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HOUSE OF KATHA:
EVERY STORY
LIVES ON

2013

2013

The flash of an idea

Studio portrait of a couple near a monument
2013

2013

Where the story began

Every story begins somewhere.
For Nilesh Mali, it began with a camera and adesire to learn.

In 2013, there was no company, no team,
and no big name behind the work. Just a
young photographer learning the craft
inside a studio—understanding light,
cameras, people, and the power of a single.
photograph.
For the next two years, every lesson
became a part of something bigger that was
slowly taking shape.

Forthenexttwoyears,everylesson becameapartofsomethingbiggerthatwas slowlytakingshape.

Studio portrait of a couple near a monument
2015

2015

A beginning of our own

After years of learning, observing, and finding our way, the thought of building something of our own slowly began to take shape.

In 2015, Nil Studio was born.

It was a small beginning, built with limited resources but a strong desire to create.

There was no big plan yet.

Just a camera, a growing curiosity, and the courage to take the first step.

It was the beginning of something that would grow far beyond what we imagined.

Ombre team group photo
Couple portrait at golden hour

2016

The first story

A year after taking the first step, the opportunity to tell our first wedding story arrived.

In February 2016, our very first wedding in Surat marked the beginning of our journey into wedding photography.

One wedding led to another.

One experience led to another.

With every celebration, we began to understand weddings beyond the photographs — the people, the emotions, the families, and the little moments happening in between.

We weren't just photographing weddings anymore.

Vertical couple portrait

ut somewhere along the way, we were beginning to discover our own way of telling stories.
And that was just the beginning

Kalpna and Rajan wedding portrait Kalpna and Rajan wedding portrait

2017

By 2017, the camera had started becoming more than just a tool. br We began experimenting with light, locations, ideas and the way a couple's story could be photographed.
From playful frames to dramatic nights, from simple moments to carefully created scenes, every shoot became an opportunity to try something different. We were still learning.

2021

2021

The birth of House of Katha

Then came the pause that changed everything. The lockdown gave us something we rarely had before time to think

Years of photographing weddings had taught us that a wedding
isn't simply a collection of rituals.
It's a collection of people.
Of emotions.

Of nervous smiles before the ceremony.
Of parents trying to hold back tears.
Of friends creating chaos.

Of laughter, silence, excitement, happiness—and moments that disappear before anyone realizes how important they were.
In 2021, Our Founder, we decided it was time to build something of our own. From our hometown of Ichalkaranji, near Kolhapur, a new chapter began. House of Katha was born.

Vertical portrait in cinematic light

Our Team

“Behind every frame, there’s a team that makes the magic happen. Meet the people who are an integral part of the House of Katha journey Our Co-Founder and the team behind every story. Different skills, one vision to create stories that last forever."

“Katha is not just a company, it’s a story built by people. People who dream together, create together, and grow together. These are the faces behind our journey.

Katha’s journey is about more than just cameras, photographs, and films. It is the journey of people who worked for Katha not merely as employees of a company, but as if it were something truly their own.

There were ups and downs along the way—new dreams were envisioned, mistakes were made, and we kept learning and evolving... Yet, one thing remained constant: mutual trust and an unwavering commitment to Katha.

The time, hard work, creativity, and patience they have invested since 2021—often prioritizing Katha over themselves— is truly beyond words.

Countless unseen efforts on their part lie behind where Katha stands today.

Vertical portrait in cinematic light
Candid embrace in moody light Candid embrace in moody light Candid embrace in moody light Candid embrace in moody light Candid embrace in moody light Candid embrace in moody light Candid embrace in moody light Candid embrace in moody light Candid embrace in moody light Candid embrace in moody light Candid embrace in moody light Candid embrace in moody light Candid embrace in moody light
Candid embrace in moody light

More Than What Meets the Eye

Over time, we learned that the most meaningful parts of a wedding are often the ones that happen between the big moments.

A glance across the room. A parent watching quietly. A friend making everyone laugh. A moment that lasts only a few seconds, but stays with you for years.

These are the moments we began paying closer attention to. Not everything needs to be planned. Not every emotion needs to be directed. Sometimes, the most honest stories are the ones that simply unfold in front of us.

2022

2022

When films became stories

By 2022, we had already been creating cinematic wedding films for years.

But with Katha, we began looking at them differently. We moved beyond simply capturing how a wedding looked — and started focusing on how it felt. The laughter between moments.

The quiet glances. The chaos, the emotions, the people.

Our films slowly found a more documentary and cinematic language — honest, intimate, and deeply rooted in real moments. And somewhere along the way, documentary cinematic storytelling became what Katha was known for.

Not just wedding films.
Stories that feel lived.

Candid embrace in moody light
2023

2023

More than one person

A story can begin with one person. But it becomes something bigger when others begin believing in it too.

By 2023, House of Katha was slowly becoming more than an individual vision. Photographers. Filmmakers. Editors.

ifferent people with different skills, different perspectives, and different strengths — but connected by one purpose. Today, we are a team of 12 strong pillars, each one holding up a part of the House of Katha. Together, we bring different eyes, different ideas, and different ways of seeing to every story we tell. What began with one person's dream had now become a collective journey

Couple portrait at golden hour
Couple portrait on a boat

Somewhere Between the Moments

The camera taught us to notice things.

Not just the big moments, but everything around them — the excitement before the ceremony, the conversations nobody was listening to, the laughter that happened in another room, and the silence that said more than words could.

With every wedding, we found ourselves becoming less interested in creating the perfect picture and more interested in keeping the moment honest.

Because years later, it is often the smallest things that bring the whole day back.

Candid embrace in moody light
Candid embrace in moody light

Beyond the Frame

A wedding never happens in just one place.

While the rituals unfold, stories are happening everywhere
in the room next door, across the table, in a mother's eyes,
between old friends, in the seconds nobody thought to photograph.

We began following those moments.

The ones that weren't planned.
The ones that couldn't be repeated.
The ones that made the day theirs.

Because the story was never inside the frame alone.

Editorial wedding portrait

Capturing love in every shade

We don’t just take pictures—we freeze time, turning every wedding into a story that’s as unforgettable as the love it celebrates.

Every shade
tells a story.

Where simplicity meets legacy.

Couple portrait on a boat

Our Mission

To capture love without bias, and preserve it as it was truly felt.

At House of Katha, our mission is simple — to tell stories as they truly happen.

We believe in capturing love without posing it, emotions without directing them, and moments without changing them.

The laughter that comes naturally. The tears that cannot be rehearsed. The quiet glances. The chaos, the joy, the people, and everything in between.

Whether it is a quiet, intimate moment or a celebration filled with hundreds of voices, we want to preserve it with honesty and intention.

A Because years from now, it shouldn't just remind you of how your wedding looked. It should take you back to how it felt.

Our Vision

From our hometown to celebrations across the world. We envision House of Katha as a storytelling house with no boundaries.

From intimate celebrations in our hometown to weddings across different cities, cultures, and countries — we want to take our way of seeing stories across the world.

To photograph weddings in different countries. To experience different cultures and traditions. To work with people from different backgrounds. To tell stories that feel personal, wherever they happen.

We want to keep growing as a creative team, exploring new places, meeting new people, and creating work that travels beyond borders.

**From local stories to global celebrations. From one house to stories around the world.**

✩
Couple portrait on a boat

Client Stories

01. / 04 Ananya & Rohan

A destination wedding planned around golden-hour light and quiet, unscripted moments—Ombre spent three days with us before the cameras ever came out.