TRAVELING PHOTO STUDIO (2000-2004)
Ten wooden planks, fifty bamboo poles, fabric stretching several meters, and 24 lamps. That is all that is necessary to set up a mobile photo studio in India. But to be really successful, one must invest in hand-painted backdrops, several cardboard Bollywood stars, a motor scooter and a life-size Disney character.
That’s how Rashid Shaikh began his Kulsum Studio 25 years ago. He journeyed around the country, generally in the company of a traveling theatre troop. He did well from it; today there are three Kulsum Studios. One of them is run by Asgar, Rashid’s son, who sometimes is on the road for up to ten months at a time. His clients consist primarily of poor Indians. For 35 cents they can have their wishes fulfilled. Posing with a Bollywood star is particularly popular. Sometimes whole scenes from a film are recreated. Religious scenes and poses with luxury articles also do well. But there is never more than one take possible – clicking the shutter a second time would cut into the profits of the Kulsum Studio.
