Paparazzo recalls covering Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's pre-wedding events in Jamnagar: 'Security was like a fortress'

Photographer Varinder Chawla recently discussed the challenges paparazzi face when covering celebrity events outside Mumbai. He highlighted the difficulties his team encountered during the pre-wedding festivities of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
In an interview with Hindi Rush, Varinder revealed that while there is potential to earn money in the paparazzi business, the figures often appear exaggerated online.He admitted that covering events outside Mumbai is rarely profitable. They weren't invited to Jamnagar, but they went because the entire film industry was there. He struggled to find accommodation as the whole town was booked. Eventually, they managed to get one room, and the three of them had to share the space.
He explained that they took shifts at the local airport, anticipating it would provide the best content. Meanwhile, local drivers charged three or four times the usual rate to transport the team around. At the airport, they were all given badges and a designated area for the media, but they weren't allowed inside the venue to cover the wedding. On a funny note, he added that the security was like a fortress when he tried to get in.

He also reminisced about a challenge actor Aamir Khan had posed to the paparazzi at his wedding to Kiran Rao. It was near Lonavala, and the paparazzi went with some other photographers. They stayed there for four days on a mission to meet the challenge. But Aamir had made incredible arrangements for privacy. They had heightened the resort’s walls. The photographer even tried to persuade a waiter to take photos with a cheap Kodak camera and offered him Rs 5,000. But he failed in that too.
The Ambanis have been hosting a series of pre-wedding events for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, with the latest celebration taking place on a cruise ship in Italy and France.