A six-handed "The Cal" to tell the story of India

Pirelli has presented its 2027 calendar, marking a historic shift for the publication known as The Cal. For the first time in its fifty-three year history, the project was executed by three artists spanning two generations. The edition features portraits shot in India, a country selected for this cycle after decades of global travel. The presentation took place in New Delhi, highlighting the brand’s expansion into the world's most populous nation. This release follows the 2026 edition, which was already notable for being signed twice consecutively by Norwegian photographer Sølve Sundsbø. The collaborative nature of the 2027 project stems from the death of Indian photography master Raghu Rai in April. Rai had been the initial author of the project and had documented India since 1965. His passing occurred before the completion of his assigned work. Consequently, the responsibility fell to his daughter, Avani Rai, who is both a photographer and a filmmaker, alongside Sundsbø. This arrangement created a unique dynamic where the legacy of one generation met the contemporary vision of another. Marco Tronchetti Provera, who has overseen the project since 1992, described The Cal as one of Pirelli’s most vital initiatives. He noted that when he assumed control, the calendar was not considered as significant as it is today. Under his stewardship, it evolved into a reference point for art and culture, explaining how a tire manufacturer became a global ambassador for beauty. Sundsbø approached the assignment with a specific artistic constraint. He stated that he did not feel entitled to represent the entirety of India’s complexity. Instead, he focused on portraiture, specifically capturing nine extraordinary Indian women. These subjects were photographed at the Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur and Ajmer, located in the state of Rajasthan. The group includes actresses Aditi Rao Hydari, Avantika Vandanapu, and Freida Pinto, who is also a producer. Musician Anoushka Shankar and poet Rupi Kaur are also featured. Models Lakshmi Menon and Bhavitha Mandava appear alongside television host and author Padma Lakshmi. Avani Rai herself appears in front of the camera for this edition. Sundsbø explained that he concentrated on textures, colors, and contrasts, utilizing bright fabrics, flowers suspended over water mirrors, and shadows cast by stone geometry. Avani Rai continued her father’s conceptual framework by revisiting locations where he had previously worked. Raghu Rai had intended to juxtapose images from his personal archive with faces from contemporary India. Avani carried this idea forward by returning to the streets of Delhi and Mumbai where her father’s original shots were taken. She photographed the original image sites alongside their current surroundings. This included flower markets, the narrow lanes of Old Delhi, rooftops of skyscrapers, and fishing villages. With the assistance of her father’s former driver, Nandan, she retraced his historical routes through crowded streets and along the banks of the Yamuna River. She noted that her father was fascinated by the city’s transformation and the elements facing disappearance. The production process involved approximately 130 people and took place between May and September. Among those involved was Avani’s mother and Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh. The final product is a box set containing two distinct pockets to house thirty-six photographs. Eighteen images are signed by Sundsbø, while the other eighteen belong to the joint project of Raghu and Avani Rai. Avani described feeling a deep sense of responsibility toward her father’s work. She explained that he belonged to the street, and documenting these changes was an emotionally charged journey. She added that the project helped her process grief, teaching her to transform pain into celebration. She emphasized that while cultures often teach sadness regarding loss, acknowledging mortality is a universal certainty. Tronchetti Provera addressed the technological landscape surrounding such projects. He affirmed that he would never see a calendar produced using artificial intelligence. He stated he was prepared to write this stance into his memoirs, arguing that AI lacks the sensitivity that has fueled the project until now. He expressed confidence in looking forward, noting that India is currently building its future. The calendar serves as a visual record of this rapid change. Avani Rai discussed the importance of documenting the times in which photographers live. She mentioned attending protests, following her father’s example of dissatisfaction with societal issues. She believes it is a photographer’s duty to document life occurring outside the door, even if some images cannot be published due to restrictions on showing certain realities. She rejected expressing opinions verbally, preferring to convey them through photographic evidence. Freida Pinto, one of the featured models, commented that nothing is perfection, yet the calendar captures a transforming world. The project underscores the concept of heritage as reinterpretation. Avani noted that past enters the present, and the present moves toward the future. She refused to choose a favorite photograph among the many, including one of her mother, citing the difficulty of selection. She highlighted that in photography, the extraordinary lies in detail and specificity. A moment, in its dimension and time, never repeats itself, regardless of years passed or countries crossed. The collaboration between the three artists resulted in a narrative coherence built on color, light, and contrast, bridging the gap between archival memory and immediate reality.