Aamir Khan is an incarnation of Guru Dutt

Showcasing two of Bollywood's most emotive elements over the decades, love and longing in Hindi cinema needed more than formulaic potpourri and technicoloured lenses. Here's what went into the making of the book

Showcasing two of Bollywood's most emotive elements over the decades, Love and Longing in Hindi Cinema needed more than formulaic potpourri and technicoloured lenses. Here's what went into the making of the book

Avinash Gowariker, the photographer who wove his magic behind coffee table book Love and Longing in Hindi Cinema's stunning cover, summarises the experience, perfectly -- "It was a big honour; an inexplicable high, a feeling that I've never experienced in 14 years in the profession."u00a0

Photographer Avinash Gowariker's personal favourite from the shoot

What's so special?
Somewhere along the line, when film magazine Cine Blitz Editor Nishi Prem and her team were discussing the feasibility of doing another, almost predictable annual issue, it struck them that it made sense to instead, put their resources and archive to better use by developing a special, in-depth book on Hindi cinema. "We were clear that we wanted comment pieces about love and its many layers, from experts, directors, actors because they would lend it a different perspective, replete with the many socio-economic and technical changes encountered in every decade.

That was the basic theme. Flip through the pages and you'll find an interesting reflection on parallels between the past and present," she says. Topics range from the sanctity of marriage to the near-extinct traditional Bharatiya naari, to how the flower evolved as the symbol of the lip lock. The book is a delightful read for any curious cine buff.u00a0

Researching this book was a breeze. Cine Blitz's archive of content and photographs did the trick. Getting together industry bigwigs like Javed Akhtar, Aamir Khan (yes!) and Karan Johar as well as scholars Aruna Vasudev, Sriram Raghavan and Dr Rashmi Doraiswamy was effortless. An elated Nishi recalls, "I was thankful that none of them required any persuasion. It fell into place."

Little secret
"The original film has these scenes in total silhouette, while the shadow falls differently here. The light sources don't match. It had to be lit subtly. Justice was done because despite cheating with lighting, an integral aspect of all Guru Dutt films, the end result was beautiful. My personal favourite is the photograph where Aamir and Katrina are gazing at each other," says Avinash Gowarikar

Did you know?
The initial idea was to do a combined cover with the three Khans -- Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh -- representing Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor and Raj Kapoor. The idea was shelved due to date problems.

Retro for the cover
The wow factor is the cover. Get Hindi cinema's most intelligent actor. Pair him opposite the hottest face, and it's bound to create a stir. The homework for Nishi and Avinash was critical. While she discussed the finer points of the shoot with Aamir, Avinash had to ensure that the lead stars were projected as closely as possible to their legendary counterparts. Arjun Bhasin's styling replicated the look of the era, not to forget the wig and make-up that artfully complimented the shoot.u00a0u00a0

You can sense the passion as Avinash speaks of the Mehboob Studio shoot. "The book's title was my brief. Aamir was integral to the plan." Nishi says Pyaasa and Kagaz Ke Phool are his favourites. Katrina came into the picture because of her almost angelic features, to compliment Aamir, for the classic shoot. Besides, it would be a fresh, unusual pairing since the two were never paired before on screen.

Lighting was crucial in Guru Dutt's films and Avinash understood its implications. "The biggest challenge was to create a look similar to Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman. I was under pressure. Aamir and Katrina are camera-intelligent actors. If you see the cover photograph, it's an awkward angle to shoot; it was my toughest to date."

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