GUNS

Little was verma aware that not only him but also his customers are getting inspired from movies to gear up in different poses in front of camera. Influence of bollywood in 60s, 80s was so impactful that even if meant standing for hours at a shopkeeper’s shop every Sundays to watch a movie if one doesn’t have a TV set. People loved to internalize the character they saw on the big or small screen. Farukhnagar was no exception. Not only men but women were also trying to modify themselves by switching to the new fashion statements made by the heroines of their times. During 70s many movies were made on the heroic acts of dacoits and pirates which inspired many women in farukhnagar to get into the shoes of their favorite character and got clicked by holding a gun. Looking at one such photograph verma remembered that farukhnagar before partition had a tradition of making swords, military guns, knifes etc for Mughal army and later for Britishers. It was the Muslim artisans who practiced this occupation as they were good in martial artistry. With Muslims this profession also got wiped out at the time of partition. Weapons and heroism still flatter the inhabitants in farukhnagar. Because of which film sholay in 80s swiped away the earth beneath the feet of people in farukhnagar. To be photographed as a movie’s character became obsession. Good looking males became “basanti”, heavily built turned into “gabbar” where as other loved to get into the dress of “veru”. Holding Guns, wearing big and fake mustache, beard, this style of photography – realizing the fantasies – made photo studio the talk of the town.