The Forgotten Ones

Abeer Khan evocatively depicts the invisible, intimate day-to-day moments around us. Nilofer Khan speaks to her about her experiences.

- Nilofer Khan

Mumbai is considered to be a fast-paced, exhilarating, idyllic, or even a romantic city. The rising concrete facades, ebullient parties, twinkling cityscape, and exuberant art festivals have contributed to this image. However, beneath this shiny exterior resides a world that is almost hidden away, invisible in its plainness. Interwoven within this fabric are its people and pockets of cultures that have always made up cities like Mumbai. Unfortunately, their contribution to the identity of the city remains unnoticed, even when they go missing. Occasionally, when they do come in the limelight, it is often a negative portrayal. Abeer Khan began noticing the loss of these communities even as the city changed in its development. She decided to render a honest depiction of these silent, lesser-known communities.

A Humble Beginning

In the first few years of her career, Abeer took up every assignment that came her way, from assisting directors to creating portfolios of young models, shooting weddings, and working with costumes for feature films. It was all about survival. “Back then, Instagram and WhatsApp had not been introduced. Since I did not have a proper computer setup at home, I spent hours emailing my photographs from a local cyber cafe to various publications. But to no avail, and the rejection kept piling up. It was only when I was 25 that I had my first real photographic assignment for an Australian media company. They had commissioned me to capture the essence of Pune, and later, Mumbai, as well as other cities,” she states.