Photographer and one of Kollywood’s well-known public relations professional, Gunaseelan, has become a bit of an unlikely celebrity among the cadre of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and admirers of its chief Thol. Thirumavalavan, after he convinced the busy leader for a photoshoot, designed to make him look ‘stylish’, dressing him up in suits.
The photographs, recently made public as part of Mr. Thirumavalavan’s birthday celebrations, went viral on social media — the leader looked starkly different from his fiery self, often portrayed in party posters and wall paintings.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Gunaseelan, who admires the Chidambaram Member of Parliament as a political leader, said he had been trying to do a photoshoot for five years. “I have clicked his photographs at public events, but I always thought that he had a photogenic face and wanted to do a photoshoot where he looked stylish,” Gunaseelan said.
After a good showing in the recent Assembly election, Mr. Thirumavalavan decided to take a small break in Bengaluru and returned rejuvenated. “He looked really fresh and his birthday was also approaching... so I thought this was the best time to do it. I approached him and explained what I had in mind. I showed him some photographs. I assured him that this would not become an embarrassment to him or the party. Thankfully, he believed that I would be able to deliver what I promised,” he said.
Mr. Gunaseelan said he and his team stitched his clothes and arranged for the shoot in five days.
On the day of shoot
“We asked him to come to the studio after a good night’s sleep. We cut his hair and styled him. The idea was to make him wear a blue suit like Ambedkar and take pictures of him holding a book. We also made him wear a brown suit. At first, he listened to our instructions, and then became comfortable and posed on his own. We told him the shoot would take one-and-a-half hours, but we ended up clicking photos for five,” he said.
What has been the response from the party cadre? “I keep getting calls from them. They say ‘thousand kisses’ to you for showing thalaivar [leader] like this. Some say that they want to meet me and ask for my address. It shows how devoted they are to him and the party,” he said.
