When Shubrah Aiyappa was shortlisted to be one of the swimsuit models for the 2019 Kingfisher Calendar, she had her own worries. But, the motivation to go ahead came from unexpected quarters.
“When I was contemplating [about the shoot], my mother encouraged me and gave me the green signal,” she says.
That says something about changing mores in Indian society as much as it does to the credentials of the nation’s first swimsuit calendar, which just released its 2019 edition. Along with Aiyappa, the current edition features Sushrii Mishraa, Diva Dhawan and Hayley Parr.
Launched in 2003—for the promotion of Vijay Mallya’s then high-flying businesses—the Kingfisher Calendar had drawn its inspiration from swimsuit calendars of Sports Illustrated magazine and Italian tyre maker Pirelli. Shot in Mauritius, the first edition featured the likes of Katrina Kaif and Yana Gupta, who both rode the waves in designer swimwear into fame and stardom.
Fashion Photographer Atul Kasbekar, who has shot all the Kingfisher Calendars so far, says: “In the first year, I had to personally ask…[famous models of] that time to participate. But, most of them declined.”
However, after the first edition, it was a different story altogether. “From the second year, to the present, our phone rings off the hook from people wanting to be a part of the same,”says Kasbekar. Big names to have graced its pages over the years include the likes of Deepika Padukone, Esha Gupta and Lisa Haydon. But, it ran into tough times after Mallya's businesses nose-dived. However, the Calendar claims a buoyant brand value of its own.
Glam World: Atul Kasbekar with model Diva Dhawan during the photoshoot at Sardinia.
Over the last several years, the Calendar has been shot in many exotic locations, ranging from Thailand to Mauritius, to South Africa to the French Riviera. Location of the latest edition is the Italian island of Sardinia, in the Mediterranean. “The location has an important part in [the Calendar’s] mystique,”says Kasbekar. “Sardinia is an unspoilt island, laid back and rustic. We are hoping as with Turkey (2015), Mykonos [in Greece, 2017] and Croatia (2018), it emerges as a go-to spot for the well-heeled Indian travellers.”
It is no walk in the park (or beach), though. The whole venture takes as much as four months, including model auditions and recce trips. Shooting would last up to two weeks and the crew could be anywhere from 14 to 20 members.
Kasbekar has been employing two techniques to give a certain signature feel to the calendar images over the years. One is to use fill flash, to get optimum light on the model through the day-long outdoor schedules, while the other is the use of wide angle, which could get tricky. “It requires a reasonable amount of technical skills to be able to use a wide angle on a model up close and at the same time not have the subject distorted in the process,” he says.
In this age of heightened gender sensitisation and political correctness, there are questions about the relevance of a swimsuit calendar. Aiyappa believes it is subjective, while Kasbekar points to SI and Pirelli, both of which have been around for more than 60 years. “Neither SI or Pirelli have strayed too far from what they have done for years,”he says.
And no, Kasbekar does not want to add in male models to the mix. He says: “Feel free to use male models on a beach..., but just don't call me to shoot it!”