The camera as canvas

Celebrated artist Ravi Varma’s stunning paintings have been given a new twist by talented photographer G Venkat Ram. He has ‘recreated’ the iconic works of art using modern-day actresses as models.

South-Indian actresses and dancers Samantha Akkineni, Sruthi Haasan, Lakshmi Manchu, Shobana, Ramya Krishnan, Kushboo Sundar, Aishwarya Rajesh, Priyadarshini Govind, Nadia, Lissy, Lakshmi and Chamundeshwari were part of the project to mark the 10th anniversary of NAAM, a charitable trust founded by Suhasini Maniratnam.

The present-day beauties were made up, dressed and adorned with jewellery to make them look near-identical to the subjects of Ravi Varma’s famous paintings. They posed for Radha in the Moonlight, Woman Holding a Fruit, There Comes Papa! and other well-known works of the artist who was a legend in his lifetime. Chennai-based Venkat Ram’s photographic recreations are as stunning as the originals, and will be used in calendars and booklets published by NAAM.