It’s an endeavour to experience the city through an artiste’s eye: Bhoomi

Twenty years ago, a young Balaji Manohar was photographed against the streets of Richmond Town by ace photographer Manoj Masand. “It left an impact on me and in hindsight, laid the foundation for the photo walk series I started over five years ago,” shares actor Balaji, who now shoots other actors for such photo series, and the latest one is with actress Bhoomi Shetty.
Balaji’s wife Divya Raghuram is also an artiste and has a keen eye for photography. “It was she who trained me in the nuances of the art of aesthetic photography and I started out with her. Then on, I started doing it with friends and it became a pet project,” smiles Balaji. The idea he says is to get to know an individual better.

Earlier we had addas, now we have social media: Balaji Manohar
Back in the day, Balaji loved meeting friends and acquaintances at local addas. “That’s how we kept up with each other's lives or got to know people better. Today it's all through social media. The photo walk is my effort to take these social media interactions offline,” says Balaji.

I felt my most natural self: Bhoomi
I asked Balaji if he could shoot me for his photo walk series. Things fell in place and we set out early in the morning to KR Market. The idea was simple: to be dressed as myself and enjoy the real and raw Bengaluru. I learnt and saw a Bengaluru I had never witnessed before. I was my natural self and felt most vibrant during the shoot