PROUD FATHERS
FOR DAUGHTERS

Tejal Patni, the celebrated photographer and artist, is renowned for his enchanting and dreamlike creations. His commitment to precision and art direction has firmly established him as a visionary, earning global acclaim. Tejal has collaborated with prestigious brands such as Harvey Nichols, Bloomingdales, Chanel, Hugo Boss, Levi's, Emirates Airlines and Splash Fashions, achieving worldwide recognition with his "Splash Calendar”. Tejal possesses a unique talent for immersing viewers in a world of fantasy and wonder through his artistry. His exceptional talent and distinctive perspective earned him a place among the world's 52 chosen artists in Adobe Photoshop's 25th-anniversary film, a testament to his creative prowess and profound impact. Tejal's recent role as brand ambassador for Emirates Airlines, celebrated as a "game changer," Tejal Patni's artistic journey continues to thrive, with collaborations with Bollywood stars like Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranvir Singh, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, and Aalia Bhatt solidifying his status as an icon in photography and artistry.

When I was a child, I was only interested in cricket. Pictures never attracted me; ads held no meaning. Photographers were a non-entity, and models were never more beautiful than my English teacher. Times change. I came into professional photography more by chance than choice and it has been 30+ years since then. To excel became a matter of pride, and I chose fashion as my field of specialisation, which brought with it name, fame, arrogance and a narrow vision. Beauty came to be defined as a perfect physical entity, not more, not less. Photography was turning people into beautiful, babydoll images, expressionless, but beautiful. Lines of character – which, according to Audrey Hepburn, are lines of knowledge – started vanishing, if not by makeup and lighting, then, by the simple stroke of a mouse. After nineteen years, it all seems like history. For I awoke one morning, and unlike the great Dali who used to think what the great man would do that morning, I found that I had nothing to do. I had an almost empty canvas before me, with very few pictures of fashion and beauty in one corner... the rest was as naked as truth. In the words of Kahlil Gibran, “How mean am I when life gives me gold and I give you silver, and yet I deem myself generous.” I tried to discard the tag of fashion photographer, and for a change, shot portraits of real people, nature, still life, even cars and hotels. The more I put on my plate, the hungrier I became. My canvas is still empty. I need people to help me fill it up with creative, meaningful, and out of the ordinary work. I want to give gold for gold.

Atul Kasbekar is a graduate of the Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara California.In his 30 years of shooting for advertising print photography in the country he has shot for virtually every brand and advertising agency of consequence. He is a Managing partner at Ellipsis Entertainment, a new age motion picture production house. Since the debut film,‘Neerja’, Ellipsis has made eight movies so far. These include the critically acclaimed ‘Tumhari Sulu’ and ‘Looop Lapeta’ Atul has always strived to ensure that his photographic work has been a part of social awareness and change. The ‘Proud Fathers for Daughters’ initiative that he started with Anand Mahindra for Nanhi Kali is one such attempt to use photography for a greater cause.

Mumbai Based Photographer / Director Colston Julian has no formal training in photography, he is a trained Cinematographer and has assisted Prabuddha Das Gupta, Max Vadukul and Ashok Salian.  He   is constantly inspired with urban landscape & lifestyles, he says he finds beauty within it chaos. Born and brought up in Mumbai , Colston has worked with clients like Omega, L'oreal , Addidas, Puma , Mercedes, Levis  and shot editorials for Elle, Harpers, Vogue, Grazia, GQ and Marie Claire. He enjoys shooting people and spend time getting to know them and make images of them, he has recently photographed Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, Dame Judi Dench, John Trovolta, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Shane Warne, Buddy Guy, Anita Dongre & Anoushka Shankar to name a few of the celebrities he has worked with. As a director he has shot commercials for Jaipur Jewels, Zoya by Tanishq, Sin jeans, Ermenegildo Zegna and fashion films for designer Nimish Shah label shift and 11:11.  Colston is also one of the few underwater photographers to specialise in commercial underwater photography, he has shot India’s first underwater cover for Grazia India edition besides being a underwater cinematographer for television commercials.  He has recently started directing Television commercials and is working on a short film as a personal project. He is an avid adventure sports person, loves Mountain biking, Diving and is a Calvin & Hobbes Fan! Colston’s aim is to neither conform, nor belong but simply offer a point of view that is his own.

I studied at J J School of Applied Arts. I graduated in 1996 and immediately started my career in Photography. Photography is my passion and I love shooting with people. May it be Fashion, Portraits or lifestyle. I have shot for magazines such as Vogue, GQ, Harper’s Bazar, Wallpaper, Elle, L’officiel and many more. I have also shot for brands such as, Vogue EyeWear, PH Purses, L’oreal, Swiss International Airlines, Ravissant, Nivea, Dove, Killer Jeans, Pantene, Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and many more. I have also been awarded The Photographer of the year at the Vogue Beauty Awards 2013.

Jaideep finished a 3 year photography program at the brooks Institute of photography, Santa Barbara, California in the US. Subsequently, he honed his skills in Los Angeles & New York, apprenticing & learning before setting up his studio in Mumbai. He has been actively shooting advertising and commercial projects for the last 25 years. He has been a contributing photographer for Nanhi Kali over the past few seasons and absolutely enjoys the experience.

Tarun Vishwa, recognized in India as one of the finest image makers in today s times, well known for his time changing work in modern photography. His sense of style and prowess in techniques has made him the most recommended photographer in the country. Born in Rajasthan, Tarun moved to Delhi to work in a photo-lab right after completing his schooling. After working for three years in the lab, his interest in photography led him to Mr Tarun Khiwal, at that point, the most acclaimed photographer in the country. The next five years, Tarun went on to assist Mr Khiwal, those formative years of learning and hard work has made Tarun what he is today. Ten years since Tarun established himself as an independent photographer, he has shot for several well known and AD agencies in the country as Ogilvy, JWT, Grey Worldwide, BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi, Havas worldwide to name a few. Apart from his vast body of work in advertising, Tarun is a favorite amongst the top magazines as well. His body of work expands in Vogue, GQ, ELLE and Harper s Bazaar, to list a few. His regular clients include Pantene, Procter and Gamble, Lakme, Benetton, Marico, Adidas, Pepsi, Coke, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Airtel, Sony, Allen Solly, Louis Philippe, to name a few. Named as India s most influential photographer by Vogue India and a 'game changer' by ELLE, Tarun has come a long way from his humble beginnings.