CHENNAI: Hey guys, picture yourself in the arms of lissome Deepika Padukone or better still, you have your arms around oh-so-desirable Katrina Kaif, with Kareena waiting in the queue.
Too much?
Just Hang on!
Let the ladies too have a good imagination: for a macho Ajay Devgan or the romantic Shahrukh Khan vying for their eye and pestering them for a photo opportunity.
Sure enough, many men and women, boys and girls, would die to be in the same frame that has Sachin Tendulkar in it. And to see, Mahindra Singh Dhoni patiently await his turn, for your attention.
Yes, it happens at Marina Beach.
And Mohamman Southin is the man who can fix you up with any of the stars – for a photo shoot. And for a pittance, he will give you your prized possession – a picture hugging your dream date. And it is not just Southin, a few yards away, Parthiban too can work up similar magic.
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They are cutout photo artists, who have developed morphing skills to conjure up images that thrill their customers – often from out of town, lower-middle-class tourists from across the country.
Partihiban and Southin or the six others – the ‘dream merchants’ – who connect the star-struck and the star, say the going is just about okay, even during a dull season. “When exams are on, not many venture out to the beach,” he says.
Dhoni, he says, is very, very popular.
With his friend, also from the same Fatiabad tehsil near Agra, flanking Sachin’s cutout on the other side, Suraj Kumar, an 18-year-old cement factory worker in Chennai who hails from a village 35 km from Agra, says: “Taj mahal ke bahar bhi photo lete hain, lekin aise Khiladiyon ke saath nahin.”
With so many people coming from all over the country, Parthiban has learnt Hindi “on the job” and he deploys his language skills to good effect – shouting an invite at the passersby.
“Oh, I have been making pictures as customers like them and making them happy,” Southin says as he promises Kalpana, from Salem to make Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) hold her two hands in the picture.
He takes complete pride in the work he has taken up from his father, who is no more.
“This place, (shop came much later) is some 20 years old. And I have taken this up after my father died a few years ago. I follow what my father always told me – I look for happiness in the eyes of the fan who comes here,” he says, as customers begin to trickle in, and he gets busy.
“Earlier we were using big cameras and film rolls. Then we would take money, ask address and post. Now it is instantaneous. We shoot with digital cameras, upload them into the computer, work with Photoshop for modifications and take a printout,” Parthiban says as he presses the print button on the printer. “It costs some Rs 13,000 with battery. The cutouts cost Rs 1,000 for each one,” says Parthiban.
But business is sluggish, and competition is getting tougher by the day, he points out.
“In the beginning, there were just two photographers. Today there are more than 12 in this part of the beach only,” explains Parthiban.
But, going by the crowds, there is enough business for everyone.
Parthibhan and others wait for Pongal, the time when there is maximum rush.
“We do eke out a living, and it will continue as long as people love stars and want their pictures with them,” Southin says.
The cutouts are so lifelike that once a top leader of Tamil Nadu visited the digital photo studio of Southin. His choice of star? Why, himself, of course as he posed for a picture with his cutout.
