"I have shot with Varun and Alia, they are the two new faces (in the calendar for this year)," Ratnani said here Friday at a pre-launch event for the calendar.
"I recently did a first photo shoot with Varun for a magazine and he was brilliant in the pictures. It didn't feel like I was shooting with him for the first time, it was like a connection from the first shoot itself. Then we thought of introducing him in the calendar," he added.
Ratnani, who has been creating a special celebrity calendar annually since the past 14 years, recalls his association with Varun, son of filmmaker David Dhawan.
"I shot with Varun for Stardust and actually there is a long story with Varun. The first time I met with Varun he was threee days old. David used to stay in my building and Rohit (Varun's brother) and Varun both were born in front of me," he said.
The photographer has a history with Alia too.
"With Alia, I shot for a look test for Karan Johar's film and with her also, I go a long way back. Pooja (Bhatt) and me have been shooting together since I was an assistant. So there is a connection with both Varun and Alia and both of them made beautiful pictures," he added.
