Gautam Rajadhyaksha's Sridevi centrefold

 

The late great photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha captures a pensive Sridevi in his library

The image appeared in both G magazine and Filmfare in the late 90s in Mumbai. 

Not many know that Sridevi really did wear eye-glasses. Not just for a shoot... 

Queen of the 80s: From early 1983 to the summer of 1993: The undisputed Queen of Bollywood: Sridevi

 

Sridevi in Russian media and fan sites

 

Some of the rarest images and features, magazine scans and covers, I've often found in Russian fan sites. You have no idea how huge Sridevi was above the northern borders when our most views come from Russia! 

Remembering Gautam Rajadhyaksha on his birth anniversary: The Master of Ethereal Frames

Remembering Gautam Rajadhyaksha today on his 76th birth anniversary. I had the pleasure of chatting with him several times over the years - courtesy of his cousin, the glamorous and fabulous Shobhaa De.  

He passed away so suddenly and so shockingly on 13 September 2011... still reeling in shock from the news as we were supposed to meet in December for a long one-on-one chat. 

For the new and uninitiationed, Gautam da was Indian cinema’s definitive lensman, famed for capturing the soul behind the glamour. He passed away from a heart attack at the age of 60, just three days shy of his 61st birthday. So sudden, the family was jolted in shock and in the funereal several of Bollywood's top stars, particularly the leading ladies, all turned up en mass to bid him farewell. 

He published two books;

Faces (1997): His landmark coffee-table book tracing generations of screen icons, spanning from legendary pioneer Durga Khote to then-new entrant Aishwarya Rai. Rai made her debut in film that year in 1997 after a historic Miss World win. She credited Gautam (and MUA Mickey Contractor) on Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai later said for the record, "I was nothing, they made me into something..." and hugged Mickey and Gautam - who famously worked together almost exclusively in a magical combo of photographer and makeup artists/stylist. 

Chehere (2010): Written in Marathi, this comprehensive photographic and literary compilation featured over 65-70 portraits of personalities across cinema, classical music, sports, and industry, paired with his intimate personal essays.

Rajadhyaksha’s trademark was soft, natural lighting that accentuated the classic bone structure of his subjects. His most iconic portraits include:

Sridevi: Capturing both her intense, expressive gaze and her rare candid moments off-camera.

Rekha: Defining her timeless aesthetic and transforming her into a visual muse.

Madhuri Dixit & Aishwarya Rai: Formatting their definitive early-career glamour portfolios.

Cultural Icons: Ethereal portraits of Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Sachin Tenduklar and J.R.D. Tata.... too many to list in fact. 

Stars adored Rajadhyaksha because he built deep trust before he ever clicked a shutter. He created a disarming, comforting atmosphere on set, using soft lighting to make actors feel secure and look their absolute best. He stripped away rigid posing, allowing their genuine warmth and personality to shine through. There were key signatures to his work; soft lighting, minimal background noise, clean frames, uncluttered frames, muted colours, few accessories - if any! The simplest of clothes (not that he couldn't do high fashion, but he preferred a white shirt/kurta over a festival of colours) and letting the star shine... which they did. Just for him. 

What made Rajadhyaksha truly beyond compare was his rare duality as both a visual artist and an articulate writer-interviewer. Having worked extensively in advertising and media (regularly shooting and interviewing subjects for Celebrity, Stardust, and Cine Blitz, as well as scripting Hindi films like Bekhudi and Anjaam), he possessed a deep literary sensibility. Today, India, if not all of Asia, lacks a contemporary who seamlessly unifies these talents- someone who can conduct an insightful interview, write with nuance, and photograph with unmatched painterly elegance.

Gone too soon is such a tired expression and Gautam da hated clichés... but, its the only phrase that lingers in the mind today. 

Happy Birthday - wherever you are. 

The late great photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha on working with Sridevi: "Total personality is awesome!"

Remembering Gautam da on his birth anniversary today. Though his favourites were Madhuri Dixit, Kajol and Aishwarya Rai... possibly in that order... he took many of Sridevi's early portraits for film magazines.  

Excerpt below: 

Legendary photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha on working with Sridevi, " [Sridevi... is a quietly retiring person. I met her years ago at her home in Chennai when she was still doing Tamil films and just beginning her work in Hindi films. She was very open to a lot of ideas for shoots. You just had to explain something to her and she would agree. Once before the camera she would give you what you wanted. Her eyes, facial expressions and personality were magic. 

While shooting in Mauritius for Gumrah, Mahesh Bhatt gave us a day off and we shot some awesome outdoor pictures like her sitting with a tall drink by the pool and doing things she had never done before. She captivated the camera. I have great pictures of her. It's her total personality that's awesome. She's a nice person." 

 "WHILE SHOOTING IN MAURITIUS FOR GUMRAH, MAHESH BHATT GAVE US A DAY OFF. WE SHOT SOME AWESOME OUTDOOR PICTURES LIKE SRIDEVI SITTING WITH A TALL DRINK BY THE POOL!"

Sridevi

 

The white pullover, the bangles... Sridevi's 1987 photoshoot with Filmfare. 

The soft lighting and lens... looks like work of the late great Gautam Rajadhyaksha. 

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Outtakes from a Showtime cover shoot: Sridevi: Feb

Outtakes from a Showtime cover shoot: Sridevi rockin' 90s

Throwback to February 1991! More pics in the archive here.

Sridevi's photos by Gautam Rajadhyaksha 
 

Sridevi smiles for Gautam Rajadhyaksha

Sridevi's gorgeous face!

Photography by legendary Indian photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha. 

Photographed in the mid 90s. 

Sridevi in Madras: Happy days

 

All photos by Gautam Rajadhyaksha. Some published in the book Faces. Sridevi, happiest in Madras - far from the madding crowd. With family.

Sridevi in 1984

Sridevi in 1984. A Filmfare cover shoot and interview written and photographed by the late great Gautam Rajadhyaksha, he captured the shy 21-year-old who was already crowned the Number One star of India. 

 

Original Sridevi pictures "enhanced" or... over edited?!

 

Sridevi wearing Xerxes Bhathena. This white and gold ensemble was such a rich fashion moment, part of the tapestry of Sridevi's fashionista archive. 

This image has been... a little over edited by an app - you can see the original images of Sridevi from 1994 - here in the archive. This image was a centrefold for g magazine, shot by the late great Gautam da. With MUA by Mickey Contractor. 

Sridevi at 21, Posing for Filmfare:

Gautam Rajadhyaksha captured a young superstar, Sridevi, 21. 

More from this cover shoot in the archive here.

 

Sridevi on the cover of Chitralekha: April 1994: Portraits by Gautam Rajadhyaksha

Sridevi on the cover of Chitralekha: April 1994: Portraits by Gautam Rajadhyaksha

Images below were originally published in Cine Blitz.  

Filmfare: How Amitabh wooed Sridevi

 Excerpt from Filmfare from the early 1990s. 

Sridevi's most popular poster from the 1980s: Glam face and a terry cloth robe

 

Photo by Gautam Rajadhyaksha, hair and makeup by Mickey Contractor. Classic 1989 poster. Was a centrefold in the 1980s in Cine Blitz and other magazines.

Outtakes from this shoot were repeated published in the early 90s as Sridevi, then the busiest superstar of her time, rarely made space for photoshoots and was a reluctant model for Mumbai tabloids. A pity as she wasn't tuned in on the power of the media at that point. And the importance of still images that would have contributed to her fame and legacy. 

TBT: January 1988: Sridevi's Cine Blitz centrefold:

Excerpt: 

Red Hot: The Shocking Break-Up! Straight from Sridevi! 

An inevitable second marriage. A suicide bid by the wife. A cheated second wife follows it up with a painful break. And a man is caught between his duty and his love. Much has been written about the Sridevi-Mithun affair. But these are the inside facts that no ones knows... 

 

Sridevi with her Dimple Kapadia hair!

 Outtakes from a cover shoot for Cine Blitz. Shot by Gautam da, MUA by Mickey Contractor. 

Smile please: Sridevi stuns

Smile please: Sridevi stuns. 

The magical combo of Mickey Contractor on makeup with the late great Gautam Rajadhyaksha behind the camera and the Goddess Sridevi in front. Magic.

Boney Kapoor remembers the late great Gautam Rajadhyaksha: His last shoot with Sridevi

Boney Kapoor, "Magic of Gautam Rajdakshya , these pictures were shot by him at his home while Sri was pregnant with Janhvi, created these images with just natural source of light. 

Remembering Gautam da today - his birth anniversary. 

Remembering ace photographer and portraiture legend Gautam Rajadhyaksha on his birth anniversary: His most memorable snaps of Sridevi

Glamorous Sridevi as captured by the late great photographer, journalist, ad-man, Gautam Rajadhyaksha, cousin of the incomparable Shobhaa De. He was a wonderful writer and photographer and there are some wonderful features by him in Filmfare magazine, The Illustrated Weekly - and of course his book Faces that is filled to the brim with exquisite portraiture and writing. 

Early on he recognised that Indian superstars needed to be captured in exquisite photographs (many iconic black and white ones), and written about for posterity in a luxury coffee table book. There were too many gossip magazines but not enough reliable sources and mighty tomes that captured the greats. He was 'the' favourite of every single Hindi cinema legend, cricketer, artist, celebrity, society, and even the occasional politician! 

The kindest man, soft-spoken, articulate, literate, a man of great taste, high art, literature and opera, as well as classical Hindustani music... His loss was such, it unified the industry as they came en mass to pay their final respects, be it Kajol (who he launched!) or Tina Munim-Ambani, who he worked with often in the early 1980s. 

Though Madhuri Dixit was his favourite muse, he captured Sridevi from 1983-1997! Some of her great and viral pics were shot by him (all of which we have in the archive here). They got along well as both were soft-spoken and let their work speak for them more than their PR! 

Had the great pleasure to speak to him a few times and remembering him today, on what would have been his 75th birthday. He was suddenly taken, three days shy of his 61st birthday due to a massive and fatal heart-attack. A man with such a big heart... the irony of it all.