Living The Dream, a new coffee-table book by photographer Mark Bennington, captures Bollywood celebrities in candid moments, bereft of the attendant glitz and glamour. While most of the celebs were comfortable with the idea, a handful of them didn’t seem to get it.
Is there an irony implied in the title, Living the dream? After all, only a handful get to live in the spotlight.
It was said mid-way into the project that only handful of the people are actually living their dream and that I couldn’t call the book, Living the Dream. I adamantly disagreed with this logic and philosophy. Because, my belief is that everybody is living a dream in whatever capacity they hold at that time. Which means, even if they are students who are getting into the business, they are living the dream. Or if they are auditioning daily - I also did that in Los Angeles. Even when you are working or you are not working, you are living the dream.
The book is not called “Achieved the Dream”, it is Living the Dream. And living is a process. Not an end result. So, everyone in the book is living the dream. This idea of only a few people living the dream, to me, that is bogus.
Is the manner of celeb-dom very different in India, than in Hollywood?
Yeah, culturally it is different in the US than it is in India. I don't know if the stars are different, but the culture is very different. I think also as a photojournalist, graphically it is much more delicious to shoot here than in LA. Having said that, my next project is called, Me Mumbai, and the project after that will be back in LA. Shooting here is absolutely delicious visually.
Tell us a little about the unlikely moments, the unexpected encounters, and funny anecdotes, if there were any.
There was one moment where I was hanging out with Salman (Khan) for two days in Pune, while he was shooting in Palighat. He said, don’t be offended if I am silent sometimes. I just get zoned out sometimes. I said cool, me too. So, there was one moment where we all were on set and going back to the hotel. I was only supposed to be with him for 30 mins, but we ended up talking for hours. He said why don’t we hang out, we can all have dinner. So, I did.
There was a moment where he, Sonakshi (Sinha) and I were sitting out on the balcony. The sun had already set, it was dark. Nobody said anything. We were just sitting there like old friends staring out at the distance, and there was this total comfortable silence.
Who were your favourite subjects? Did you find them being equally candid?
Everyone pretty much got the concept. Because, I was going to everyone and showing them images, so that they could see what I wanted to achieve – telling the visual story of a real life. Whether they were at home or on set or in the vanity van or getting ready in the bathroom – that was the idea. Everyone were comfortable and everybody got it, because we had already reached out and explained the project. So, they knew what they were getting into.
Except for Dharmendra. He was thinking we were going to do a photo shoot. And I was saying, in the process of our interview, that I would just photograph him as and when we were talking. And I did not use any of those photographs, because it was more like him posing.
There were a few other people. Some were surprised. Hema Malini was wearing a jeans and a t-shirt, and watering the plants, and she stopped to give an interview. She asked me how did I want to shoot, and I said, just go ahead, do whatever you were doing. Just do that because, that is real, and we found you that way when we saw you. She thought it was kind of absurd, but then she agreed to do it.
Was it easy engaging some of these stars in conversation? Give us your perspective of the inner workings of the Indian celebrity’s mind.
I don’t think I can do that. These are human beings, complex human beings. It is a strange business. One has to be sensitive, and very strong at the same time, to protect that sensitivity. Everyone is self conscious and fragile. Life is very fragile. It is a business where you need to be very intimate with your feelings and requires great sensitivity. So, a lot of people have anxiety. Also, celebrities have a lot to loose. And who knows what they are thinking at times?
A lay man just would not understand what is going on in the mind of a person who is being followed by almost 100 or 1000 people every day. These are circumstances which are totally incomprehensible.
So, it is always amazing to see if anyone can remain sane at all, with these kinds of circumstances. Also, just to add to that. It was definitely very easy to engage, and I am also very easy to talk to, and curious about people. So, for me, it was very easy to find common ground with everyone. I was relating with them at a personal level. I wasn’t seeing them as celebrities but as people.
Dharmendra reminded me of my grandfather's best friend. Salman Khan reminded me of my college friend, who suddenly got famous by playing sports. I had a personal equation right away with people. Also, in the images, you can see the perspective of a human being conversing with another human being. That one-hour conversation led to seeing a real human being. I think what I have created is very personal.
Living the Dream: The Life of the Bollywood Actor, Harper Collins, `1,999