Dabboo Ratnani’s recent calendar features many celebs, including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan. A particular frame though, has gotten the photographer into trouble. Disha Patani’s topless photo, has come under fire for being similar to one of Jennifer Aniston’s photos. But Dabboo says, “One can’t have copyrights on a pose. The make-up, the lighting, the hair, the clothes and the angle is so different. There are many photos on the Internet, so everything is inspired by something.”
This is not the first time that Dabboo has been accused of lifting. A photo of Bipasha Basu and Riteish Deshmukh replicating a Jennifer Lopez and Sean Penn picture, respectively, have earlier made their way to the Internet. “I was working with another creative agency at the time, that had conceptualised the shoot and they gave me references. I have stopped working with that agency for calendars because it harmed my reputation. There’s a difference between ‘being inspired’ and ‘lifting off’,” he says, and adds, “Photography or art in general, is about interpretation. Just because someone has used a horse in a photoshoot, or a taxi, doesn’t mean I can never use them. For instance, this calendar edition has a photo of Amitabh Bachchan posing with a dog on a scooter and a sidecar. “It was inspired by Sholay. But it’s the reinvention that makes it what it is.”
