From intense hate to ultimate love: the story of the Bollywood paparazzi

MUMBAI: From riding on zoom motorbikes to monitoring airports around the clock, India’s celebrity paparazzi photographers have gone from “outcasts” to a vital part of the Bollywood’s vast film industry.

Times have changed for famous snapper Manav Manglani, who scored big at Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty’s wedding in 2009 – by climbing trees and perching on branches for hours to spy on the venue’s walls organization.

“We were considered outcasts,” the photographer said, describing the early days of his career.

Fifteen years later, Manglani has pushed her content streams to more than 6.5 million followers on Instagram.

“We are part of the system now,” he says, commanding a team of nearly 20 photographers who are covering famous gyms, chic cafes and luxury hotels, Their phone keeps saying tip.

The team divided the megalopolis into coverage zones, including those stationed full-time at the airport.

Mumbai-based Bollywood, the core of India’s Hindi-language film industry, is a long-standing center of filmmaking in the world’s most populous country and a major cultural export.

In celebrity-obsessed India, this could be a lucrative trade.

Bollywood started a century ago. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that film magazines began publishing “insider” industry gossip, said Ram Kamal Mukherjee, former editor-in-chief of Stardust magazine.

The Bollywood publication, he says, brings “stories from the studio, stories from the bedroom, stories from the vanity van”.

The first wave of paparazzi began in India in the early 2000s, with freelance photographers pursuing celebrities.

The insatiable appetite of social media and the ubiquitous availability of smartphones has changed again, he says — with photographers no longer “just providing images” but making work to help create a story.

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“There is interference today,” Mukherjee said, citing examples such as staged incidents in which young actors seemingly spontaneously gave money to beggars. “There is branding.”

That comes with broader changes in the industry, including viewers moving away from the big screen.

Traditional blockbusters that draw crowds to theaters have been challenged by lengthy narratives on streaming platforms meant to be viewed at home, commonly known as OTT or “over-the-top” services. ” in India.

Observers say this has helped paparazzi develop their role in the advertising machine.

“Being an influencer with followers with a very popular page, helping them promote movies, OTT and brands… we are very important now,” says Manglani.

According to consulting firm EY, Indian films hitting theaters have achieved an “all-time high” box office revenue of $1.4 billion by 2023.

But the competition is fierce.

Mandvi Sharma, former publicist for superstar Shah Rukh Khan, said the two sides can be “co-dependent”, especially for young actors hoping photographers can boost their profile.

“Things have changed,” said Viral Bhayani, a photographer with more than 12 million followers on Instagram, recalling how a decade ago he had to “beg” for information about media events. organized.

“It really is a change,” he said, “from being kicked out to now being called in everywhere.”

Bollywood also faces increasing challenges from other Indian language film hubs. EY said that of the 1,796 films released in the country last year, only 218 were traditional Hindi-language Bollywood films.

Photographers now capture more realistic shots of celebrities’ daily lives, often impressing millions of fans more than glamor shots from red carpets or photo shoots. Formal magazine.

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Although their careers are more closely intertwined, old frictions still exist, especially among the big-name stars.

In 2023, Bollywood star Alia Bhatt complained to the police for a “gross invasion” of her privacy after two photographers took pictures of her at her home from a neighboring terrace.

But Manglani says his image is also a useful barometer for measuring an actor’s on-screen presence.

Producers, directors and brands “are closely watching who I am featuring, what is happening and what the appeal is to that celebrity,” Manglani said.

“We usually run behind them,” he said. “We want money, we make money with images… Now, both ways are possible. They also need us, we also need them.”

Sneh Zala, a famous young snapper hunter, sees his job as serving both sides.

“I want fans to know where their favorite celebrities are going, what they are doing in life,” Zala said.

“I’m just a mediator between the actors and their fans.”

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