The adventures of Tintin

The story about Tintin came in to Hi!, it bought back to mind the comics that we used to scrabble to get our hands on. Marlinspike Hall came alive once more as reading about Chateau Cheverny in the scenic Loire Valley (where Bouvet Ladubay has their vineyards) took us on a rediscovery of Tintin, his friends and his adventures. And now we look forward to Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicornon the big screen. It’s your pick…a visit to Cheverny castle or the animated version of our hero Tintin. We recommend both!

Text: Stardust Gonsalves

A tribute - Gautam Rajadhyaksha

Vetern photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha's passed away recently leaving his beautiful photographs as the perfect memorabilia for many. The very articulate photographer shot the famous faces of Indian cinema, from Durga Khote to Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar. They say, 'one did not arrive in Bollywood' if he or she were not clicked by Gautam Rajadhyaksha.

Before the onset of celebrity/fashion photographers that we see these days, Gautam was perhaps the first 'true' blue celebrity photographer. He was known for his soft photographs that most leading ladies of Indian cinema admired.

We had the opportunity to work with him in 2006. It was a cover with Madhuri Dixit, who requested if we could get Gautam for the project. Between Gautam, Madhuri and Mickey(Contractor), it was a reunion of sorts. Manish Malhotra styled the shoot...the location was like a movie set. They gave Hi! Blitz a fabulous cover.

Text: Garima Sharma

Behind the scenes with Ajay Devgn

Bollywood's Dark Knight Ajay Devgn is on the cover of Hi! Blitz this month. The action star who's surprised critics with a flare of comedy with the Golmaal franchise, is comfortable in his skin and prefers to let his work talk. Fresh from the success of his recent hit, Singham that grossed 100 crores at the box office, Ajay Devgn is another bankable star catching up with the Khans. The National Award winning actor has remained true to his craft over 2 decades sans any marketing and PR gimmicks, riding high on commercial success and critical acclaim.

Aalim Hakim works on Ajay's hair

 

                                                     In between shots, Ajay takes a moment

The introvert star shot for Hi! Blitz cover in a glamorous avatar at Bandra's iconic Mehboob studio. Devgn who clearly enjoys the reputation of being a prankster, didn't have any tricks up his sleeve for the Hi! team. He came on time, with his entourage, and finished the shoot in just 3 hours! He enthusiastically discussed the shots with our art director Kunal Naik and photographer Shekhar Phalke.

                                                The cover shot in the making

The shoot had some key styling inputs by Ajay's close friend and designer Ana Singh. Devgn loved the wardrobe put together by our fashion team and even bought a pair of denims, we'd chosen for the shoot! In an exclusive interview with Hi! Blitz, he spoke about his love for cinema since his teens, his superstar wife Kajol, and being a film star on his own terms.

                                      Times Now on the sets of the Hi! Blitz shoot

Text: Garima Sharma