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India, July 22 -- Movie stars were just as captivating off-screen as they were on-screen and these rare photographs-and the memories associated with them-prove just that.
When Amitabh Bachchan was off press
As Amitabh Bachchan crosses the landmark age of 80 this year, I am reminded of the many times I have crossed paths with him, the most memorable for me being the times he released two of my books (the first by himself and the second, jointly with Aishwarya Rai) and the time he did an interview with Rajesh Khanna.
When I shot this picture of Bachchan in the mid 1980s, however, he wasn't on talking terms with the press. The quarrel was from the year before I became a journalist so, as a rookie, I was excited about photographing the superstar and watching him in action. Bachchan had turned up for the mahurat of family friend Romesh Sharma's Diljalaa (1987). There was no army of bodyguards surrounding him in that more innocent era but I recall him deftly handling the inevitable crowds that resulted from his entrance.
I remember calling Amitabh years later, the morning after Kaun Banega Crorepati first aired, and complimenting him on this turning point in his life. When he asked me, "Why don't you participate as a contestant?" I replied, "No thanks. I like putting others in the hot seat."
Asha Bhosle shyly played with her braid
Though I would largely interview and photograph film stars as a reporter, I actively pursued greats in parallel cinematic fields, too. I was over the moon when RD Burman agreed to a joint interview with his wife and muse, the legendary songstress, Asha Bhosle.
Frankly, I was amazed at the dynamic between the two. Pancham, as he was fondly known, was rather serious, belying the fun image I had of him the many numbers of his which my generation had grooved to. On the other hand, the conservatively clad, make-up-free Asha was given to fits of coy laughter while playing shyly with her braided choti. But that voice! It was the same...