Archive · 11 Aug 2026
2027 Pirelli Calendar Shot in India for First Time
The Pirelli Calendar is a very famous photo calendar made by Pirelli, a tire company from Milan, Italy, that has existed since 1964.
In 2027, for the very first time, the calendar will feature pictures taken in India.
A famous Indian photographer named Raghu Rai was supposed to help take the pictures, but he passed away in April.
His daughter Avani, who is also a photographer, finished the project for him.
She took photos of more than 200 everyday people on the streets of Old Delhi.
A photographer from Norway named Sølve took pictures of famous writers, actors, and musicians at beautiful forts in Rajasthan.
The calendar's theme is called 'past forward,' which mixes old photographs and memories with new ones.
Avani said the project changed her and helped her feel close to her father again.
The calendar is very special in the worlds of fashion, art, and photography.
The 2027 Pirelli Calendar, known as The Cal™, chose India as its muse for the first time, with the shoot wrapping up in May.
Two photographers shot the calendar: returning Norwegian photographer Sølve Sundsbø and legendary Indian photographer Raghu Rai.
Following Raghu Rai's passing in April, his daughter Avani Rai, a photographer and filmmaker, stepped in to complete her father's vision.
Avani photographed more than 200 ordinary people on the streets of Old Delhi, while Sølve shot Rupi Kaur, Padma Lakshmi, Freida Pinto and others at Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur and Ajabgarh in Alwar, Rajasthan.
Themed 'past forward', the project was moved by Avani from a planned studio setting to the streets her father loved throughout his life.
- Who
- Photographers Sølve Sundsbø and Avani Rai, who completed the vision of her late father Raghu Rai, with the subjects including celebrities and ordinary Indians.
- What
- The 2027 Pirelli Calendar (The Cal™), themed 'past forward', was shot in India for the first time.
- When
- The shoot wrapped up in May; the calendar is for 2027.
- Where
- Old Delhi, and Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur and Ajabgarh in Alwar, Rajasthan.
- Why
- Pirelli chose India as its muse for the first time, and the project honours Raghu Rai's photographic legacy.
Authentic Indian Perspective
Global Creative Collaboration
Representing India
Authentic Indian Perspective
India should be represented through an Indian perspective; Sølve said he could not do the project on his own and needed someone from India to give it 'authority and authenticity'.
Global Creative Collaboration
An international team led by returning Pirelli photographer Sølve Sundsbø can present India to a global audience, mixing 'Indian exotica with a contemporary narrative'.
Honouring Raghu Rai's legacy
Authentic Indian Perspective
Avani should follow her father's original plan of shooting in his studio with his older, unpublished works as backdrop and frame.
Global Creative Collaboration
Avani changed the plan, taking the shoot to the streets he loved, saying she honoured his values rather than trying to recreate his photographs or become him.
- Calendar
- 2027 Pirelli Calendar (The Cal™)
- Setting
- India, for the first time
- Theme
- 'Past forward'
- Photographers
- Sølve Sundsbø and Avani Rai
- Locations
- Old Delhi; Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur; Ajabgarh, Alwar, Rajasthan
- Old Delhi subjects
- More than 200 everyday people
- Celebrities photographed
- Rupi Kaur, Padma Lakshmi, Freida Pinto, Anoushka Shankar, Aditi Rao Hydari, Avantika Vandanapu, Bhavitha Mandava, Lakshmi Menon
- Pirelli history
- Founded in Milan in 1872; The Cal debuted in 1964