Celebrity photographer Rohan Shrestha released his photo series with footballer Lionel Messi after Argentina lifted the FIFA World Cup 2022 trophy in Qatar. Shrestha, who is a huge Messi fan, recalls clicking him. “It was beyond my dreams, it was my fantasy,” says the 37-year-old. The first time Shrestha’s friend told him about a shoot with Messi, he “couldn’t even take it seriously ”. He recalls, “It was a month of sleepless nights. You are always worrying before because you always think about the worst-case scenario.”

Shrestha is the first Indian photographer to shoot Messi. The photographer says that the process of the shoot was planned so well that he even did a mock shoot with a model just a day before the main shoot with Messi happened. “Before he entered, I was very anxious. I had a double espresso, which did not help at all,” he quips, adding, “When Messi came, he wasn’t like he was a star. He was like a regular guy, so nonchalant about these (starry) things. But when he sat for my first shot, my hand was shaking. I don’t usually shoot with a tripod, but I put the camera on a tripod.”

Shrestha couldn’t speak to Messi directly, as the Argentinian footballer doesn’t speak in English. However, they shared a beautiful moment, which made Shrestha teary-eyed. “I was chatting with him with the help of a translator. But my communication was primarily around the direction of the shots. And at the end of the shoot, I just happened to tell him that I am a massive fan. I told him that I have watched him in the stadium since 2006... I didn’t know how to ask for a picture with him because I am very introverted,” recalls the lensman.

He goes on, “I think the translator happened to tell Messi the entire story [about my love for him] and when I finished the shoot, Messi shook my hand and walked away. Then, he came back and hugged me. That was my moment, that was my life, that was my everything. Then I went outside and I wept. I was like, ‘What have I done to deserve this?’ Such moments are not in your control. If anyone ever asked me in 2009, ‘Who would you like to shoot?’ I would have said, Messi. It was always Messi.”