Samantha Akkineni, Shruti Haasan and other South stars recreate Raja Ravi Varma’s portraits in this 2020 calendar

G Venket Ram’s latest project brings together art and photography in a unique manner. Released on his official Instagram page just days ago, a new limited edition calendar for 2020 by the photographer showcases some of the South Indian entertainment and arts industry’s most loved actors and dancers recreating portraits of women by legendary painter Raja Ravi Varma. Each 19th century painting gets a fresh update with a known face taking the place of Varma’s original muse, and the similarities between each artwork and snapshot are uncanny. Among the subjects captured by Ram’s lens are Kamal Haasan’s daughter Shruti Haasan, Telugu and Tamil actor Samantha Akkineni, and Baahubali star Ramya Krishnan. Actor-politician Khushbu Sundar, actor-producer Lakshmi Manchu, Tamil star Aishwarya Rajesh, Malayalam star Nadhiya, Bharatnatyam dancers Shobana and Priyadarshini Govind, and former Malayali actor Lissy Lakshmi have also been featured in the calendar.

Blending fresh faces with Raja Ravi Varma’s beautiful backdrops, G Venket Ram’s calendar brings to life each Varma creation down to the finest detail. Each woman transforms into Varma's subjects, dressed in traditional garments and jewellery, handpicked to match the paintings.

The complete collection of portraits, which launched at The Folly, Amethyst, in Chennai, is part of an initiative intended to benefit the NAAM Charitable Trust, an organisation founded by actor-director Suhasini Maniratnam that aims to empower underprivileged single women and their children.

The artists featured in the calendar have also taken to Instagram to express their gratitude for being part of the project. "Always the best working with you recreating Ravi Varma's work for Naam. So glad I could be a part of this meaningful project, " wrote Samantha Akkineni, while Haasan shared her pictures saying, "Such an incredible experience shooting for this and such an honour to be associated with this cause.”

Scroll now to check out each recreation from the calendar.