‘Fifty people chased Taimur on his way to tuition, Saif Ali Khan called the paps asking to avoid following his son to school’: Bollywood paparazzo Varinder Chawla

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Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Taimur clicked in Bandra. (Photo: Varinder Chawla)

Varinder Chawla, a seasoned celebrity photographer and veteran paparazzo, has openly expressed concerns about the escalating paparazzi culture in India, which he believes is increasingly infringing on celebrities’ privacy. In a recent interview with Ishan on his YouTube channel, Varinder addressed the paparazzi’s obsession with Taimur Ali Khan, the son of Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan. “There was a time when if we didn’t post pictures of Taimur, our posts would get comments like, ‘Aaj Taimur ka photo nahin aaya.’ Our DMs would be flooded with queries. We started taking his photos because Kareena and Saif initially allowed it, and the pictures went viral. The paparazzi then began clicking him obsessively because people adored his cuteness.”

Varinder praised Kareena for her cooperative attitude towards photographers. “One of Kareena’s best traits is that she never said no to a photographer. She would graciously oblige the paps. We would spot Taimur outside their residence, and she had no objection. Demand badh gayi thi ki hum kya karte?. 24 ghante uske peeche rehna shuru kar diya tha. Woh school ja raha hota tha toh uske peeche jaate the, tuition ja raha hota tha toh tuition jaate the. We would follow him when we would be playing. Bacche ki personal life humlogon ne disturb karna shuru kar di thi. Tab unhone request kiya that ki kuch jagahon par aap mat ayiye, jaise school ya (The demand increased so much that we began following him 24/7. Whether he was going to school or tuition, we were there. We even followed him while he played. We started disturbing the child’s personal life. That’s when they requested us to avoid certain places like school and tuition),” he added.

Varinder Chawla recounted a particularly alarming experience where he realised that they had gone too far.. “Once, I went out to spot Taimur while riding pillion on a team member’s bike. Taimur was on his way to tuition, and I noticed there were 40-50 people on bikes following him. Main hil gaya (I was shaken). I wondered, ‘Where did these 50 people come from?’ Someone told me, ‘Aage tamasha dekhiye (Just wait and watch).’ Some climbed onto the gates, and others surrounded his car as if they were going to attack him. I was scared and thought, ‘Nahin yaar yeh galat hai (No, this is wrong).’”

He also observed a shift in fan behaviour stating that fans who used to gather at Shah Rukh Khan’s Mannat to catch a glimpse of the actor, started joining the paps to click photos of Taimur Ali Khan. “If I was so frightened, imagine what the family felt. Even Taimur’s nanny got worried. Saif called us and requested that we avoid following Taimur to school. That’s when we decided to respect their privacy. We set a limit and agreed not to cross that boundary. They have a personal life!” the photographer added.

Varinder also commented on the media landscape following Sushant Singh Rajput’s death where there was a lot of mudslinging against celebrities. Talking about the phase where YouTubers spoke out against Bollywood and attempted to spoil the image of certain celebrities, he said, “Many senior reporters and influencers started their own YouTube channels to grow their audiences. People love hearing negative things about others or seeing someone’s image tarnished. After Sushant’s demise, my peers spread baseless negative stories about the industry, garnering lots of views. Their channels were monetised, and they started making money. They didn’t realise the negativity they were spreading. Aap jis thali mein kha rahe ho usi mein chhed kar rahe ho (You are making holes in the plate you are eating from). Aap logon ka naam kharab kar rahe ho (You’re spoiling someone’s name). That episode continued for a very long time.”

Varinder Chawla further underscored how paps and media’s attitude towards Aryan Khan, SRK’s son, during his custody in the alleged drug case, impacted the Pathaan actor, who stopped interacting with media photographers. “Shah Rukh used to invite the media to his house for Eid and held press conferences for every film. He always obliged photographs. But after Aryan was allegedly framed, imagine what he must have gone through as a father. During that phase, the entertainment media spread a lot of negativity. Itni gandagi failai for views. Shah Rukh stopped giving pictures and put black glasses on his car windows. Personal bonding was affected. The impact of these events has fundamentally altered the relationship between celebrities and the media.”