2027 Pirelli Calendar Shot in India with All-Indian Female Cast

The 2027 Pirelli Calendar, released by the tire company Pirelli based in Milan, marks a historic first as it is entirely photographed in India, showcasing an all-Indian female cast that includes Bhavitha Mandava, Padma Lakshmi, Anoushka Shankar, Freida Pinto, and Rupi Kaur. Initially envisioned as a partnership between renowned Norwegian photographer Sølve Sundsbø and acclaimed Indian photojournalist Raghu Rai, who passed away in April at the age of 83, the project was continued by his daughter, Avani Rai. She relocated the shoot to outdoor sites in Old Delhi that her father had captured, such as Kinari Bazar and Yamuna Ghat, integrating his original photographs with contemporary scenes. Supermodel Mandava expressed her initial concerns about the calendar's nudity history and its reception in conservative India, yet commended Pirelli for honoring the nation's beauty and diversity. Since its inception in 1964 with Robert Freeman's images, the calendar has transitioned from featuring fully clothed women to more provocative content, recently moderating its focus on nudity.