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Where stars are born

Their track record in the Delhi University Students' Union is enviable. For the past 13 years, all their candidates have "won". A place where political affiliations blur, while students leaders might be unwilling to see eye to eye with one another on any issue, at Prem Studio they all gaze gently and smile -- all for the "right" pose.

A constant in DUSU elections quite as much as the posters, promises and petty politics, Prem Studio in good old Kamla Nagar market next door to the campus is literally where the stars are born.

"We can safely say that our candidates will win. There are nine groups contesting the DUSU elections this year. All of them have had their pictures taken here," says Umesh Sabharwal, director of Prem Studio.

Having clicked many to success, Prem Studio has become a lucky mascot for many. The picture that goes up on the posters is not something that people take lightly. Often the only introduction to their voters, pictures are not only about looks but also have a lot to do with the image.

"Society has changed a lot. Earlier, when students came to get their pictures taken for the elections, they wanted a simple look. The glamour period really came in with Shalu Mallik. It was the first colour picture," Mr. Sabharwal recalls.

However, the times have changed a lot since the first colour picture was used in a poster in DUSU elections. "Alka Lamba's poster was sold for Rs. 2. Boys wanted to hang it in their hostel rooms. She had become a model for them. But glamorisation has increased now. There is a lot of emphasis on dress and make-up for girl candidates," he notes. Catering to a different generation that is comfortable with technology and has been socialised through television, Mr. Sabharwal says the pictures now reflect their reality. "The issues don't really matter."

"The fight is on glamour. I have used my talent as a weapon in these photographs," he says. While pretty faces might not have been the main issue this time round, soft-focused photographs of all the candidates smiling earnestly are still a requirement. "There is beauty in every face, you just have to find the right angle," he stresses.

And that's what this photographer has been doing for the past many years.

-- Mandira Nayar

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