Gautam was a rare and unique personality: Madhu Sapre

Madhu Sapre, India’s first supermodel and possibly the last, has been seduced by many a photographer’s lens, the late Gautam Rajadhyaksha included, whom she considers a huge influence on her modelling career. The supermodel lives in Riccione, Italy, with her businessman husband, Gian Maria, since the two wed in October 2001. Sapre spoke to Firstpost about her first memories of the late Gautam Rajadhyaksha: I was already a model and had just been signed on as the Garden Vareli girl, a prestigious ad campaign, when I first met Gautam Rajadhyaksha in 1990. I needed a professional portfolio to pass around agencies at the time and filmmakers and directors were also approaching me as a possible star in their films and they used to request me for pictures in Indian clothes. I had heard of Gautam’s fabulous work and decided to meet him for the shots. I was very excited to shoot with Gautam and makeup artist Mickey Contractor because they were already legends when I met them. I still remember the day I went across to his South Mumbai apartment for the shoot – the entrance of the building and his beautiful and charming home and the warm, sunny day. I was so amazed by the area he lived in since I was from the suburbs and it was all very new and fascinating to me. Marathi classical music was playing in the background in his apartment as I entered and I felt at home instantly. Things were happening so quickly around me that I didn’t have the time to think, but the minute Gautam said, “Kaiga Madhu kashi ahe tu?” in his warm voice, I relaxed. Being a fellow Maharashtrian, I was immediately drawn towards him and didn’t feel intimidated being shot by such a great photographer. [caption id=“attachment_83986” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Madhu Sapre in a Gucci gown, shot by Farrokh Chothia. “] [/caption] I was still into athletics — it was my pre-Miss India phase — and was a muscular girl and he asked me to relax my shoulders and went about shooting the pictures. We did all kinds of pictures that time – black-and-whites, colours, close-ups, beauty shots and mid-lengths; the kind of pictures we shot that day are exquisite and he made me look exceptionally beautiful! It was a wonderful experience working with him. I love all the pictures he shot of me. It is difficult to pick a favourite as he shot millions of fantastic pictures of so many people. He captured the softness of a woman, her femininity in such an intriguing and beguiling way. His pictures are engraved in my mind and heart forever. The photo session with him is my first memory of an extremely glamorous and stylised shoot, apart from the Garden campaign of course. He was a big influence on me; the way he shot me in such a different way even though I was a Garden girl. It was a whole new experience, including the delicious fish curry and rice I ate at his place. I don’t think he ever shot outside of his home – and it was a pleasure to visit his tasteful apartment every time, watching him hum and walk around adding to the dreamy environment. Gautam and Mickey were among the first few people who actually encouraged me to enter the Miss India competition and I did, and the rest as they say, is history. Gautam was very fond of me as I was of him. I can’t say we were friends. I remember when I married Gian and moved to Italy, I went through this nostalgic phase of missing my family and friends back home. So when I was in Mumbai next, I just called Gautam and went over to his apartment and relived the good times over a cup of tea and I felt very good afterwards. In recent times, we used to connect on Facebook and keep abreast of each other’s lives. I am in shock since yesterday when I heard of his passing; I thought he would live many, many more years. It is a very painful realisation that he is no more. Gautam was a rare and unique personality – and so very attractive to everyone he met.