Keep still

With a gun aimed at the man she married only a few months ago Sehmat Khanrsquos betrayal unfurls in Meghna Gulzarrsquos awardwinning film Raazi When this pivotal scene featuring Alia Bhattrsquos Sehmat and Vicky Kaushalrsquos Iqbal Syed was being shot the environment on set was charged Still photographer Hitesh Mulani earmarked the exchange the moment he came across it in the scriptmdashif merely reading the scene had given him goosebumps he could only imagine what it would be like to film it To Mulanirsquos horror his camera stopped working 10 minutes before the director could say action ldquoThankfully the DOP on set Jay Patel had his own camera which I used to photograph Bhatt holding the gun And it became a poster for the filmrdquo Mulani recountsIn her 22yearlong career as a still photographer Ishika Mohan Motwane has been guided by the principle that her pictures should accurately represent each film she takes on PICISHIKA MOHAN MOTWANEMulani is part of a long tradition of still photographers featuring veterans like Sooni Taraporevala and Ishika Mohan Motwane who captured the world of film sets Among the first practitioners of this profession are names like Josef Wirsching whose documentation of the Bombay Talkies studio in the 1930s and lsquo40s using a pocketsize Leica camera will be on display at the Jehangir Nicholson Gallery through March and early April As the years pass the work of legendary photographers like Taraporevala and Wirsching has immense archival value letting outsiders in on behindthescenes action and preserving moments where actors production designers and lighting experts have triumphedOnce performing the essential job of helping maintain scene continuity the still photographer in contemporary times has provided visuals for iconic posters and created character looks leaving fans excited and curiousmdashmaking them crucial to marketing and publicity departments midday caught up with three still photographers who let us in on stories from sets and the trick that remains timeless in the profession being an inconspicuous lurker who convinces actors in sweaty costumes with long schedules to strike a poseAlia Bhatt prepares for a pivotal moment in Raazi The work of still photographers is archival in nature giving us a look into behindthescenes action before and after a filmrsquos release PICHITESH MULANIA key tool in the still photographerrsquos arsenal is understanding the actorsrsquo needs and preferences Mulani calls the experience of working with Tabu on the spy thriller Khufiya memorable he never imagined that hersquod have a collaborative relationship with an actor of her stature such that they could objectively discuss a still ldquoTabu prefers it when there are fewer people on set I thought the frame where she is scanning her finger was interesting and mysterious because of the green light that falls on herrdquo Mulani explainsMulani who has nine years of experience in the profession responded to Tabursquos hesitation with conviction and the shot became a reality A behindthescenes picture of the duo shows us how pleased they were with the final result as Tabu smiles at both Mulani and his camera ldquoInitially we took pictures without the green light and it looked quite flat and dead I asked the art department to ensure the scanner light is functional and they acted promptly We also experimented with where she should lookmdashwhether it is at the scanner or over her shoulder or at the camerardquo Mulani reveals The suspicious tone of the still was possible only because of Tabursquos expressive face and kajalstreaked nervous eyesIn her 22yearlong career as a still photographer Ishika Mohan Motwane has been guided by the principle that her pictures should accurately represent each film she takes on PICISHIKA MOHAN MOTWANEPouting at the camera sad at having to leavemdashJehangirrsquos attachment to mum Kareena Kapoor Khan is aptly captured in two tender photographs taken during a shoot schedule in the UK for Hansal Mehtarsquos upcoming film The Buckingham Murders As Kapoor Khan shared these behindthescenes pictures on her younger sonrsquos birthday she thanked Tejinder Singh Khamkha for documenting the moment ldquoIt was her last day of shoot with us and Jehangir was on set He diligently found a pen and wrote in a notebook before the camera could roll The staff was asked to take him back to the van and he wasnrsquot keen to leave She had to walk him back to the vanmdashit was sweet to watchrdquo says Khamkha who first began working as a still photographer in 2018It was Anurag Kashyap who recognised Khamkharsquos talent and brought him onboard the romantic drama Manmarziyaan At a schedule in Amritsar Khamkha created an unforgettable picture of Abhishek Bachchanrsquos Robbiemdasha turbaned stoic manmdashbetween shots as it rained outside In the months before the filmrsquos release Khamkha observed a shift in the way still photographs were being used Bachchan for whom the film was something of a comeback posted 30 pictures from the sets ldquoEarlier the budget of the still photographer used to be included in the production budget Over the last few years producers and studios have assigned it to marketing funds We work with marketing from the very beginning nowrdquo he saysKhamkha remarks that his work isnrsquot just about imagemaking it is also about forming relationships with the many stakeholders on set After all still photographersrsquo output is moulded by a number of departments including lighting and production design This makes Khamkha and his peers firsthand witnesses to the big and small ways in which workplace culture and etiquette are changingThese days itrsquos not uncommon for moments from films to become memes and sometimes their humour is a complete contrast to the original context Consider Bhattrsquos line Mujhe ghar jaana hai from Raazi which turned into a running gag that even her husband Ranbir Kapoor used for laughs Interestingly this was a point in the filming process that Meghna Gulzar did not want Mulani to capture ldquoIt was a heavy day for everyone involved but I cannot tell you how beautiful that moment was It was not easy for Alia to do the scene but watching her perform gave us the shivers I never imagined it would someday become a memerdquo Mulani remarksIt was 22 years ago that Ishika Mohan Motwane first walked onto a set to capture stills for Devdas The Sanjay Leela Bhansali project and VeerZaara gave her the opportunity to shoot on film Mohan Motwane has been able to experiment in her career because she didnrsquot have to perform the role of photographers before her of helping with scene continuity ldquoThere werenrsquot any phones or digital cameras which could be used to document how the set and characters looked Photographers would have to capture these elements develop the photos and label them according to their place in the script They used them as references to recreate scenesrdquo she explainsIn her last project the period drama Jubilee the challenge lay in capturing Bombay in its ldquotalkiesrdquo era and bringing this world to the audience The labour of the still photographer is after all the watcherrsquos first window into a film or series setting the tone for what comes next teasers trailers looks and finally the release And though she has been treated fairly by production houses and streaming platforms Mohan Motwane says that those in the profession should be eligible for hikes and respectable remuneration like all of their colleagues and peers on set ldquoEvery department hikes their fees with each project that is in their kitty Why not the same for photographersrdquo she asksMohan Motwane looks forward to new projects with the same vision and drive that she did in her early daysmdashwith excitement and a little nervousness ldquoI do feel the pressure to create a shot that may be picked for a filmrsquos poster Thatrsquos what drives me every day on set Thatrsquos what makes me nervous when I start a project and what makes me happy at the end of the daymdashto get that one image that makes the day worthwhilerdquoshe sharesSome in the film industry fear that the profession is waning but Mohan Motwane says that there is still much value for the work that still photographers do especially in the eyes of filmmakers and production houses who acknowledge what they bring to the table She recalls the unforgettable experience of being asked by Danny Boyle to shoot stills for Slumdog Millionaire ldquoAt the end he told me that my images helped sell his film I didnrsquot understand at the time but they were looking for buyers after making the film Theyrsquod made a brochure of images from the film and took it to festivals where they met distributorsmdashit was the first look the distributors had of Slumdog Millionaire That was the first time I realised maybe the images have a lot more to do than just being on a poster to announce a filmrsquos arrival or release daterdquo she concludes