Kareena Kapoor:
Kareena's picture reminds me of the Sharon Stone moment from Basic Instinct, although it wasn't the idea. We had initially planned a standing shot and we even clicked some pictures. Then we decided to use the chair, although we had our apprehensions as her dress was really short. But I realized that it may look sexy and hence we went ahead. The minute she did it, I was like, wow, this is it! Her make-up, hair and even her legs are done with a lot of shimmer.
Parineeti Chopra:
Parineeti Chopra hasn't done anything in the sensuous zone. She was unsure of the concept when I narrated to her. I was sure it would work as people have already seen her in the comic, fun, high-energy and boyish kind of space. Hence, I wanted to try something different. I assured her that she can trust me which she did, completely. And when she saw the first click on my laptop, she loved it completely. She called me later and kept thanking me for the picture. It was very sweet of her to say that it was on her checklist to be on my calendar! That was quite a touching gesture. And she looks quite stunning in the picture.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan:
Me and Aishwarya go a long way back. I saw her for the first time in Mukesh Mills, Colaba. I was an assistant photographer while she had just won the Miss World title. Then, she was every photographer's dream. It was like, if you have shot Ash, you have arrived as a photographer! The first time I shot with her, she came to my studio and I was nervous. But she calmed me down and since then, we have got along really well. As for the picture, even though we were doing a tight-close up shot, we worked on the make-up and her eyes. As a calendar shot, I thought that I should use something where she's looking into the camera. And she has got a stunning face. So, we decided to bring out her face, her beauty and eyes as strong points. It's like, the minute she looks back to you; the lens is going to explode!
Hrithik Roshan:
The first time Hrithik ever faced the camera was for me. Even then, I had done his really tight close ups and the way he used to pose and express was amazing. And even today, the way he gets totally involved during the photo shoot is something that people can really learn from, especially newcomers. From 2008 to 2012, I have been only doing body shots with Hrithik. And many people complained that we have already seen body shots of the actor. On the other hand, he has a gorgeous face and great hair. And he's one of the few actors who can carry close-up shots very well. And in the picture, the sexiness in his eyes, the movement of his hands etc all worked beautifully. He had apprehensions whether the picture worked. But I assured him that women are going to love it!
Ranbir Kapoor:
I shot with Ranbir before his first film released. There have been only 2 actors who have made it to my calendar before the release of their first film - one is Arjun Rampal, in 2001, and one is Ranbir Kapoor. I shot with Ranbir for some promotional campaign for Saawariya, much before it released. And he was like superb, man! His dedication and involvement was praiseworthy. And I just knew that he's going to be big. He blindly trusts me and he said that he's there for me and that I am free to choose any concept and get his clothes designed from any designer. With Ranbir, I have always done something very rugged in the last few years and have made him wear ganji or go bare-bodied. So this year, I thought of making him look fresh and formal. The idea was to use some element of red. That's why we had the red-coloured bow tie and we even got this huge fire extinguisher. Interestingly, when I shot with him in 2008, I had made him come out a car and shoot, with fire coming out of the gun. So he reminded me that in 2008, I was lighting up a fire and this time, I am extinguishing a fire!
