Archive for the ‘Bollywood & India’ Category

In 2016, I first met Priyanka Chopra while photographing her in NYC for Maxim India. A few weeks ago, I returned to New York to photograph the global superstar for her record-making 5th time topping the magazine’s Hot 100 list.

With little time to produce the shoot, we quickly set the team in motion. Our location producer in Los Angeles secured an incredible building in Brooklyn—a former rope factory—with beautifully rusted steel columns and massive sliding doors made of sheet metal. The only issue was that all the windows faced north and east, and we were shooting at sunset, which meant I would get no direct light. To compensate, we placed mirrors on the roof landing, redirecting the sunbeams directly into the warehouse, which created stunning rays of light. (For detailed lessons on using fog & creating light rays see Mastering Lighting.)

Because Priyanka had a flight to catch that day, we had 45 minutes to complete the entire shoot (a luxury compared to the 12 minutes I had on this infamous Christmas Card.) The Quantico star effortlessly delivered another iconic cover, and I’m grateful to the team that helped us pull off a memorable shoot.

Go behind-the-scenes in the video below.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA
Styling: MIMI CUTTRELL
Hair: CAMERON RAINS
Makeup: YUMI MORI
Production Coordinator: KEVIN SAVARESE

One of the most enjoyable aspects of photographing actors is the research stage. What’s more fun than watching movies to learn about your upcoming cover model? On the flight to Mumbai, I was happy to find the latest film starring Maxim India‘s November muse, actress Disha Patani, in Jackie Chan’s Kung Fu Yoga. Mr. Chan clearly has an eye for rising Bollywood talent, as he did when he cast Mallika Sherawat (who I photographed for Maxim India and WMB 3D) in The Myth more than a decade ago.

It’s easy to see why audiences fall for Disha. Her infectious signature smile is complemented by a sweet, sincere personality that would thaw even the uncharmable. We captured the cover shoot at Mehboob Studio in Mumbai, where I also photographed actor Ranveer Singh. Hair stylist Marce Pedrozo and makeup artist Flavia Giuliodori created gorgeous glam, and Sukriti Grover pulled stylish and sexy wardrobe.

Thanks to everyone on the team who helped create a beautiful feature. See my shoot with Disha in Maxim India‘s November issue, on stands now. Behind-the-scenes images below.

DISHA PATANI
Hair: MARCE PEDROZO
Makeup: FLAVIA GIULIODORI
Styling: SUKRITI GROVER
Production Crew: IMRAN KHATRI PRODUCTIONS
BTS Stills & Video: RISHI KHARE

This August, I returned to Mumbai for a series of editorial shoots, the first of which hit stands this week. Bollywood mega-star Ranveer Singh graces the September cover of Maxim India, seen above with the beautiful Elena Fernandes. The posh pair model the latest styles in a sprawling 14-page fashion feature.

Ranveer was a lot of fun to work with, a total ball of energy who had the entire crew smiling and laughing. We photographed the shoot at Mehboob Studio in Bandra West, with many talented crew returning from my previous India shoots—including wardrobe stylist Nikita Jaisinghani (see our Rana Daggubati cover), and makeup artist Amelia Daswani, who glammed Shibani Dandekar for me and Maxim in March 2017.

Thanks to the incredible team that helped create such a memorable shoot! Behind-the-scenes images below.

CREDITS:
Talent: RANVEER SINGH & ELENA FERNANDES
Photography: NICK SAGLIMBENI
Stylist: NIKITA JAISINGHANI
Ranveer’s Makeup: MAHADEV NAIK
Ranveer’s Hair: DARSHAN YEWALEKAR
Elena’s Hair & Makeup (Elena): AMELIA DASWANI
Ranveer’s Suits Provided by: THE ARVIND STORE
Production Crew: IMRAN KHATRI PRODUCTIONS
BTS Stills & Video: RISHI KHARE

Sunset at Weligama Bay © Nick Saglimbeni / Slickforce Inc.

Shibani Dandekar by Nick Saglimbeni for Maxim © Slickforce Inc.

I spent the majority of March overseas, shooting multiple features for Maxim India, and then visiting one of the places I’ve dreamed of exploring since I was a child—mystical Sri Lanka.

Working in India with the Maxim team was an unforgettable experience. 24 hours after I landed in Mumbai, I photographed Indian film superstar Rana Daggubati, of the Bollywood blockbuster Bahubali. The mega-shoot took place at Film City Goregaon (think Universal Studios in India, a massive backlot with every environment imaginable), where we shot the cover and fashion feature in a huge soundstage. Then we headed outdoors to capture a promotional Jeep Wrangler off-road adventure in the woods. A few days later, I photographed TV host and model Shibani Dandekar in a hypercolor editorial that had the Indian entertainment blogs buzzing over her beauty.

After our Maxim shoots, I ventured south to enchanting Sri Lanka. I traveled from Colombo to Galle via train, and then continued to the southern end of the island via tuk-tuk (motorized rickshaw, photo below) to visit the legendary beaches and do some whale-watching. The sunsets were among the best and most colorful I’ve ever seen, and the people incredibly friendly. The beautiful country exceeded my expectations, and I look forward to going back.

The April issue of Maxim India is on stands now. My thanks to publisher Vivek Pareek and his amazing team for hosting me on my Indian adventures. Behind-the-scenes photos and travelogue images below.

CREDITS:
Cover shoot – Rana Daggubati, with models Riya Ray and Carolina Nalerio
Stylist: Nikita Jaisinghani
Rana’s Groomer: Aalim Hakim
Hair & Makeup: Rashmi Shastri
Photographed by Nick Saglimbeni

Shibani Dandekar Shoot
Stylist: Chandni Bahri
Makeup: Amelia
Hair: Ayesha Mulla
Photographed at the JW Marriott Mumbai by Nick Saglimbeni

Film City BTS by Sana Chhabra
All other images © Nick Saglimbeni / Slickforce Inc.

Shibani Dandekar for Maxim © Slickforce Inc.	Carolina Nalerio for Maxim © Slickforce Inc.
Rana Daggubati for Maxim / Jeep © Slickforce Inc.	Reviewing photos w/ Rana & Maxim publisher Vivek Pareek
Maxim India April Cover (color variant) by Nick Saglimbeni	Team Maxim India with Rana Daggubati

Shooting the Maxim cover at Film City Goregaon, Mumbai

My star model in Sri Lanka, two year-old Iruki	Sunset in Weligama, Sri Lanka
Colorful tuk-tuk in Colombo, Sri Lanka	Polwatta River in Weligama, Sri Lanka

Crystal coast at Midigama, Sri Lanka © Nick Saglimbeni / Slickforce Inc.

Recently, I flew to New York to photograph actress Priyanka Chopra (ABC’s Quantico) for the July cover of Maxim India. It was my first time working with the Bollywood superstar and I was thrilled to find that she is as sweet and collaborative as she is gorgeous.

Ms. Chopra was voted the number one spot in Maxim’s Hot 100 tally of the most beautiful women in the world—the first three-time winner in the history of the publication. After working with her, there’s little wonder why.

Go behind-the-scenes of our cover shoot in the video below. My thanks to an incredible glam squad in NYC. More to come on this shoot as new images are released!

Photo by NICK SAGLIMBENI
Styled by KRISANA SOTELO for The Wall Group
Hair TED GIBSON
Makeup by STEPHANIE BARNES

With the upcoming release of her new film, “Dirty Politics,” we are reminded of the time we dragged Bollywood’s Mallika Sherawat out to the desert for the second issue of WMB 3D: World’s Most Beautiful. If you missed it the first time, here’s a flashback with never-before-released behind-the-scenes images (and video below) of our scorching starlet in 100+ degree heat.

WMB 3D: Mallika Sherawat scorches the desert from Nick Saglimbeni on Vimeo.

That's the way, Maahi Ve.

Maxim India recently contacted me to photograph Bollywood superstar Mallika Sherawat for their 75th issue cover. Given the excitement generated from our recent WMB 3D shoot, I was all too happy to put together yet another concept for her. Mallika has an amazing beach house in Malibu, which she opened up to us for the shoot. Maxim India’s 75th issue hits stands in India this week and is available worldwide on the iPad and iPhone. Go behind-the-scenes in the video below!

CREDITS:
Photography by NICK SAGLIMBENI
Make-up by THERESE WILLIAMS
Hair by AL INGRAM
Styling by IVAN BITTON
BTS Video directed by DAVID RIVERA for SlickforceStudio

Unleaded? You're looking at Diesel, son.

I first noticed Mallika Sherawat in the early stages of her meteoric rise in Bollywood. It was clear she communicated with her audience on a different level than other actresses, and I always told myself that if I could get her in front of my camera, I would jump at the chance. I take the title “World’s Most Beautiful” very seriously, and after our launch I figured I had the perfect opportunity—and a responsibility—to showcase beauty on a global level, and perhaps introduce Mallika to a new hemisphere of fans in the process.

I met with Mallika a few weeks before our shoot, and she insisted on being heavily involved in the concept. We decided that an Americana-themed shoot would capture her in a way she had never been photographed, and it would also mirror her recent move to the US, where her Hollywood career has since begun to grow legs. I’m a big fan of Bollywood films, and I have the deepest appreciation for the stunning cinematography and glossy visuals used in their storytelling. However, to contrast Mallika’s previous work, I wanted to make sure this shoot looked very raw and dirty and American, hoping it would bring out a side of our star not-yet-seen.

As I expected, Mallika hit this one out of the park, bringing her own unique brand of jaw-dropping mystique to each frame. To see the full 2D & 3D photo feature, grab your copy of WMB 3D Issue 2, available for iPhone, iPad, Android and in print.

Go behind-the-scenes of Mallika’s shoot with these fantastic stills from WMB 3D photographer Joyce Park, and this awesome video directed by David Rivera for WMB 3D.

Credits:
Photography by NICK SAGLIMBENI
Styling by SARAH ELLIS & AMANDA CARTER
Hair by GIO CAMPORA for The Wall Group
Makeup by GABY RAMOS

Download WMB 3D Issue #2 from iTunes App Store, Android Market, or 9×12″ Limited Print Issue.