Fascination for faces

When certain Bollywood biggies start demanding a particular photographer for their shoots, that man is certainly in form. And with one look at Subi Samuel's first photo exhibition, we rest our case. The 28-year-old has Sushmita Sen dazed, Rinke Khanna, a smiling devil, Anil Kapoor in his thought process, Saif Ali Khan fingering you, Raveena Tandon staring with four eyes, Twinkle Khanna with 'sandy' hair and Manoj Bajpai in smoke!

Titled 'My Soul, the exhibition was inaugurated by Sushmita Sen (his most loyal subject), who claims that the reigning photographer has the unique gift of being able to put his subjects at ease. Apart from celebrity pictures, My Soul also contained mind-blowing images closer to Samuel's heart. "There is something about life which is not glossy or candy coated," he reminisces, "which is what the film industry is all about, and there is life beyond this, that's why I shot a beggar off the street, a eunuch, an old man..."

Having had a creative inclination from his early days, Samuel read his way to his hobby-turned-profession. A one-year internship with a professional photographer was enough for him to begin on his own. He fondly remembers his first shoot with Chandrachur Singh, which was soon followed with Shahrukh Khan and Akshay Kumar.

Beginning with freelancing for magazines, today Samuel is hugely involved in film publicity, fashion catalogues and advertising. Some of his upcoming movie projects include Tumko Meri Kasam, Professor, Kamasutra and Kasoor. The most challenging one of them all being Devdas, wherein he had to meet the high expectations of Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

"The film is a dated one, so no modern day lighting had to be used and it had to have a classic appeal," he recounts, "and it was the first time I was working with Aishwarya Rai, so there was so much more ice to break!" And were they pleased with the outcome? Further shoots answered his qualms.

Having a fascination for faces, Samuel is always experimenting. "Even if I have to create an alluring picture, I would like to create that only on a face," he admits, mentioning that he also does personal portfolios. He will soon be exhibiting his work in the UK and is also working on the prospect of a coffee table book.

So if you want to witness Tabu in bright make-up, the naughty Naseeruddin Shah, Sushmita smelling a sunflower, Sonali Bendre bandaged, Twinkle half purple and a classic Manoj Bajpai, check out Samuel's website www.subisamuel.com.