Jayesh on photography and more....
Courtesy:
IndiaFM
Monday,
November
13,
2006
He
is
one
of
the
oldest
and
the
most
talented
photographers
known
in
Bollywood.
Jayesh
Sheth
is
one
name
that
can
be
associated
with
some
of
the
best
pictures
of
the
Bollywood
stars
ever
shot.
In
an
exclusive
interview
to
IndiaFM,
Jayesh
Sheth
talks
about
his
career
in
Bollywood,
the
10
best
pictures
he
shot
till
date
and
his
future
plans
in
the
area
of
filmmaking.
Over
to
the
ace
lensman...
How
did
you
begin
with
photography?
I
was
a
science
student
and
confused
about
what
I
wanted
to
do
in
life.
But
I
was
always
interested
in
visuals,
I
used
to
read
and
see
lot
of
pictures
and
editorials.
Photography
was
always
magical
for
me,
the
concept
of
clicking
a
button
and
capturing
an
image
seemed
very
fascinating
to
me.
My
uncle
had
a
typical
passport
photo
studio
and
I
was
very
inquisitive
about
the
whole
process
of
photography
that
I
used
to
watch
there.
So
this
was
one
major
positive
drive
for
me.
Even
when
I
used
to
read
books
or
watch
movies,
the
visuals
used
to
hit
me.
That
was
when
I
thought
of
moving
towards
cinema,
direction
and
photography.
And
there
was
also
a
confusion
as
to
what
exactly
from
this
did
I
want
to
do.
That
was
when
I
read
this
book
by
Philip
Halsman
and
Richard
Avedon
of
fashion
photographers
in
those
years
and
I
understood
how
one
could
talk
through
a
photograph
and
communicate
ones
feelings
on
that
piece
of
paper.
And
that
was
when
I
went
'wow,
this
is
the
very
big
medium
of
communication
where
I
can
explore
a
lot'.
Did
you
take
any
professional
training
before
getting
into
photography?
Yes,
I
did
because
just
the
knowledge
in
the
studio
wasn't
sufficient
enough
for
me.
I
joined
the
J.J.
School
of
Arts
for
a
one-year
certificate
course
that
helped
me
a
lot
in
terms
of
the
technique
to
apply
for
the
light
conditions,
the
lenses
and
so
many
other
technical
aspects.
The
institute
helped
me
a
lot
in
becoming
technically
sound.
Who
was
the
celebrity
you
started
with
when
you
turned
towards
Bollywood?
I
was
always
fascinated
by
Bollywood
and
the
filmstars.
I
always
wanted
to
know
their
lifestyle,
what
kind
of
clothes
they
wear,
what
cars
they
drive
etc.
It
was
very
accidental
when
once
I
went
for
a
relief
fund
gathering
happening
at
Shivaji
Park
in
1976
and
all
the
stars
were
in
a
truck
asking
people
to
donate.
I
went
there
with
my
normal
lens
camera
and
I
could
see
all
the
stars
dressed
in
white
outfits
and
I
was
so
excited.
At
that
time
I
managed
to
shoot
stars
like
Vinod
Mehra,
Bindiya
Goswami,
Kiran
Kumar,
Raj
Kumar
and
Dharmendra
etc.
And
that
was
when
the
whole
Bollywood
journey
started.
Then
I
started
going
to
the
film
sets
to
capture
the
images
but
even
that
wasn't
easy
because
once
the
shot
was
ready
you
cant
click
as
the
star
might
just
get
disturbed.
Besides,
I
was
told
that
stars
were
very
temperamental,
so
I
had
to
be
very
careful.
My first proper photo shoot was with Parveen Babi on the sets of Suhaag. Luckily, I also met Sanjeev Kumar and Shabana Azmi the same day. After watching my pictures, Shobha De who was the editor of 'Stardust' then was very impressed and she said that to Uma Rao who was the next editor of Stardust who offered me the photo shoot of Jeetendra. I went to his place and selected the wardrobe. So, I was shooting a very established star. The pictures of Jeetendra that I shot were highly appreciated by the media and from then on my pics started coming in magazines.
One
face
that
you
always
wanted
to
capture
in
your
camera...
I
always
wanted
to
shoot
Mother
Teresa.
She
was
like
an
ideal
photo
image
for
me,
which
has
remained
an
unfulfilled
wish.
Whenever
I
see
her
image,
it
inspires
me
a
lot
in
terms
of
the
depth
in
her
eyes
and
wrinkles
on
her
face.
That
was
one
wrinkled
face
with
beauty.
Top
five
photogenic
faces
in
the
industry
according
to
you.
Madhuri
is
very
Photogenic,
I
would
say.
She
is
a
perfect
face
for
a
portrait.
Rani
Mukherjee
is
very
photogenic.
Even
if
she
comes
without
make
up,
she
starts
talking
to
you
through
the
camera.
She
starts
interacting
with
the
lens
instantly
without
any
efforts.
Then
of
course
Late
Smita
Patil
who
was
my
ultimate
motivation
when
we
talk
about
photogenic
faces.
Rekhaji
obviously
is
again
very
photogenic.
Among male actors, Vinod Khanna is my all time favourite, Jackie Shroff and Sanjay Dutt to follow. I always like men with chiseled jaw line and depth in their eyes. The Marlboro man look or the cow-boy look seemed very inspiring to me. In today's times I would say Akshay and John are two actors who fit that image.
Do
you
have
a
pre
decided
theme
in
mind
before
going
forward
with
the
photo
shoot?
Generally,
yes.
Many
meetings
take
place
with
the
stars,
the
stylists,
the
make
up
people,
and
other
technical
teams;
sometimes
even
with
the
producers
and
directors.
We
do
many
brain
storming
sessions.
Earlier
I
used
to
feel
that
these
meetings
help
a
lot
but
being
very
frank,
I
would
say
that
most
of
my
best
shots
have
been
unplanned
-
they
just
happen.
The
planned
shots
do
look
great
but
just
great,
not
beyond
that.
However
the
unplanned
shots
work
like
a
miracle.
Those
pictures
speak
volumes
and
even
after
years
they
have
a
strong
recall
value.
What
is
the
reason
that
Rekhaji
shoots
only
with
you?
I
think
we
have
a
great
Photographer
-
Model
chemistry.
Even
if
I
have
to
shoot
with
her
at
the
eleventh
hour,
I
could
pick
up
my
cam
and
imagine
the
kind
of
shots
I
would
want
to
take
and
shoot
them
comfortably
with
her.
It
happens
because
if
your
life
gets
influenced
by
the
image
of
some
person,
you
kind
of
understand
and
come
close
to
the
image
and
it
becomes
easier
to
visualize
that
person.
I
always
told
Rekhaji
that
industry
has
not
justified
you
since
you
have
so
much
of
variations
in
terms
of
looks
and
expressions.
I
visualize
her
as
a
16
yr
old
girl
to
a
60
yr
old
woman,
thus
maintaining
her
grace
and
beauty.
This
is
because
since
the
time
I
began
learning
photography,
I
used
to
study
her
pictures
because
of
her
looks,
her
command,
and
her
dressing
sense,
which
is
amazing.
What
is
that
one
important
characteristic
that
a
photographer
should
have?
Patience
and
Passion
are
the
two
things
that
are
very
important.
The
patience
for
the
right
moment
to
come
and
maintaining
the
passion
till
that
time
rather
than
letting
it
fade
out.
Many
times
you
get
excited
and
commit.
But
one
should
do
all
the
pre
production
well,
study
the
danger
areas
and
only
then
get
into
it.
You
shot
stills
of
Kaho
Na
Pyar
Hai.
Tell
us
about
that
experience.
The
film
was
Hrithik's
debut.
The
first
two
days
they
were
shooting
the
song
'pyar
ki
kashti
mein'.
That
was
the
time
when
I
met
Hrithik
as
Rakeshji
had
requested
me
to
come
and
take
some
shots.
Then
I
went
and
started
interacting
with
Hrithik.
I
was
bowled
looking
at
the
level
of
enthusiasm
that
he
had.
He
had
so
much
of
energy
and
dedication
which
was
very
impressive.
Generally,
when
I
shoot
newcomers,
I
don't
do
tight
close-ups.
But
with
Hrithik,
I
thought
that
this
man
has
great
magnetism
and
charisma
with
his
eyes
and
jaw
line.
He
can
change
his
facial
expressions
in
seconds.
So
I
started
with
extreme
tights
shots,
but
Hrithik
himself
was
apprehensive
about
it
as
one
has
to
be
very
experienced
and
confident
for
those
kind
of
shots.
And
well,
the
pictures
came
out
very
well.
We
heard
that
many
celebrities
shot
their
portfolio
from
you
in
the
beginning
of
their
career.
Yes,
before
their
career
took
of,
Akshay
Kumar
and
Rani
Mukherjee
shot
their
first
portfolio
from
me.
Also,
some
TV
artists
like
Smriti
Irani
and
Nausheen
Ali
shot
their
first
portfolio
from
me.
They
still
talk
about
it.
And
now
I
plan
to
move
on
to
make
films
soon
and
even
for
that,
I
want
to
bridge
with
the
international
market,
especially
places
like
Sydney
and
Toronto
and
discover
some
new
talents.
Who
knows,
in
future
they
might
become
a
big
star
in
Bollywood.
In fact, I can recollect one incident related to this. There was this one young girl who came to me from UK and she wanted me to shoot her pictures. I shot some pictures of hers and Mahesh Bhatt offered her a role in his film. Unfortunately, she couldn't complete that film but then she got a film offer from Ram Gopal Varma. That film was Nishabd and she was offered a role opposite Amitabh Bachchan. The girl I am talking about is Jiah Khan. So, I'll make an attempt to support new talent.