Journey of My Calendar

Dabboo Ratnani is a name to be reckoned with in the Indian photography industry. He is one of the most sought after photographers in the Indian film and fashion industry. Ratnani releases a yearly calendar, and has been doing so for the last 18 years. The acclaimed photographer in this column shares with us the journey of his calendar through the years, the creative process behind it, and his upcoming 2017 calendar.

- Dabboo Ratnani

As we enter 2017, my calendar goes into its 18th edition. I have done 18 years of non-stop calendars with different celebrities, and while it seems like a breeze, there’s a lot that goes into this. We started way back in 2000, at the turn of the century, when everyone was talking about the Y2K, about the dawning of the new millennium. I thought what better than having a calendar of my work to bring in the new millennium, as it will be always remembered. When doing it at that point I thought that this will be a one time thing and I will release it for the year 2000. I went through my work and I put together about 12 pictures of the images that I had shot over the years. I had started in the year 1994, so I compiled images from ‘94 to ‘99 and chose 12 pictures for the calendar. I printed 1000 copies, and distributed them among friends in the media, in the industry, and a few production houses that I have worked with. The response that I received was incredible, so I thought why not let this become an annual event.