B.K. Tambe Tribute: From Shoe Polisher to Iconic Photographer of Bollywood Stars

By Sharad Rai

His eyes welled up as he recalled his past—
“Sharad, it’s been 50 years since I entered the film industry. From Dilip Kumar to Arjun Kapoor, I’ve captured them all with my camera. Today, I feel proud to be a part of an industry where humanity thrives, where passion lives on, and where even someone like me found a place.”
Sometime back, veteran press photographer B.K. Tambe shared his life story with me, saying, “Please write about me after I’m gone.” We had published this memoir in Mayapuri back then itself.

“My life journey is filled with hardships and struggles,” he had said. “Today, the name ‘Tambe’ is known to every star, but some years ago…?”

Diving into his memories, Tambe recalled, “There was a small boy, shirt buttons missing, shouting on station platforms—‘Polish your shoes!’ It wasn’t a film dialogue, it was my life. I used to run from Churchgate to Grant Road polishing shoes. If I didn’t, my sister Shanta and I had to sleep hungry. We must’ve been around 10-12 years old.”

“After that, I started delivering tea at Shankar Vilas Hotel. I also used to carry bangles on my head, selling them door to door. I’m not sharing this for sympathy, but so others can learn—life isn’t run on despair, but struggle.”

“My father was a liftman in a Parsi building where people like Vinod Khanna and sound recordist Meenu Katrit lived. That’s where my love for films began. Life’s struggles left footprints on my path too. That boy who used to sweep a photo studio floor, eventually went on to regularly photograph Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Dutt, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan...

“While cleaning the studio, I also learned photography from the owner. Dingu Studio (Gwalior Tank) got work at Mehboob Studio, and I began going there too. I used to greet stars with ‘Salaam Saab’ and tried to strike up conversations. Everyone began calling me ‘Tingu’. I rented cameras with my own money and began shooting stars. Slowly, people recognized my work, and I became a regular photographer. Dharmendra knew my story and would often tease me—‘Hey, got your camera today?’ But he and Hema ji also helped me financially.”

“Amitabh Bachchan was shooting Khuda Gawah at RK Studio. My daughter Anita was getting married. I asked him, ‘Will you attend the wedding?’ He nodded. The wedding was at National College in Bandra. When he showed up, the groom’s side and the entire wedding party were stunned. I had invited many stars, most of whom said—‘But you’re not even giving us an invite card!’ Still, they all came—Amitabh (with Manoj Desai), Shatrughan Sinha (with Pahlaj Nihalani), Akbar Khan, Pinaz Masani, Jackie Shroff, Salman Khan, Anil Morarka, Vilasrao Deshmukh... Even Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan sent their wishes from Madras. Smita Thackeray sent money. From Marathi cinema, Mahesh Manjrekar, Ashok Shroff, Sachin and many others came. That day, tears wouldn’t stop in the eyes of the boy who once polished shoes on the streets.”

“Later, my grandson Manish was named by Amitabh Bachchan. Another special moment—Abhishek and Aishwarya were leaving an event, saw me and Abhishek pulled her back saying, ‘He’s my dad’s friend, let’s go greet him.’ My heart was full. Sunil Dutt had once said similar words to Sanjay Dutt about me. Even Dilip Kumar had called Haji Mastan once for me—when someone pretending to be Mastan’s nephew tried to cheat me. Mastan Saab handled the man and got my money back.”

“There are many stories—once Mithun said something while Jitendra was standing beside him. Jeetu told him, ‘Don’t say that about Tambe.’”

“I must also mention Mayapuri editor P.K. Bajaj. During tough times, he gave me food, packed meals for home, helped financially and always encouraged me. Journalists, photographers, the entire industry supported me. Without them, the boy on the pavement would never have become the beloved of the stars. I’m proud to be part of an industry where so many people care.”

Salute to you, Tambe ji... You will be deeply missed!

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