Ace celebrity photographer Dabboo Ratnani has been a part of showbiz for more than 25 years now. He is most popularly known for his annual Bollywood celebrity calendar that features the who’s who of the Hindi film industry. He has been doing this calendar for 22 years now, and his latest edition is up for release soon.
In a tease to the calendar, Dabboo has already released the pictures of Vidya Balan, Vicky Kaushal, Abhishek Bachchan, Sunny Leone, Tara Sutaria and the latest being calendar debutante and South superstar Vijay Deverakonda, released today.
Dabboo has worked with so many stars and some like Shah Rukh khan or Abhishek Bachchan are regulars in his annual calendars. But, did you know that his photographs even ensured the entry of a superstar in Bollywood?
The star in question here is Hrithik Roshan and Dabboo reveals his part in the story of how Hrithik got his first film. “I shot Hrithik’s first port folio before Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai. He got the movie because of it. His father, Rakesh Roshan called me after the photoshoot and said that after watching my portfolio, he decided to make a film with his son,” he shares.
But Daboo didn’t know during the photoshoot, who Hrithik really was. “When Hrithik came to me, he did not tell me he was Rakesh Roshan’s son. He was a junior to me in school, so we had that connection and he used that link to say how he got to know about me. He came to my house, showed me his clothes and through the whole time, he did not tell me his second name. He just introduced himself as Hrithik. It was only after Rakesh sir called me that I got to know he was his son,” he reveals.
Although, that incident gave rise to a friendship that has spanned over two decades now. “Hrithik really loved that I did not discriminate on the basis that he was a star kid. I gave him as much attention as I did give to anyone else, and because of that, that friendship has lasted more than 25 years. He told me that he always wants me to stay honest with him. And with so much experience in the industry, they know who is genuine and who is fake,” Dabboo concludes.
Image source: SpotboyE archives