Right or wrong? India’s top paps weigh in on cheeky celeb nicknames at NMACC

Tom Holland has delighted us all in his Spiderman avatar, swinging across buildings in the hope to save the world from destruction. He has fans in young kids and adults, he has fans in the US and in India, and he got a taste of our love at the recently held three-day inaugural event of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai. The Spiderman star was a part of the many international celebrities who attended the gala, and the Indian paps had a field day trying to draw their attention for a pose. What followed was unintentional comedy on the pink carpet as the paps went about addressing Holland as “Makdi Man”, “Tom Homecoming”, “Tammy”, and “Tommmm Tom ae Tomye”. 

And it didn’t end there. They referred to Nick Jonas as "Jijaji" (brother-in-law) and “Nickwa”; mistook Gigi Hadid for Shakira, called her “Gee Gee”, and spoke to her in Marathi; someone called out to Zendaya as “Jhaandeya” and asked her to “look this mobile”. There are several videos doing the rounds where Priyanka Chopra is calling husband Nick Jonas to join her on the red carpet with a pap quipping, “Jija jee sharma gaye (brother-in-law is feeling shy).” 

Boy are we glad these celebs don’t understand a word of Hindi!

But, all fun aside, did these photographers cross the line or were things always this chill between them and the celebrities. We spoke to two leading Bollywood paparazzi to get their thoughts.  

PHOTOGRAPHERS AND FILM STARS ARE LIKE FAMILY

If you meet someone more than once or twice a day on a regular basis, there is every chance that you know them either on a first name basis or have a cute and funny nickname for them. That’s exactly how it is in Bollywood, says Yogen Shah, India’s first paparazzi photographer. “Our industry is such that a photographer might not meet his actual relatives as often as he meets a Bollywood celebrity. That’s how close the bond is. In the morning it could be the gym or a dubbing centre, the evening at a dinner or party before being back at the airport late at night. Film photographers and film stars are like family, and this has been going on for almost 30-40 years now. We’re very close and talk to them like we talk to anyone we meet every day.”  

Along with knowing that it’s all done in jest, there is an immense sense of respect that the celebrities have for the paparazzi. “They know and respect the fact that come what may, there will be a reporter waiting to click them at the airport at 3am, and the same reporter will be there in the morning to take pictures of them after their workout. This is where the bond deepens.” 

THE STARS DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM

If it’s all chill with the celebs, why should the world have a problem, says Shah. “There is no point in talking about etiquette as we never once have crossed the line. It’s simple, if the stars really find it offensive, they will let you know about it in an instant. You talk to members of your family with a whole lot of love. And that’s exactly what’s happening here. Things are very casual and hence the conversation is such. Stars prefer it as it’s cool but never offensive. That’s why they feel good, because we make them feel like we know them really well. Priyanka Chopra asked the photographers to come and pose for a photograph with them. That’s how much she loves us. And when we asked "Nick Jiju" to come in the photo as well, he knew that we asked him out of love.”

Along with Shah, celebrity photographer Manav Manglani too sees all things done in good humour. “It’s all done in a fun way at the end of the day. Most of them do this just to get a response from the artist. The max the celeb does is pose for a photo and walk away. It’s all fun. Many of the photographers do not know the names and have their own lingo, and that was funny.” 

BIGGEST COMPLIMENT TO AN ACTOR

We might not know the name of the actor who played a certain superhero, but we certainly don’t get that name of the film wrong. That’s all that should matter at the end of the day according to Shah and Manglani. “If they called Tom Holland ‘Spidey’, that means a person watched the film, liked it, as well as the character. “You call Tom Holland ‘Spidey’, that’s a compliment. They don’t see these guys at events, so it’s obvious that they won’t know their names. Plus, these guys don’t see much of Hollywood films, but the one thing they know for sure is that this guy is Spiderman,” adds Manglani. You’d do the same with say Amjad Khan and ‘Gabbar’ or call SRK ‘Badshah’ or ‘Don’. That means your character has achieved what it went out to. This tells the celebrity that the photographers have watched his film. And that is a huge compliment,” says Shah.