EXCLUSIVE: Avinash Gowariker Recalls How He Became Shah Rukh Khan’s Family Photographer Despite SRK Having ‘Favourites’ Already; Shares, “From That Point On…”

Avinash Gowariker is a renowned photographer celebrated for his work in celebrity and advertising photography, particularly within the Bollywood industry. He started his career as an assistant director and has worked with Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Deepika Padukone and others. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble,

Avinash Gowariker On Working With Shah Rukh Khan

When asked about him completing the Khan trilogy for his photoshoots, Avinash Gowariker said, “Shah Rukh Khan was actually the last among the big stars I started working with. He came into my journey much later. What happened was, Shah Rukh and Ashu (Gowariker) are very good friends, so when Swades was being shot, all the stills were done on location. I didn’t shoot for Lagaan or Swades; I wasn’t involved in those stills. I started shooting after that, Jodhaa Akbar and all the big poster shoots came later. Swades and Lagaan were completely location-based, so the location photographer handled them. Shah Rukh and I didn’t really have a working relationship during that time. I had taken a few pictures during Paheli, but it wasn’t anything significant because he already had his favourite photographers and a full team in place.”

Avinash Gowariker Reveals How He Met Shah Rukh Khan

Adding further, he said, “Now, Farah and I are very close. When she was working on Om Shanti Om, she had that bare-body sequence with Shah Rukh. That’s when she called me and said, ‘Come shoot,’ and she told Shah Rukh, ‘Let Avinash shoot it.’ Shah Rukh, being the gentleman he is, said yes. I shot those pictures, and sometimes, things just click; you’re in the right place at the right time. Around that same period, Gauri wanted to shoot some family pictures because their house, Mannat, was newly done up, and Aryan, Suhana were still kids.”

Continuing, he said, “She was giving an interview for something and asked me if I’d shoot the family photos. Of course, I was more than happy. So we planned to shoot at night, after Shah Rukh packed up from work. That’s how those iconic Mannat family pictures happened—you can still see them there. From that point on, things just flowed naturally.”

Avinash Admits Being A Huge SRK Fan

He added, “And I have to say, I’m a huge Shah Rukh fan. That man is something else—truly indescribable. The way he’s so easygoing about work, the way he doesn’t take himself too seriously, and how effortlessly he does everything—it’s just incredible. We really hit it off. Again, I say I’m fortunate that he chooses to shoot with me. It’s not about what we do—it’s about them choosing to work with us. Of course, they must see something in our work, but still, I consider it a blessing. So from there, it just kept growing—we kept shooting more and more. Life has been good.”

Watch The Full Interview

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Avinash Gowariker Stayed In Sohail Khan’s Room After Salman Khan Invited Him To Live At Galaxy? Celebrity Photographer Recalls Fond Memories With Khan-daan