Face knock made her famous

British paparazzo of Indian origin Harsha Gopal tellsu00a0FYI she'd rather talk about "absolute gentleman" Jack Nicholson's cigar swirls than jude law who she socked with an official complaint after he smacked her in public

When you are in a place where you shouldn't be, looking for something you shouldn't be, documenting someone who doesn't want to be, foreign objects hurtling through the air are as common as frisbees flying between 6 year-olds at a neighbourhood park. So, when Elaine Kaufman of Manhattan's hot celebrity hangout that's usually filled to the gills with famous faces, flung a garbage bin lid at Ron Galella after he refused to move from the sidewalk outside her restaurant, he ducked. It hit a waiting limousine, but the photographer most famous for stalking Jackie Onassis with court orders imposed on him to stay away from her, got his picture.



Being a paparazzo (Italian term for photographers who take candid shots of celebrities) takes patience, cunning, nerve, good motor skills as Galella will tell you, and sometimes, the strength to take a hard knock. London-based photographer of Indian origin Harsha Gopal will vouch for the last one. On July 23, the 28 year-old waited outside the Automat restaurant in Dover Street, Mayfair, where Hollywood actor Jude Law was partying with A-listers Jay-Z and Leonardo DiCaprio at a dinner hosted by The Dark Night director Christopher Nolan. When the actor, who is in London to play Hamlet in a West End production, left the place at 1 am, Harsha was the first to click him. Just as she was moving away, she said Law smacked her in the face. "It was deliberate you could see it in his face," she told the British media. While eyewitnesses say it looked intentional, the actor's lawyers rubbished it as an accident. Harsha has registered a complaint with the police.

A face knock isn't an everyday professional hazard, but impossibly long waits are. When football player Lee Sharpe best known for appearing on reality show Celebrity Love Island, was enjoying a date at a
restaurant, Harsha waited 6 hours for a picture. "It was ice cold, horrible weather. I waited till 5 am when
security finally shut shop, saying they'd let him out the back door hours ago," she shrugs.
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The buzz is addictive, Harsha admits, far more heady than dull and dignified event photography which she first dabbled in seven years ago. Socialising with fellow photographers at an event revealed news of a premiere. But they weren't headed there. It was the after-event party they were targetting. "It was another world. Candid, raw, one that spills real pictures. That's what people want to see." Her family (they hail from Gujarat) didn't think she did much until they saw her published pictures of Prince William. And female celebrities expect her to understand their need for privacy instead of blinding them with flashbulbs when they are late for a midnight appointment to get their nails done at Macmillan salon.

A typical day involves building contacts, passing her phone number, and touching base with clubs that could tip her off. Building a rapport with the stars helps avoid the ugliness, she says. American actor and Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke who had met her five years ago, visited London last week, spotted her and rushed to give her a hug. "He's a good celebrity. But Jack Nicholson is an absolute gentleman. He has all the time in the world for you. He'll pose, smoke a cigar, even blow smoke swirls into the camera to ensure you get a rocking frame."

They may not always get this respect, but it's not like they are a community that cares. After all, these are the guys, the only guys, who can tell for sure if the Pope wears Speedos.

Do you think Jude smacked Harsha or was it an accident?
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