Vancity, U Pretty!

The first time meeting Neel Nair, we were in the thick of winter. He was covered from head to toe and the only point of reference was his jet black hair and equally piercing black eyes. This was during Covid times, so naturally he was masked up. We struck up a muffled conversation, talking through our masks about Vancouver's film and motion capture industry. As a relatively new immigrant, I am deeply interested in people - specifically people in the creative industries.

A true global citizen, Neel has family roots in Kerala, on India's tropical Malabar Coast hugging nearly 600km of the Arabian Sea shoreline. He got his education from the UK, had worked in Tokyo, UK and Vancouver. In fact, as soon as Covid restrictions ease, he's hopping on a plane towards Tokyo to reunite with his Japanese girlfriend.

Neel is tall and well-built. When he isn't speaking, you would have think him to be a gruff man. But as soon as he speaks, everything about him exudes warmth and authenticity. *

* photographer notes/ I had done this enough times to know not to judge a book by its cover.

The 2nd time we met, I was curious to unmask Neel, just to see if my impression of him matches up with how he looked. (Have I already mentioned that I am a curious cad?)

He was down for a quick photo session by an abandoned train track. Taking off his mask, he wears a wide grin, almost impish. That kind smile that Neel carries belies a sense of mischief. I like him already.