Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Few Hours with Jeffery Archer

I had heard of this great writer Jeffery Archer and the one book which I liked one of his books titled 'Fourth Estate', which pertains to the present industry I am working with. It showed the dirty politics which still takes place in these times too. So I went there for the exclusive interview with the book to his autograph on it. But after reaching the hotel to my surprise my colleague Smitha Rao (then with Bangalore Mirror) as usual arrived 45 minutes late, only to get the anger seething from the author. Jeffery told us that our 30 minutes were down to 5 minutes. While waiting for the reporter to come so that we could start our session the Bangalore Times was finishing their interview and the photographer took Jeffery outside in the lawns for a shoot, so I just took two frames as a back up since he was upset with our great female reporter who had not yet arrived for the chit chat.
After 10 minutes of waiting and the BT team gone my colleague arrives and puts a show to the PRO as though she had just finished a marathon race. Jeffery was called, and he looks at his watch and says you guys have three minutes to finish your interview.
As I started to take pictures Jeffery started at me and immediately the PR walked up to me and told me that he does not like to be photographed when talking to someone. So I move across to a close by chair plunk myself and stare at the walls like a lunatic. But then I started to use the zoom lens to my advantage and took some very mood filled pictures which was to my luck better than what the BT photographer had arranged for. Well as it turned out that Jeffery some how took a liking to this reporter or was he whiling away his time so that he could get for lunch from the portico rather than go back to his room and walk back for the lunch at the restaurant. Soon after he finished his interview he said that now I am ready for the pictures to be taken, to which I asked him to pose with a Hindu goddess at the portico. Jeffery obliged and later when he went back to sit I asked him if could autograph my book and he said why not, but after I freshen up a bit. As he came out the PR lady who had my book to be autographed gave it to him and he wrote ‘to dear Victor’, later when someone told him it was the wrong name, Jeffery wrote Sorry Shiva, and also as I went to collect my book Jeffery said that in all his life he is writing the word sorry for the first time in any his of fans book. Well sorry or no sorry I had met the man named Jeffery Archer, who moved me through his 'Fourth Estate'.

Jeffery Archer poses for the Bangalore Times - Photographer after an Interview to them in Bangalore on 24th May 2008.

Jeffery Archer making a face to show that he is not comfortable being photographed while giving an interview to the Bangalore Mirror on 24th May, 2008.

Using the Zoom to my liking I took some of the candid pictures of Jeffery Archer from different angles, which he looked at later on my viewfinder to say 'very good Images'.

Soon after the interview Jeffery Archer got up and suddenly to give an bear hug to the reporter even as he made an comment 'I love Indian woman'.

This one is for the Album as Jeffery Archer poses with Indian Gods at the Portico of the Oberio Hotel in Bangalore on 24th May 2008.

The Fourth Estate book of mine which Jeffery Archer had autographed with the wrong name and then wrote sorry with my name right above the title. Later he told me that he was writing the word 'Sorry' for the first time to anyone and repents for not asking me my name before autographing the book.

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