Priyanka Chopra’s squeaky clean armpit, splashed in a men’s magazine, recently became the focus of attention of fashionistas. Whether the picture of the actress was done without touch up or Photo-shop work was done is a matter of conjecture. After some ‘experts’ showed their resentment and termed the photo unrealistic and unnaturally smooth in social media, Priyanka shared a picture of her armpit. Apparently, this was done to make her fans see the minor difference between the natural and Photo-shopped one.
According to ace fashion photographer Dabboo Ratnani, this way of altering a picture digitally using Photo-shop and image-editing software is nothing new and has been done by him in the past. “Photo-shop is done to make the armpit look natural. I don’t understand what is the issue here? Priyanka tweeted another picture of hers which looks almost similar to the one on the magazine. Photo-shop is now part of our work. Every single photographer has to do it at some point of their career.”
Just like Photo-shops are being done with Indian actresses and models to set the benchmark in fashion another trend in vogue in the West is now being followed in India. In the 1990s, Indian models like Milind Soman, Mark Robinson and Noyonika Chatterjee would often smile while posing at the edge of the rostrum in fashion weeks.
Cut to 2016, that million dollar smile, which made the day for fashion photographers and splashed on the cover of lifestyle magazine, has now disappeared. Designers want industry experts, overseas buyers to concentrate on their shimmering fancy outfits rather than making models walk away with all the credit which they have put backstage.
“Smile has gone away from the ramp,” says Dabboo, who was the first one to start the trend of fashion photography and is credited with giving a launching pad to those who are calling the shots in Bollywood.
Explaining the reason for this sudden loss of expression, Dabboo says, “Modelling on ramp has become different from what it used to be. Models now do their usual business of walking down the ramp in an understated, almost subdued way. Designers want the focus on their costumes, accessories and footwear. This is the latest trend – we are following what models in the West are doing. But this does not mean that their boldness has diminished. They have to feel good and strong all the time when the arc lights are on them. But at the subconscious level they are aware that they have to underplay.”
While models are constrained to smirk, actors have no such guidelines. On how actors bring their own charisma and creativity to give their pictures an edge, Dabboo, known for his calendars, says, “Actors bring a lot of value, aura and experience into their pictures. They add some point, are ready to experiment and try to do different things. Whether it is Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan or Shah Rukh Khan they are open to new things. They incorporate different props. When I ask them to do a scene against the wall they do it but also ask me whether they can also do the scene in a different way. Thus, they give their input on how the photo shoot can be done in a dissimilar yet interesting way. And it results in better pictures.”
Giving an example, Dabboo says, “Like one shoot I did with Hrithik Roshan, where he was diving into a swimming pool. I had conceptualised it but the actor did the scene much better than I had visualised. He gave the right expression and the best part was that the limb position was exactly the way we see professionals doing it. Similarly, I was shooting with Shah Rukh Khan at Panchgani. Dressed in a suit, he had to walk into a lake. I explained the concept to him. When the shot was being taken, SRK used his experience as an actor to give the right expression and appropriate attitude which made the final picture look incredibly good.”
Is Dabboo, who is judging MTV’s India’s Next Top Model, trying to bring that smile, expression alive on the faces of new models?
“This time round, I am looking for a model who has versatility, ability to give varied looks and quickly grasp instructions. Someone, who has the ability to act as well as walk on the ramp.”
