Gautam Rajadhyaksha | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1950-09-16)16 September 1950 Bombay, Bombay State, India |
| Died | 13 September 2011(2011-09-13) (aged 60) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Alma mater | St. Xavier's College, Mumbai |
| Occupation(s) | Fashion photographer,Teacher,Writer |
| Years active | 1974–2011 |
| Employer | Lintas India Ltd (now Lowe Lintas) |
| Known for | Celebrity portraiture,Fashion photography |
| Notable work | Faces (1997) |
| Relatives | Shobhaa De (cousin) |
Gautam Rajadhyaksha (16 September 1950 – 13 September 2011) was one ofIndia's leadingfashion photographers, and was based inMumbai, India.[1][2] He was one of India's best known celebrity portraitists, having photographed almost all the icons of the Indian film industry.
Born inMumbai, Rajadhyaksha was educated atSt. Xavier's High School, Fort,[3] and obtained his degree in chemistry atSt. Xavier's College, Mumbai, where he later also taught for two years.[4] He is a cousin of noted novelistShobha De.
Having completed a diploma in advertising and public relations, Rajadhyaksha joined the photo services department of the advertising agencyLintas India Ltd (now Lowe Lintas),[4] in 1974. He eventually became the head of his department. During his 15-year stint, he participated in the creation of milestone ad campaigns while pursuing his childhood passion for photography.
His first encounter with fashion photography happened 1980, when he happen to shoot pictures of actressShabana Azmi (a college mate),Tina Munim andJackie Shroff, and his passion forportraiture photography was lit,[4][5] eventually he left his advertising job in 1987, and took upcommercial photography full-time, and soon started doing product campaigns, media assignments and fashion portfolios.[4]
While he was still working for the Lintas, as a copywriter,Shobha De his cousin invited him to write for her magazine, 'Celebrity', soon after started shooting photographs for his articles, this got him attention and soon acclaim as aglamour photographer, and before long he started working for other magazines as well, includingThe Illustrated Weekly of India, and film magazines likeStardust,Cineblitz andFilmfare.[6]
Apart from doing occasional television talk shows, he editedMarathi entertainment fortnightly, 'Chanderi' and composed a popular column,Manas Chitra, in a leading Marathi news daily.[citation needed]
His 1997 releasedcoffee table book, titledFaces, contained profiles of 45 film personalities beginning withDurga Khote, one of India's first ladies of the Indian screen and ending withAishwarya Rai, the former Miss World and todayBollywood's leading actress. In 1992, he wrote his first screenplay, for the film, 'Bekhudi', which launched actressKajol's career and his second, 'Anjaam' presented,Madhuri Dixit with a challenging role. In 2000, he held his first ever photo-exhibition inPune which showcased, twenty years of his photography work.[5] Exhibitions of Rajadhyaksha's work have been held inPune, Goa andKolhapur with all attracting large crowds. Further exhibitions of his work in San Francisco, London,Birmingham andDubai, have all been well attended as well.[4]
He used to idolise the work of Jitendra Arya and was also influenced by his works published inFilmfare,The Illustrated Weekly of India andThe Times of India.
Rajadhyaksha died on 13 September 2011, in the morning, three days before his 61st birthday, from a heart attack.[7]
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