The paparazzi culture in India has become an ever-growing career. The pictures and videos of the celebrities out and about, enjoying the day often go viral on social media. It also becomes a source of material for the entertainment publications to write their stories on. While Bollywood celebrities getting clicked by the paparazzi are not a new thing, but ever wondered what goes on behind the scene?
Recently an esteemed media publication did a short documentary Paparazzi Of Mumbai, that focused on the challenges faced by the photographers. They have tried to bust many myths like the paps get paid for every picture or video they make and not to forget that the PR or people close to the celebs inform them about their whereabouts. Brut India through their segment shed light on many such misconceptions.
Well talking about how they get photographer Varinder Chawla, who has a following of more than a million on his Instagram alone, revealed that while some people “talk about paid promotions” they never get paid if the content is negative. He told the publication, “If the content has negativity, we avoid them even if those are paid promotions.” He further revealed that celebrities never pay the photographers for clicking their pictures.
Talking about how being a paparazzi is a risky business, Varinder revealed that many of his photographers have gotten injured while doing their job. He added, “There is a lot of risk for the boys on the bike.”
Mukund Makarand Utekar explained how they find about the whereabouts of the celebrities. As quoted by the Indian Express, he revealed that “Someone of Alia Bhatt or Ranbir Kapoor’s stature has to be spotted and searched but those who are not as big stars as them, the PR companies do the needful and tip off the paparazzi.”
The video also questioned ‘privacy of a public figure’ aspect of their job. Photographer Aniket revealed that even though some actors object to their pictures being take on private places, they assure them that the photos won’t be published and they post them after some time. He also shared that as far as privacy in concerned no one can stop them from clicking pictures of a celebrity when they are out on the street.
He said, “We are not entering their homes, right? You are going in a restaurant, we are clicking you from outside the restaurant when you are stepping in your car. That we can click. If you want to hide something, you go somewhere else.” He further stress on that when a celeb tries to be nice with them and asks them nicely to not click their pictures, they don’t. However, if “someone gets angry or walks with an umbrella or a cover then we make it a point to click their photos.”
Image Source: Instagram/viralbhayani