One of the renowned names, the last in fashion photography of today is that of Daboo Ratnani, who started off with his career in photography as an apprentice to Sumeet Chopra for four years. Ratnani nourished a flair for photography since childhood. He has shot for all the leading magazines like Cosmopolitan, Film fare, Hi Blitz, Ok India, Elle, Verve, Femina, The Man and Better Homes and Gardens, Stardust, etc.
Early life of Daboo Ratnani
Dabboo Ratnani was born on December 24, 1971. A gadget freak since his early days, Ratnani always seemed excited accompanying technology and reveled in mirth with computers to music systems. His brother`s friend who was an amateur photographer also influenced him. His first shot was in the year 1993 while he was still assisting Sumeet in a film called "Aatish" with actor Sanjay Dutt.
Works of Daboo Ratnani
Ratnanai has done a major chunk of his work with actress Pooja Bhatt. He believes in mixing with his subject before he goes ahead with the shoot. If the person vibes well with him and he is comfortable, only then they decide to go ahead with the shoot. He is not too pushy with the stars and lets them wear whatever they are comfortable in. He has an eye for making his subjects seem surreal. Amitabh Bachchan, Michael Jackson, Boris Becker, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Sachin Tendulkar, Sanjay Dutt, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Preity Zinta, Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Rahul Dravid, Sania Mirza are just a few who deem this man as the only one who can capture the good despite of bad and the ugly.
Once regarded as a hobby, time has changed the scenario into a high-end lucrative profession. Concretized as an art form with pre defined limitation, evolution of technology has witnessed photography creating a strong establishment for itself. However, it is very important for one to identify with this profession before delving into it and naming oneself as photographer. Ratnani walked this road to be what he is.
From personality portraits and advertising campaigns to fashion and magazine layouts, Dabboo has developed and showcased a discriminating and unique style of his profession. Ratnani had started off as an ad photographer and then went on to become a film photographer. He was the one who introduced outdoor shots for the stars of Bollywood, a breakthrough from the usual studio set up. Dabboo`s work comprises of a blend of film, fashion, editorial, advertising, portraits, glamour, product shots, etc. It was all connected in a way; films got him editorial work, which in turn got him model portfolios, which finally led him to the advertising world. His work has been used for film advertising and publicity campaigns. Ratnani is mostly known for his showbiz calendar, which has become an event in India since its first publication in 1999. He is one of a number of photographers with trademark calendars widely covered in the media, including Atul Kasbekar, Sudhir Ramchandran, Jatin Kampani and Vikram Bawa.
Advertisements of Daboo Ratnani
Daboo Ratnani also has worked in some of the advertising for brands like
•Nokia with Shahrukh Khan
•Movado with Harbhajan Singh
•Acer computers with Hrithik Roshan
•Boroplus with Kareena Kapoor
•Belmonte suiting with Shahrukh Khan
•Lays with Saif ali Khan
•7 Up (with Malika Sherawat)
•Airtel (with Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Saurav Ganguly
•Anmol, Bajaj, BPL Mobile, Citizen watches (with Kareena Kapoor)
•Coca-Cola (with Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan)
•Compaq (with Shahrukh Khan)
•Dabur (with Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee and Riya Sen)
•Donear Suiting (with Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta)
•ICICI Bank (with Amitabh Bachchan)
He has been seen as the judge of "India"s Next Top Model" Season 2 alongside Anusha Dandekar, Lisa Haydon and Neeraj Gaba.
He took publicity stills for films like Om Shanti Om, Aatish, Blackmail, Fiza, Hera Pheri, Legend of Bhagat Singh, Aawara Pagal Deewana, Jhankaar Beats, Jism, Jo Bole So Nihaal, Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai.
Personal life of Daboo Ratnani
He got married to Manisha D Ratnani and blessed with three children Myrah, Kiara, Shivaan Ratnani.
