Mumbai's college students turning paparazzi and are getting paid too

Its a weekday evening and the lane towards Kareena Kapoors residence on Bandras 29th Road looks desolate save a few people camping outside the highrise Had we arrived 15 minutes earlier the scene would have been different For now the hullaballoo is overThe 12odd men who were at the spot with their phone cameras and DSLRs have shot a spotted picture of Dangal actor Fatima Sana Shaikh and dispersed Some though have chosen to stay put because who knows Bebo may step onto the balcony for fresh air or Saif might take little Taimur for a stroll Anything can happen But at no cost can it go undocumented at least not under their watchRise of the newage papsBut these men are not your runofthemill paparazzi Admittedly they are fans first And it seems their fandom is paying off Having spent years fervently tracking the movements of their favourite celebrity clicking selfies with them at events and thereby building their own fan base on Instagram they are now being hired by established paparazzi photographers for their services Im still doing what I did two years ago Except now I get paid for it says Bivash Biswas who has been working with photographer Viral Bhayani for the last nine months Unlike other photographers who have zipped off to Juhu and the airport for more celeb spotting Biswas territory is concentrated in Bandra WestHis areas of interest are mapped out Bastian at Linking Road Sequel Bistro amp Juice Bar on 33rd Road Otters Club near Joggers Park and Golds Gym at Pali Naka Of course if I get a tip off I have to rush to whatever the location might be says the 21yearold Kalyan resident His bio on Instagram populated with just celebrity images reads Bollywood Photographer Social Media Monkey Wish me 21 October But a twominute scroll is enough to tell you that for Biswas Ranveer Singh is king After watching Band Baja Baaraat I was floored by his energy and enthusiasm he says Even if it meant waking up at 5 am attending college in Kalyan from 7 am to 10 am and then heading to Bandra where hed keep watch till 10 pm In the absence of a vehicle Biswas hitches a ride with other photographers or takes an auto spending Rs 200 just moving around BandraSneh Zala an 18yearold SYBCom student at a Vile Parle college who works for photographer Manav Manglani says hes in the job for Deepika Padukone His forte is taking videos My happiest moment was when Deepika addressed me by name gushes Zala who actively started tracking Padukone through fan pages on social media three years ago and then started spotting her at Bandra events Zala says in 2017 when Padukone completed a decade in the industry a press conference had been held to mark the occasion With other photographers he bought her a cake Thats when he got his first picture with his favourite starBhayani who has turned a few fanboys into paps pegs this as a typically Mumbai phenomenon given the craze around Bollywood Honestly its we photographers who birthed the trend A couple of years ago newspapers had begun rejecting the late night party images because it had become runofthemill so we had to reinvent our portfolio he says Flushed faces of celebrities exiting the gym became the prototype It was positive inspiring and aspirational he saysThey had the news before usBy now the number has gone up with more young men most still in their teens joining the clan Its also clear that the average age of the paparazzi has gone down with more fresh faces in the midst of seasoned news photographers Photographer Manav Manglani who regularly supplies celebrity images to leading websites and publications has roped in two youngsters as well They are college students and are passionate about doing this on the side he says Manglani recalls the time three years ago when he started receiving DMs direct messages on Instagram from random people offering their selfies with celebrities Initially I ignored it but later I realised that they have confounding information about celebrity whereabouts Sometimes they used to get the news before me he laughs The boys receive a monthly salary which starts from Rs 10K and can go up to even R40K depending on their performanceBhayani too admits that 80 per cent of the time he receives the tipoffs from fans He has even hired a former delivery boy and an airport loader Their network is built by scouring celebrity hangouts and befriending locals around the periphery Its a fulltime job says Bhayani They might rank low on photography skills but their passion is unmatched You and I will not be willing to spend six hours waiting for a celebrity to emerge from his home but they will and happily he addsHis words ring true On an average Biswas spends anywhere between 10 to 12 hours on field Once the deed is done he and his paparazzi gang return to pavilion which is the lane outside Saifeenas home Its not uncommon for the Bollywood couple to offer them tea or coffee We usually decline because they are sweet not to object to our presence here Which is why this has now become our adda he laughs Sayyad Khutub another fanturnedpap admits he has had to sleep on the platform and sometimes even at the airport because he missed the last train The challenge though is not the long hours but in beating competition Particularly pesky are bouncers who sometimes want to squat us like flies Once in the melee outside the airport my camera dropped to the floor he says The job even if fun is much like any other jobAll three admit to barely having a life outside of work Zala who is still in college takes leave during exams Education is a priority and my boss doesnt cut my pay for this he says Khutub on the other says he has had to cut down on the girlfriend timeBivash Biswas 21Parttime paparazzo since April 2018Haunts Ranveer SinghBest picturebecause He had returned from Simmba promotions and on seeing us he broke into this little jig I appreciate the way he treats photographers and fans He is friendly fun and always ready to pose with usA matter of ethicsWhile its a winwin for the ordinary pap and the person hiring their services others in the business are not pleased A senior photojournalist with a leading broadsheet says These are random phonewielding fans who will do anything for a selfie Etiquettes and ethics take a backseat which is why in the wake of any untoward incident unsavoury comment or manhandling the entire frat gets blamed because who can tell a photojournalist from a pap he arguesA female photographer who works at a broadsheet says its unfair that a person with no training gets it this easy We have been working in the field for over a decade but these people are getting a oneup only because they will go to any lengths for a picture Theres no love for journalism hereSayyad Khutub 27Former AC repair guyParttime paparazzo since March 2018Haunts Shraddha KapoorBest picture because This one is special because it was the firstever picture I had shot as paparazziRajnish Kakade secretary of the Bombay News Photography Association BNPA admits that they have received several complaints from stars and fellow photographers on the issue Stars have complained that they are being stalked And that their conduct has been unprofessional So we have issued warnings to the freelance photographers who have hired them he says Kakade however adds that due to the lack of regulation they arent in a position to put an end to the practice We cant because nowhere does it say that you cant do itThe paps though are unfazed While Zala wants to be a photojournalist Biswas wants to continue being a paparazzi I have attended PR events where its all organised and thats no fun The kick is in the chaseOver the last three years with the rise in demand for spotted pics and access to platforms such as Instagram once fans have now turned muchindemand celeb photographers armed with a smartphone or a basic DSLRDriving the trafficMalini Agarwal of MissMalinicom sources images from various service providers including Bhayani and Manglani How much they send us depends on how much activity there is on a given day But yes spotted pictures do well but it also depends on the subject and occasion Celebrity baby spotting is always a hit because people love cute kiddy photos What also works are weddings Alisters candids airport style and red carpetsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates