Her family name may be synonymous with one of the biggest film-makers Indian cinema has ever witnessed. However, she created a name for herself in the world of photography and now recently had her own book launched. Meet Sheena Sippy in an IndiaFM exclusive where she talks about her life and her book ‘Lights Camera Masala’. After all a photographer is like a painter – An artist of a vision. We bring to you that vision straight out from the talented photographer’s lenses.
Everyone knows who your father is and now your brother Rohan has also come into the limelight. So give us a background about yourself? I’ve been around for almost 20 years. I’m a photographer. I’ve done fashion, food, children and more recently, I’ve been focusing back on Indian cinema. But as I said I’ve been around and marked my career as well.
Didn’t you feel the need to get into direction like your father and your brother? I didn’t so far but there is some yearning in the future. I have always loved still photography ever since I was 15 years old. It is something I will never tire of because I love it so much and that is why I haven’t branched into anything else. Film-making is really cool and through this book I have been able to be more involved in the process while documenting images for the book.
Tell us something about the book? When a film is close to release, the people involved say that the film is different. I have heard it being said whether it is the truth or not. I actually do believe that this book is different. It has an interactive feel. It takes you through an entire making of a film which hasn’t been done before. There have been many books on the history of Indian cinema but I think this is the first book which takes you through the process of making a film through a tactile feel. I have got feedback from the audience that it has achieved this. It’s very exciting.
How did the initial idea of making this book start about? I was called in by the publisher India Book House for another project for some photo-research. That project never happened and I quietly said that I have an idea for another book and they loved it. I always intended to document the making of an Indian film. I like all the things in between that give you a closer feel of it. I guess that is the trademark of the book.
Read More">You have photographed the book while Naman Ramachandran has written it and Divya Thakur has designed it. Did you guys work individually or was it group effort? How was your rapport? It was my baby to start with and people came in gradually. Naman was involved very early on and so was Divya. Apart fromRead More
You have photographed the book while Naman Ramachandran has written it and Divya Thakur has designed it. Did you guys work individually or was it group effort? How was your rapport? It was my baby to start with and people came in gradually. Naman was involved very early on and so was Divya. Apart from us three, other people in the team like the printer, the processor all contributed in some way. It was incredible. Definitely a team effort and the book wouldn’t have happened without their passion.
What do you say is your target audience for the book? Universal! Anyone who loves Indian cinema – 6-60, 8-80 I don’t know. I would have to say an Indian audience as well as an international audience. Indian cinema is very much into the limelight these days. So I think that it has the packaging and sensibility of a western book and yet the flavor and magic of something that is indigenous.
There is some really innovative stuff in the book like Abhishek’s fan mail, etc. Whose idea was that? I wanted a fan letter in there. There came a point when the editor felt that it wasn’t politically correct for some reason. And I said if the letter doesn’t happen then the book is definitely not happening because I felt strongly about the book. While growing up I have seen so many letters addressed to people. It’s not meant to make fun of that person but to show the passion with which they revere a movie star. A printed page would not be able to describe it the way an open envelope and the letter would describe it.
What is your favorite part of the book? The letter! It seems to be everyone’s favorite and it’s mine too.