He has photographed some of the most iconic moments in Indian fashion history, from the very first fashion week in 2000 – Lakmé Fashion Week held at the Taj Palace hotel in Delhi – where young, nascent designers like Tarun Tahiliani, Raghavendra Rathore, Rina Dhaka and Rohit Bal showcased their very first collections for the ramp, to the late Rohit Bal’s very last show at The Imperial, in late 2024, which overflowed with emotion. “I have negatives of those first shows, with Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani, Aki Narula, Abu-Sandeep and Suneet Varma,” says Gulshan Sachdeva, Indian fashion and Delhi society’s most prolific photographer.
Joey Matthews on the ramp, at one of the earlier fashion weeks. Photo by Gulshan Sachdeva.
Fashion Week’s Archivist
“Those were the days when the fashion weeks had just started,” says Gulshanji, as he’s affectionately known in the industry. “More designers were added to the roster, then FDCI and IMG split – with two fashion weeks in both Delhi and Mumbai, and then came a Couture Week in Delhi. Now the year’s seasons are split between Delhi and Mumbai.” He started before the ubiquitous smartphone popped out to record every look and turn of the models on the ramp. The photographs captured by lensmen like Gulshanji, were the only photos of fashion week.
“Gulshanji is as old as the Indian fashion industry,” says couturier Suneet Varma, “He has seen it evolve from its very infancy to where it is now – a serious, well established business. Gulshanji probably has the largest archive of Indian fashion, and is a dear friend over three decades.”
Gaurav Gupta during one of his first shows, at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. Photo by Gulshan Sachdeva.
During the Covid era, Gulshanji set down to archiving his entire repertoire of fashion week photos; while he’s still chronicling all his negatives. “Recently, I was looking at my archive, and I saw Gaurav Gupta’s first photos at fashion week, right after he had graduated from NIFT, and I sent them to him,” says Gulshanji. “Gaurav wrote back, ‘Wow, that’s really nice!’ And one of his models in that show – a regular model, not a showstopper – was Deepika Padukone. I have seen so many Bollywood heroines – Katrina, Deepika, Aishwarya, Priyanka – just walk the ramp for designers, before they became stars.”
Deepika Padukone For Gaurav Gupta. Photo by Gulshan Sachdeva.
During those early heady days of Indian fashion, photographers like him relied on negatives. “In a roll, we shot 36 photos, developed them, then they would be printed, go to publications like Verve and Elle, then to a designer, for their catalogues,” he says, “I would give them prints, and those would be scanned for print.”
Sapna Kumar. Photo by Gulshan Sachdeva.
Technology would soon change the game. “Around 2005, I upgraded myself,” says Gulshanji, “I knew the future was digital. Then came the phones, with great camera quality, but there’s still no comparison between a camera and the phone.”
Gulshanji, who has been awarded multiple times by the FDCI, Blender’s Pride Fashion Tour, amongst others, has seen it all. “I’ve seen the fun, the controversy, and the diplomacy of Indian fashion!” He says. “But it’s all your love and blessings – from the media, the FDCI, the designers.” He is a favourite of designers such as the late Rohit Bal and Tarun Tahiliani. But he has always remained humble, from the very beginning.
The Early Days
In the mid-90s, Indian fashion’s most prolific photographer was a dealer in electronics equipment. “I used to specialise in photography equipment – cameras, video cassettes, film rolls,” says Gulshanji, “I would purchase them for sale, and test the features. As our economy opened up, the policies changed, and India was flooded with international brands. I started experimenting with photography. And slowly, I started doing wedding photography.”
He began his career with ITC Maurya, doing interiors, corporate profiles, and food photography, followed by wedding photography – small events at first, followed by bigger weddings. “I focused on events, where I became indispensable,” he says, “Everyone was like, ‘You have to call Gulshan.’ I saw magazines like Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, and GQ launch in front of me. I took photos of their launch parties.”
Gulshanji always had one advantage over other photographers: nobody needed to brief him repeatedly for a photoshoot. “I learned to cover the event the first time, and the client understood that I would give them a complete job with the photographs,” he says. “For example, if it was a Gucci event, from taking photos of the snacks, the drinks, closeups of the installations, I knew the guidelines, so they didn’t need to brief me,” he says.
He says that the very concept of luxury in India was introduced in front of him. “Savitri (Singh, heiress of the DLF group) ma’am of DLF Emporio brought the concept of luxury to Delhi – so I did all the interior, promotions and launch party shoots for DLF Emporio – Gucci, Tod’s, Ferragamo, Fendi, Zegna.”
“Back in 2008, I had done a shoot with Gulshanji for Virgin Atlantic with my boss Neha Lidder,” says PR maven Varun Pratap, founder of Quirk PR. “I remember him being very sweet and encouraging. I was new to PR and he was always so warm and reassuring. We continued to work together when I moved to TCC, he was such a friendly mentor and encouraged me to found my own PR firm. I have shot Varun Bahl’s show in Kashmir at The Lalit with him. No event of Quirk makes sense without him. From Abhinav Mishra’s first event to his latest show, it has been with Gulshanji. He is part of the DNA of a PR person’s life.”
Gulshan Sachdeva with Sushmita Sen
Society’s Chronicler
In the late 1990s, was the dawn of the ‘Page 3’ phenomenon (celebrity and events photo pages) with Hindustan Times. “I remember there was a small column by Ruchika Mehta – a mix of fashion and Page 3, which was expanded to half page, then a full page,” says Gulshanji. “Then journalists like Sourish Bhattacharyya joined. Mr Vir Sanghvi would handle celeb and food stories, and I would cover their events – everything from new restaurants, new menus, chefs’ profiles, university campus elections, professor profiles.”
He recalls doing a shoot for a caddy-turned-golfer. “I put the golf course in the background, and carpeted it with lots of golf balls, and showed the golfer hitting out with a golf club,” says Gulshanji. “He loved that photo. The title of the story was ‘From Caddy to Golfer’, and it was pro golfer Shiv Chaurasia.”
As someone who has worked closely alongside him for years, both as a mentee and friend, Chaiti Narula, our editorial director and a long-standing voice within the media and fashion ecosystem, puts it best: “Gulshanji is one of the most prolific human beings I have encountered in my life. He is literally somebody who has shot the entire ecosystem of lifestyle in Delhi into relevance. To me, he is a pillar and epitome of a man who makes fashionistas, fashion designers, models, socialites, brands, people of society, into who they are, by chronicling the most important moments that matter. If I had to think about who would perhaps have an archival imagery of the city of Delhi and the society, how it has evolved over the years, it would be nobody other than Gulshanji. He acts as a friend, mentor and guide to most people I know. Does any event, fashion show, or a party in this city even begin without Gulshanji being present? Very rarely. At an event ‘Where is Gulshanji?’ is a question you will hear multiple times through its duration, in a meeting that goes into planning an event ‘Let's get Gulshanji’, is a given. And dissemination of these images the next day is never ever stressful, because I always say, ‘why fear when Gulshanji is near!’, and even he laughs to that corny line of mine. But it’s true, why should any of us fear, when Gulshanji is near? To me, he breathes life into the pulse of the capital.”
Chaiti Narula, Editorial Director and Founder, French Press Global and Maison French Press pictured with Gulshanji
“I still remember, very recently, we had a party for Sahil Kochhar at Andaz, Delhi, where he was on the cover of the Andaz magazine, enabled by Maison French Press - the brand architectural arm of French Press Global - and I particularly remember during the meeting, Sahil said, ‘This event can’t happen without Gulshanji. You know why? Because he’s the only one who knows exactly who is to be clicked, and he knows exactly which image has to go for social media, for print, for web and more. Gulshanji, he never needs a brief, rather he can brief us all on how to do our jobs!’
And I recall, the entire room - from the hotel, to the agency, to the designer, to the magazine - was agreeable on only one thing, in the midst of all the back and forth - that this event cannot happen without Gulshanji present," maintains Chaiti Narula. "He understands the ins and outs of who gets along with whom, and who needs to get clicked strategically with whom. For most marketeers and editors, such as myself, he is the gift that keeps on giving!”
His Secret Formula
Known for photographing Delhi’s most famous socialite-entrepreneurs, from Ramola Bachchan and Kalyani Saha, to Tanisha Mohan and Shalini Passi, Gulshanji explains, “Everyone is equally important to me.” He says he uses his own judgment and discernment, when it comes to reading the person he needs to photograph. “The bigger the person, the humbler they are,” he says, “They will not show off, or strut their stuff. A genuine person is judged by their nature, behaviour, by the way they walk.”
He recalls an incident with the late Prithvi Raj Singh ‘Biki’ Oberoi, executive chairman of the Oberoi Group, from which he learned about people. “When Mr Biki Oberoi took interviews for his hotel, there would be lots of people at his table, including the HR Director,” he says, “Supposing it was an interview for F&B Manager, as the candidate entered, Mr Oberoi would judge them from their walk, and only if he saw them fit, would he ask further questions, otherwise he would pass their file to his colleagues – ‘You take a look.’”
An article in Times of India, showing Gulshan Sachdeva with fellow photographers and Sunil Sethi at Hyundai India Couture Week
Today, Gulshanji, the official photographer of FDCI Hyundai India Couture Week, tells us the secret to taking the perfect ramp photo. “One needs to understand choreography a bit,” he says. “Before a fashion show, all the choreographers do a dry run, so one gets to see where the models will be. Then we find our spots. A model like Lakshmi (Rana) or Sonalika (Sahay) is so intelligent, they just need a cue, where they will twirl their garment. So the garment really stands out in the photo. I know this is her walk and she will do exactly that – and I capture it.”
Asked whether any fashion show has actually stopped for him, or waited for him, he says that he was once stuck in jam. “I asked them, how much time until the show begins?” he says, “They said 2-3 minutes, come. I think I could have asked them to wait for 5 minutes but I didn’t! I made it to the venue.”
Cover of Outlook, featuring Athiya Shetty, Shilpa Shetty and Rajkummar Rao, shot by Gulshan Sachdeva
Celebs Aplenty
He’s done cover shoots with superstar Shah Rukh Khan (as official photographer for TAG Heuer), Aishwarya Rai (for Watch World), Khushwant Singh for Society, Pacho (Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur) for Outlook Splurge, Rajkummar Rao and Shilpa Shetty for Outlook, and so many more.
Gulshan Sachdeva's cover shoot of HH Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur, Pacho, for Outlook Splurge
“Editors Nandini Bhalla and Jamal Shaikh began their careers in front of me – Jamal was then with Man’s World, one of our top editors, and Nandini with Cosmopolitan and Harper’s Bazaar,” recalls Gulshanji, “I’ve worked with top publicists like Shona Adhikari (former Corporate Communications officer of ITC), and learned so much from her – about food, hospitality, respect. Also, Ms Pratibha Wasan and Mr Nakul Anand of ITC; they were golden people.”
Gulshan Sachdeva with former US President Bill Clinton
He reminisces doing a shoot with former US President Bill Clinton, Ms Hillary Clinton and their daughter Chelsea, during their stay at the ITC Maurya, Delhi, as the official photographer there. “I admire Mr Clinton a lot; I was with him for 3-4 days during his visit to Delhi. I must say, he was a thorough gentleman. The Clintons were all very down to earth.”
Gulshan Sachdeva with Donald Trump Jr during his India visit
President Bill Clinton told him, “You have taken so many photographs today with all these VIPs, they will put up these photos at home and remember me, but I want a photo with you.” He still cherishes that photo with President Clinton. Gulshanji has also met President Obama whom he has described as ‘very friendly’. From President Trump’s family, he has met with Donald Trump Jr.
Gulshan Sachdeva gets photographed with Mr Mukesh Ambani
“At the HT Summit in Delhi, Mr Mukesh Ambani also told me, ‘I want a photo with you.’” He remarks. “MS Dhoni also forced me to take a photo! I told him, I’m not into that, that I look good behind the camera, not in front, I get nervous. So he snatched my camera and gave it to his manager. He said, ‘Take a photo of him – he takes thousands of photos of mine, and doesn’t even come forward for his own photo!’”
Gulshan Sachdeva with cricket maestro MS Dhoni
Besides SRK, Gulshanji has done full day shoots with Bollywood superstars such as Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra. “I also clicked Vikrant Massey,” he says. “He’s also very humble, and wanted a photo of mine.”
Next Gen Learnings
Today, his son Lakshay, is following in his father’s footsteps. “He’s learned on his own, through trial and error, ‘Maar kha kar seekha hai’,” says Gulshanji. “Just like I did. He will be better than me. If he stumbles, he will learn from it. Initially, he used to bother me a lot during shoots, ‘Teach me, show me, I don’t understand.’ I told him, this is not a classroom – I can’t teach you while working.”
“He started taking photos, and we would go over each, sitting at the computer,” he reminisces. “I told him to do a photography course. He did it, and now he’s marching ahead of me.”
Gulshan Sachdeva with His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Who is Gulshanji’s biggest teacher? “God is my guru,” he says, “I never had a teacher. I miss shooting wildlife – my dream, and I want to shoot nude, artistic photography. Not everyone can do it.”
Gulshan Sachdeva with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar
He credits India Today’s Kalli Purie for recognising his talent. “She flew me to Mumbai for the Cosmopolitan Blogger and Creator Award, then for Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year Awards, and the Hello! Hall of Fame Awards. As have journalists like Chaiti Narula (“A star-maker!”), NDTV’s Rahul Kanwal, Prabhu Chawla of The New Indian Express, and anchorperson Vikram Chandra. “This breed of journalists doesn’t exist any more,” he says.
He is very picky about his equipment. “I prefer to use Canon,” he says, “They have the best saturation, and their cameras are user-friendly.” He likes to use the Canon EOS R5 Mark II. “The Canon people ask me for advice and give me their new cameras for review and feedback,” mentions Gulshanji who is seen by the brand as an expert in the field.
Gulshan Sachdeva with former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
Can a photographer earn a good living today? “It’s a good career, no doubt,” he says, “You can make portraits, reels, pre-wedding shoots. Parents want a first day shoot for newborns. Of course the future with AI, is a bit dicey. It will shake up the industry, and change it forever. You can take a photo and AI can give you any variation or permutation. It also corrects everything. The future is AI, I had shot a conference on Digital technology during the G20 meet in Delhi – with world leaders. No one knows what will happen, it can’t be stopped.”