Before We Do, Smile Please
Outlook|December 23, 2019
Couples and wedding photographers dive deep into the pursuit of atrangi —soar high in the air, or go boudoir topless...
Salik Ahmad
Before We Do, Smile Please

WINTER is here, which means the wedding season is on. There’s pressure to host the “perfect day”, make it memorable— something that will leap out of family albums, earn nth number of upvotes on Instagram and Facebook, or simply sit silently in the hard disc for the brides and grooms to go to when they want to press the refresh button. That’s not the only “memory” saved for posterity. For those getting married, the shooting begins months preceding D-Day. Pre-nup shots, a Western fad, are now an intrinsic part of big fat (even small and lean) Indian weddings. Couples contract professionals—the retinue includes photographers, make-up artists, managers—and travel to exotic locales in India (Kasauli, Manali, Ooty, Goa et al) and abroad to get the best shots possible. But all these have become quite blasé. Couples want their photos to be atrangi and would pay or do anything for what they consider picture-perfect. Anything to lollop towards uniqueness. What about striking a pose in the gondola of a hot air balloon? Like the way Vidya Balan and Farhan Akhtar promoted their Shaadi Ke Side Effects in 2014. Or, go commando in a done-up room for the latest in pre- or post-wedding photography: boudoir. Risque? People are willing to take risks—in the air, underwater, hanging by a rope from a cliff face, posing on airport runways, or on a sultry couch.

This story is from the December 23, 2019 edition of Outlook.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 23, 2019 edition of Outlook.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM OUTLOOKView All
Soft Ruins
Outlook

Soft Ruins

'Soft Ruins' is a chapter within the long-term ongoing project \"When Spring Never Comes\", an expansive exploration of memory, identity and displacement in the aftermath of exile within contemporary global politics. It reflects on how the journey as an asylum seeker in Europe mirrors the instability and threats of life under dictatorship, amidst rising right-wing movements and shifting power dynamics, where both certainty and identity are redefined

time-read
1 min  |
January 11, 2025
Building Beyond Homes: Provident Housing's Transformative Approach
Outlook

Building Beyond Homes: Provident Housing's Transformative Approach

Provident Housing leads in crafting thoughtfully designed homes that cater to modern homebuyers' evolving needs. With a focus on timely delivery, sustainability, and innovative, customer-centric solutions, the company sets new benchmarks. In this exclusive interview, Mallanna Sasalu, CEO of Provident Housing, shares insights into the company's strategies, upcoming projects, and vision for India's housing future.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 11, 2025
Syria Speaks
Outlook

Syria Speaks

A Syrian graffiti artist-activist's tale of living through bombings, gunshots and displacement

time-read
3 mins  |
January 11, 2025
The Burdened
Outlook

The Burdened

Yemen, once a beautiful land identified with the Queen of Sheba, is now one of the worst ongoing humanitarian disasters of modern times

time-read
6 mins  |
January 11, 2025
Sculpting In Time
Outlook

Sculpting In Time

Documentaries such as Intercepted and Songs of Slow Burning Earth grapple with the Russian occupation beyond displays of desolation

time-read
4 mins  |
January 11, 2025
The Story Won't Die
Outlook

The Story Won't Die

Is Israel's triumphalism over its land grab in Syria realistic? The hard reality is-Israel now has Al-Qaeda as a next-door neighbour

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 11, 2025
Against the Loveless World
Outlook

Against the Loveless World

In times of war, love exists as a profound act of defiance

time-read
6 mins  |
January 11, 2025
Soul of My Soul
Outlook

Soul of My Soul

What does it mean to continue to create art during a genocide?

time-read
9 mins  |
January 11, 2025
in Dancing the Glory of Monsters
Outlook

in Dancing the Glory of Monsters

By humanising the stories of those affected by war, poverty and displacement, Buuma hopes to foster empathy and inspire action

time-read
2 mins  |
January 11, 2025
All the President's Men
Outlook

All the President's Men

Co-author of All The President's Men and one of the two Washington Post journalists (the other was Carl Berntstein) who broke the Watergate scandal that brought down the President Richard Nixon administration in the United States in 1974, Bob Woodward's recent book War was on top of The New York Times Bestseller list, even above John Grisham.

time-read
3 mins  |
January 11, 2025