Gautam Rajadhyaksha

Gautam Rajadhyaksha is a Chemistry graduate from St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai. Photography was his childhood interest, and he pursued his interest in it later in his life. He went on to become one of the famous photographers in Bollywood clicking pictures of legends like ‘ Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan was born on October 11, 1942 in A >> Read More... ’.

Gautam obtained his Diploma in advertising and PR and started working for Lintas firm. He was in-charge of the photography department. Born on 16^th September 1950, Gautam also happens to be the cousin of controversial writer/novelist ‘Shobha De’. Even though he worked for several prominent ad campaigns for over fifteen years, he realized his passion for portrait photography. He has taken Portrait photography of his classmate ‘Shabana Azmi’. Taking pictures of Shabana, ‘Tina Munim’, and ‘Jackie Shroff’ piqued his interest so much that he quit his job at the ad company in 1987.

Gautam , who was fondly called by the name Gautham, is known for his soft-lensed pictured, though it is believed that he never used soft lens says his cousin Shobha De. De recalls Gautam ,being the shy person and she motivated him to take up photography in the film world as well. Given her contact andGautam 's talent, he was soon called as the glamour photographer. He turned himself as a professional photographer and his talent for capturing moments at the right time landed him many assignments with major magazines and newspapers. His name soon got associated with magazines like Cineblitz, Stardust, and Filmfare.

Getting pictures clicked by this ace photographer was a great deal, and there was a beeline of celebrities to get their memories captured by him. Upon his cousin’s advice, Gautam started writing interviews of people and taking their pictures. It is said that apparently, it was Gautam who began his unique blend of photos and interactions with the stars and popularized Photo Journalism.

Gautam will always be remembered for his eloquence and his gentleman demeanor which was very appealing to anybody who worked with him. He is known for his equal treatment of his clients, and his pictures spoke a thousand words. He was very well behaved and loaded with talent, his friends recall. This lensman was not only aced at taking beautiful pictures but also loved music and writing. He is known to be bilingual, and he knew the Marathi language too apart from his mother tongue. He had such talent in him that made him an indispensable asset in Bollywood in the late 80s and early 90s. He is known to have taken pictures of all the important celebrities of the time like ‘Kajol Devgan’, ‘Rekha’, ‘Madhuri Dixit,’ and ‘Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’. Amitabh Bachchan and his family have had pictures taken by this magic man who made his portraits come to life. He has had the pleasure of clicking Former Miss World Aishwarya Rai as well.

Gautam was a man of many talents and writing, and opera were one among them. Being an ardent fan of Opera music, he enjoyed music to the fullest and even practiced Indian Classical Music and wished to collaborate with legend ‘Asha Bhosle’. Gautam particularly enjoyed Italian Opera says De, who pushed him to exploit his boundaries. He lived a simple life and his personal life was pretty much dark, unlike his pictures which are full of life and colorful. It was assumed that he lived alone in Mumbai.

“Bekhudi” was the first prominent screenplay which brought Kajol into Bollywood film industry in 1991. He did not commit himself much to writings scripts, but he managed to write “Anjaam”, which shed a spotlight on Madhuri Dixit for her performance.

Gautam always intended to share his talent of photography with others and made sure he did it too. Various exhibitions of his work were held at places like Pune and Goa. His art was also celebrated internationally by displaying his works in London, San Fransisco, and Dubai. He conducted classes, coached students and held workshops to share his thoughts on photography. His dream it seemed was to open a program on photography in Pune’s Symbiosis Institute. He has also shot weddings of his cousin Shobha’s and also actor Kajol’s wedding.

Gautam Rajadhyaksha passed away on 13^th September 2011, and the entire Hindi Film Industry mourned to his death. He suffered a heart-attack, and it came as a shock to everyone in the cinema fraternity. Shobha De shared her fondest memories with his cousin calling him, her confidant cousin. The funeral was attended by who’s who of Bollywood and remembered Gautam 's incredible contribution to photography, cinema, and art.