Veteran celebrity photographer and paparazzo Ramakant Munde has recalled a little-known chapter from Bollywood’s media history, revealing that photographers once boycotted megastar Amitabh Bachchan for nearly a month following a controversy during a family wedding.Speaking to Hindi Rush, Munde opened up about the tensions that occasionally surfaced between celebrities and photographers and recounted the incident that led to the industry-wide boycott.
‘We all decided to boycott him’
Munde explained that the issue arose during one of the Bachchan family’s wedding celebrations, where exclusive photography arrangements had reportedly been made with a particular photographer or media outlet.“I am a press photographer and a freelancer. The more pictures I clicked, the more recognition and income I earned. During the wedding, there were restrictions because someone had been given exclusive photography rights. But we also needed photographs; that’s our job,” he said.The veteran photographer recalled that media personnel would gather outside the Bachchan residence for days hoping to capture moments from the festivities.
‘Even water was thrown towards the media’
Sharing details of what upset photographers, Munde alleged that media personnel waiting outside were treated poorly during the event.“We used to stand outside the bungalow. At that time, water came in plastic pouches. The bodyguards would throw those pouches towards the media. Forget snacks—even water was given in that manner,” he claimed.According to Munde, the incident sparked resentment among photographers, who then collectively decided to stop covering Amitabh Bachchan’s public appearances.“All the photographers discussed it among themselves and decided to boycott him. For about a month, we didn’t click his pictures,” he said.
The silent protest at Cheeni Kum event
Munde went on to narrate what happened when Amitabh attended the premiere event of Cheeni Kum, directed by R Balki, during the boycott period.He recalled that photographers, including celebrity photographer Pradeep Bandekar, had gathered at the venue but maintained complete silence when the superstar arrived.“As he walked in and climbed the stairs, nobody called out to him. Usually, when Amitabh Bachchan arrived, there would be a lot of excitement and photographers shouting, ‘Sir, sir.’ But that day, there was complete silence,” Munde said.The photographer revealed that Bachchan appeared to notice the unusual atmosphere.“He reached the top, where Balki was standing, said something to him, then turned around and looked at us before going inside,” he recalled.
A rare chapter in Bollywood’s paparazzi history
While Munde clarified that he has always shared a good relationship with Amitabh Bachchan and has worked with him on several photo shoots over the years, he described the boycott as one of the rare instances when photographers collectively took a stand.The incident remains one of the most talked-about stories among veteran entertainment photographers, highlighting the occasionally strained relationship between celebrities and the media long before the era of social media and modern-day paparazzi culture.
