Raw, Unfiltered, Human

Cinematographer Navroze Contractor framed people with the same empathy he lived by. 'Photography Strictly Prohibited', now in Delhi, unveils six decades of unseen, unfiltered stories through his photography.

- ADITHI REENA AJITH

It is difficult to define Navroze Contractor because he did so many things—he was a cinematographer, an exceptional photographer, a writer, and a passionate biker," says photographer Anuj Ambalal, curator of 'Photography Strictly Prohibited,' currently on view at Museo Camera Centre for the Photographic Arts in Gurugram. "He was a jack of all trades," he adds.

Contractor, best known for his cinematography in the parallel cinema movement, worked with Mani Kaul (Duvidha (1973). His other credits are Percy (1989) and Lalach (1983). His documentary credits include Are You Listening?, All in the Family, and Famine 87.

As a photographer, "he liked to capture movement and emotion in pictures. That was what drove him," says Ambalal. His journey began in 1957 when he saw 'The Family of Man' exhibition at Ahmedabad's Sanskar Kendra. Mesmerized by its celebration of humanity, he told his mother, "I want to be a photographer when I grow up."

The exhibition showcases over 160 photographs from 20,000 archives, spanning six decades from 1960 to 2021. Many had never been publicly displayed before. Alongside the exhibition, the book Photography Strictly Prohibited expands on his work through interviews and essays.

Curated by Anuj Ambalal, Himanshu Panchal, and Sanjiv Shah, narrowing down the selection was a challenge. "Navroze never worked in series—most of his images were standalone photographs, which made it difficult to decide whether to arrange them chronologically or thematically," says Ambalal. "Ultimately, we chose images that best reflected Navroze's perspective on life, making that our guiding theme."