connected Instagram, portion Manglani, Shah and Chawla each person astir 6 cardinal followers.

The younger generation, including Manjrekar who works with Chawla, represents a displacement successful the industry. Most of them hail from lower-middle-class families and often participate the assemblage aft being transportation boys. When hired, they commencement with a wage of Rs 8,000 to 10,000, which tin yet emergence to Rs 35,000. Their workdays often impact trailing celebrities from greeting gym sessions to late-night parties. Most of them enactment for veterans similar Shah, Manglani, Chawla oregon Bhayani and are usually the archetypal to cognize if idiosyncratic is dating oregon is pregnant.

For example, Sagar Satish Kadam’s time starts with rounds astatine fashionable gyms successful Juhu, including iThink Fitness, AntiGravity, and The Tribe, the second co-owned by histrion Kriti Sanon. “We usually find thing extracurricular the gym. Then I sojourn celebrity-frequented restaurants similar Kitchen Garden, One8 Commune and Starbucks,” says Kadam, 26, who worked arsenic a transportation lad earlier pursuing a photography diploma and reaching retired to a paparazzo connected societal media. He presently lives successful Diva, Thane, and travels 45 km to Juhu — the neighbourhood that’s location to galore Bollywood actors, directors and producers, including Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Akshay Kumar and Sara Ali Khan.

“From Abhishek Bachchan to Tiger Shroff, Kartik Aaryan, Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor, everyone shows up astatine Jamnabai (school) turf connected Sundays. But thing compares to the assemblage that gathers erstwhile MS Dhoni is there, particularly since this country has a ample southbound Indian community,” Manjrekar explains, arsenic we thrust done the celebrity-lined streets of Juhu connected his Activa scooter.

He is simply a acquainted look astatine these hotspots, wherever adjacent the information guards greet him with a nod. “Sometimes, they adjacent extremity america disconnected astir which personage mightiness amusement up later. If there’s thing going on, we parkland ourselves extracurricular Kromakay Salon during the time and extracurricular PVR successful the evening. We ever find something,” helium says. Manjrekar started his vocation earning Rs 13,000 a month, and present makes Rs 30,000. Seeing imaginable successful this enactment of work, helium encouraged his duplicate to articulation him — Abhishek present handles videography.

Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor revealed girl Raha’s look for the archetypal clip connected Christmas 2023. (Photo: Varinder Chawla)

While Manjrekar was the archetypal to seizure a photograph of Anushka during her pregnancy, Kadam snagged the archetypal changeable of Shah Rukh Khan connected the acceptable of Pathaan. “Taking photos connected a movie acceptable is forbidden,” says Manjrekar, “so sometimes I wage fabric candy- oregon chaat-sellers to fell down their carts, utilizing the gaps to drawback a shot. The infirmary series of Student of the Year 2 was changeable successful Byculla. When I recovered out, I went to the hospital. It was pouring that time and I was wearing a achromatic T-shirt. I opened my umbrella and crouched down the bushes connected the infirmary tract to instrumentality photos. When I got home, drenched and muddy, my parent thought I’d had a fall!” helium laughs. “I’ve hidden nether taxis, climbed roofs — immoderate it takes.”

Even tip-offs necessitate strategy. To get the cleanable shot, it’s important that the personage looks straight into the camera. “Left, right, centre,” are much than conscionable directions — they are calls to drawback their attention. Building rapport with celebs tin help, too. “I telephone Alia ‘aalu’,” says Manjrekar with a grin, sharing however a spot of banter tin pb to an absorbing photograph oregon video.

Then determination are the videos that went viral wherever the paparazzi were mispronouncing names of planetary celebrities similar Gigi Hadid, Tom Holland and Zendaya during events similar Dior’s manner amusement and astatine the motorboat of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre successful Mumbai, past year. “We didn’t cognize who they were,” they admit, adding, “We were seeing them for the archetypal time.” But what astir ‘Nikwa’ for Nick Jonas? “It’s lone to get his attention!”

Uorfi, Orry, and a afloat circle

Uorfi Javed poses for photographers extracurricular Juliette Ristorante & Bar successful Andheri West, Mumbai. (Photo: Pradip Das)

“I americium what I americium contiguous due to the fact that of the paps. Jis din ye pap civilization chala gaya, america din Uorfi Javed bhi gayi. Khatm. (The time paparazzi civilization ends, Uorfi Javed volition besides beryllium over),” said Uorfi Javed, a societal media sensation known for her out-of-the-box manner sense, successful the world show, Follow Kar Lo Yaar, which chronicles her life. Her knowing of the paparazzi’s power connected her vocation is echoed by galore successful the industry. Her unconventional benignant — past week, she wore a formal with rotating blades attached to her waist — on with her media-savvy beingness and punctuality, has made her a favourite among the paparazzi.

“Uorfi gets maximum paps today,” shares Manjrekar, who has seen her rise. “If Uorfi and an histrion are lasting wrong 50 metres of each other, Uorfi is apt to pull much paps. She is ever dressed interestingly, and those photos and videos enactment precise well. Plus, she is ever connected time. She has ne'er made america wait, and arsenic overmuch emotion arsenic she gets from the paps, she gives back. Just recently, she talented america watches.” Uorfi adjacent went a measurement further, arranging a peculiar screening of the world amusement for the paparazzi, further cementing this communal respect.

“We physique the hype astir celebrities, and we tin besides termination it,” admits a paparazzo, successful his mid-20s, requesting anonymity. “We helped physique Kartik Aaryan’s image. He wasn’t that celebrated initially, but we were paid to screen him, and look wherever helium is now!”

What astir Orry (Orhan Awatramani), a socialite who has gained fame for his adjacent connections with Bollywood celebrities, including Janhvi Kapoor? “It was my squad that spotted him first. He was often seen with actors, either entering oregon exiting parties, which piqued our curiosity. We started asking astir and learned that helium was friends with these actors. When we began posting his photos and videos, radical became interested, and ‘Who is Orry?’ rapidly became clickbait,” says Manglani. Manjrekar adds, “Orry besides has a large narration with each of us. We connection him directly, and helium ever responds. He adjacent sends america gifts connected Christmas.”

When asked if they’ve “killed” anyone’s career, paps contradict it but enactment that they request respect. If a personage doesn’t dainty them well, they mightiness beryllium sidelined. “Disha Patani, for example, refused to airs oregon adjacent fto america instrumentality candid shots astatine events. She’d locomotion successful with her backmost to us. We decided not to screen her. At the Malang trailer motorboat successful January 2020, each the paps enactment their cameras down until she near the frame. She went backstage and cried. It was lone aft Anil Kapoor apologised connected her behalf that we resumed taking photos,” shares a pap, connected anonymity.

This isn’t the archetypal clip paps had “banned” a celebrity. In 2007, astatine Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai’s wedding, choky information was successful place. When photographers tried to get a glimpse of the ceremony, the men manning the information allegedly mistreated them, starring to a media boycott of the Bachchans. The prohibition was lifted lone aft Amitabh Bachchan personally organised a gathering astatine 1 of the starring hotels and met with them.

The displacement successful the paparazzi’s relation implicit the past 2 decades is stark. “We’ve gone from being nobodies to becoming indispensable for each actor, movie, and marque promotion,” says Manglani. “Today, we are invited to events, flown successful for promotions and fixed owed respect. There was a clip erstwhile we were pushed aside, but present visibility is cardinal for everyone, and we supply that,” helium adds.

While immoderate large personage weddings inactive don’t let media coverage, the attack has softened. Celebrities present instrumentality attraction of paparazzi by offering food, h2o and adjacent measurement retired aft the wedding to airs for them, arsenic seen astatine the weddings of Varun Dhawan, Athiya Shetty, Dia Mirza, Alia-Ranbir Kapoor and Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant.

“We were successful Jamnagar for 10 days, flown successful by the Ambanis,” says Manjrekar, who was portion of the squad that extensively covered the wedding and was 1 of lone 3 photographers to get a photograph with Rihanna erstwhile she attended the pre-wedding event. “At the Mumbai reception, Nita Ambani personally invited america and our families to attend, which was a arrogant infinitesimal for maine — particularly erstwhile my parent got to be the event,” helium beams.

Even arsenic paparazzi support that their enactment is little orchestrated than it appears, De argues, “Most of the paps are connected the payroll of stars and the ‘spotting’ is an organised activity. There is an overdose of prima coverage. People are bored with the predictable airdrome and reddish carpet looks. What’s missing is spice. International paps marque wealth retired of genuine scoops. In India, paps are paid publicists. They request to up their crippled to enactment interesting,” she says.