U.R. Ananthamurthy : Photograph © Mahesh Bhat
Kadri Gopalnath : Photograph © Mahesh Bhat
T.V. Narayan : Photograph © Mahesh Bhat
Ashok Soota : Photograph © Mahesh Bhat
Prof.S. Chandrasekhar : Photograph © Mahesh Bhat
Shashi Deshpande : Photograph © Mahesh Bhat
Pepita Seth : Photograph © Mahesh Bhat
Mahesh Dattani : Photograph © Mahesh Bhat
Protima Gauri : Photograph © Mahesh Bhat
Alyque Padamsee : Photograph © Mahesh Bhat
Like all my peers, I started shooting on film. In the mid '80s in India, black & white film was much cheaper than color and I could process it myself. It was also easier to print black & white than color. Ilford FP-4 was widely available at Rs. 20 per roll if one bought it in packs of ten. Microdol-X was my preferred developer, diluted 1:3. So I shot a lot of black & white, and color after I became a professional.
However, back in the '80s I didn't ever think that there would be a day when one would have to search for film in India, just as I couldn't imagine that there would be a day when one could walk into a camera store and buy anything one wanted without paying a customs duty of 250 percent.
20 November
