Behind the lens—Vishal Punjabi on filming his own love story

Whenever a Bollywood couple ties the knot, it's always The Wedding Filmer behind the camera, capturing their love story and the start of a beautiful new chapter together. Over the past 10 years, Vishal Punjabi and his team have delivered breathtaking, heartfelt wedding videos of celebrities such as Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth, Radhika and Anant Ambani, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli, and Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra, among others. But we're not here to talk about another Bollywood wedding; today it’s all about Punjabi's own wedding video, which released last week. 

As someone who’s done more than 400 weddings over 10 years, we wonder how Punjabi feels about his own wedding video. The director chats with Bazaar India, telling us everything about the experience. 

Harper's Bazaar: How does it feel to be on the other side and have your own wedding video shot? 

Vishal Punjabi: Honestly, I didn’t even realize I was being filmed. I was so present in the moment, just being with my fiancé, that the video was the last thing on my mind. I also trust my crew immensely—they flew from India to London for the occasion. Raj, the head of the cinematography department, shot my wedding. A few months ago, I had shot his wedding—it felt very karmic, like life coming full circle. I didn’t plan to shoot his wedding, and he didn’t plan to shoot mine; things just happened that way.

We always had the footage of Nikki and me falling in love at her sister’s wedding two years ago (Punjabi made Nikki’s sister’s wedding video). My crew, intuitive and sharp, kept the camera rolling even after we were done, and that became the backbone of the wedding film. I always knew the film would be real, quiet, and peaceful. I didn’t want it to feel like I was at work, so I avoided the interview format I usually use. Instead, we included speeches and vows. Typically, I use dialogues to get into the couple’s heads, but here, it wasn’t necessary.

HB: Did you change parts of your wedding knowing that it’s going to be shot a certain way? 

VP: I don’t think anything we did was specifically for the video. There were some things added that we wouldn’t normally do. For example, because it was a white wedding, Nikki and I included a bottle where we put sand. The different colours represented various traits in a marriage, and family members also added sand to the bottle. It wasn’t done for the video; it was something meaningful to us. We wanted a beautiful cake simply because I wanted to eat one. The flowers and venue were chosen because we loved them. We also included Ghana and India flags to represent where we’re from. This is what creates the best photos and videos—when everything feels natural. What we preserve aren’t staged memories but real ones. I don’t think Nikki expected such a beautiful video, so she was thrilled when she saw it. I trusted my team, knowing they’d create something wonderful. She shows the video to everyone, and there’s a special kind of joy in that.

HB: How much of an input/insight did Nikki have in the final cut of this wedding video?

VP: She didn't. We showed her the final video. I have a video of her reaction that we made. 

HB: Your video, too, is extremely personal as it has a clip of Nikki from her sister’s wedding that you captured. How special is that?

VP: Those were the beginnings of a relationship. How many people are lucky enough to have that? It was very important to have that. 

HB: While love stories and wedding films are different, was there any wedding you worked on that made you say, ‘Hey, this is something I want to do in my wedding video as well’?

VP: Now, I’m looking forward to having the kind of wedding that I shoot. I want to party, have a haldi, mehendi, pheras. If other people can have it, why can’t she? And that’s what I wanted to create. 

HB: What’s the reason behind choosing 'Is This Love' by Bob Marley as the song for your wedding video?

VP: I’m a big Bob Marley fan and it irritates her a little bit as she’s not that much of a fan. When I played the song for her to pick, she instantly liked the voice and lyrics. She didn’t know that it was a Bob Marley song until the wedding was over. When it did, she looked at me and asked, ‘Was that a Bob Marley song?’ and we both burst out laughing. It was a tribute to him because I love him so much. 

HB: What kind of mood or style did you want to capture, and how did you translate that into the video?

VP: I wanted to capture and preserve the quietness of the wedding. It was a very quiet and beautiful day. I remember that there was a lot of silence, hope, and faith. Whatever words were spoken, each one of them was beautiful and that’s what I wanted to capture.  

HB: What was the most important moment or detail you wanted to make sure was included in your video?

VP: Our vows to each other when we got married was something that doesn’t happen every day. You don’t make that kind of promise in front of everyone. That to me solemnises the wedding. We wanted to capture the dialogue and the voice correctly and the room was quiet enough to make sure that was done.  

HB: What is your favourite part of the video?

VP: I think my favourite part of the video would be the last shot—going back two years ago. 

HB: Were there any unique challenges or surprises in creating your own wedding video?

VP: The challenge was, "Who’s going to do my interview?" since there was nobody I could speak to about how I was feeling. That’s why I ended up giving a speech. Another challenge was that I professionally film very big, fancy weddings, but I couldn’t afford The Wedding Filmer for my own. It’s expensive to hire a team like mine. I could only afford two cinematographers, whereas normally there are four or five. Typically, there’s also a drone operator, two people to record the action, two for reactions, a producer, and a sound technician. With such a team, you don’t have to stress. But in my case, I only had two. Still, when I watch the video, I don’t feel bad. I just feel grateful to those two people who did such a beautiful job.

HB: Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently in terms of video coverage or editing?

VP: No, I went through all the footage, and I don’t think there’s anything I would change. They’ve created a complete memory for me. It’s also a testament to the fact that when people say The Wedding Filmer, they aren’t referring to just me—they’re talking about the people who represent the brand. It’s been preserved very well. Even though it was my wedding, it was amazing to see how skilled the team has become and how they created something so beautiful.

HB: How will your wedding experience influence your approach to shooting weddings?

VP: Tremendously. In fact, the wedding I’m working on right now has been heavily influenced by it. I finally understand what it truly means to have a film made by The Wedding Filmer. I get the joy and the vibe like no one else. After my wedding trailer was made, I grew closer to my wife and her family. Her father, who had never called me before, has called me three times since the trailer. People spend so much on their weddings, but the memories captured here serve a purpose that’s truly priceless. More than me, Nikki understood the joy I bring to people who get married. She realised just how nice it feels.

All images: The Wedding Filmer/Instagram

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