On October 23, Pirelli unveiled the 53rd edition of its iconic Pirelli Calendar — called ‘The Cal’ — in New Delhi. For the first time since it launched in 1964, the calendar was shot entirely in India, across the forts of Rajasthan and the chaotic alleys of Old Delhi. In a world drowning in AI-generated mood boards, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. Also read | Supermodels Bhavitha Mandava, Lakshmi Menon and Mona Bhujel represent India as they walk for Chanel in Paris
As fashion watchdog Diet Sabya pointed out in an October 24 Instagram post, in an era of lazy AI renders, the sheer labour of this — sweat, grime, location scouting, and real humans — feels like actual luxury. This edition of Pirelli Calendar did not try to give one monolithic, exoticised idea of India. It had two visions — and that’s the point.
Vision 1 by Solve Sundsbo
Norwegian fashion photographer Solve Sundsbo shot nine contemporary icons at historic sites like Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur and Ajabgarh in Alwar, Pirelli shared on its website – like television host and model Padma Lakshmi, floating in a water lily pond covered in duckweed and lotus, wearing a sheer cream gown. Her shot was ethereal and timeless.
Then there was a shot of model Lakshmi Menon, in a close-up against a magenta backdrop, her skin covered with pink and yellow pigment, staring straight into the camera. Bhavitha Mandava — the first Indian model named a Chanel house ambassador — was shot in golden light with slicked-back hair and massive earrings. Actors Freida Pinto, Aditi Rao Hydari and Avantika Vandanapu, as well as sitar player Anoushka Shankar and poet Rupi Kaur also feature on the calendar.
Vision 2 by Raghu Rai and Avani Rai
Parallel to that is the moving documentary thread by the late photographer Raghu Rai and his daughter Avani Rai. Raghu, who had been photographing India’s rhythms since the 1960s, spent months planning this project — a dialogue between his vast archive and present-day India — before he died in April 2026.
Avani finished his vision. She took his black-and-white prints into Old Delhi — Kinari Bazar, Yamuna Ghat — and photographed them in the present, Pirelli shared on its website. His old photo of a bullock cart held up against a street where men in bright red turbans now laugh and hold red balloons. His archive came face-to-face with 200 plus locals, performers, artisans, and kids.
One of the most striking frames featured actor Ranveer Singh. Shot by Avani, the black-and-white picture showed him on top of a stool in a double-breasted suit and sunglasses, throwing his head back laughing as confetti explodes around him. Pure chaos energy.
As Pirelli said in its official statement, India isn’t a static subject to be captured from one position — it’s a living landscape that forces you to move. After 62 years of being shot everywhere around the world, the Pirelli Calendar finally moved to India – and it was worth the wait.
