Balasaheb Thackeray Shines in Portrait Adorned with 27,000 Diamonds

Uddhav Thackeray was momentarily speechless as the dazzling portrait was unveiled. The portrait, conceived by Thackeray’s media advisor Harshal Pradhan, was executed by artist and filmmaker Shailesh Acharekar.

This first-of-its-kind portrait was presented to Uddhav Thackeray at his home ‘Matoshri’ on a Friday afternoon and was attended by other senior party leaders. Thackeray’s first reaction upon seeing the portrait was “Oh…

Beautiful!” He praised the portrayal of Balasaheb Thackeray in diamonds, calling it charming and eye-catching, and expressed that it would be a prime attraction at the upcoming memorial.

The portrait, made with locally sourced precious stones, took nearly six months to create. Acharekar expressed his delight at the response it received and explained the meticulous process of incorporating small and large diamonds to achieve the desired effect.

Although details of the cost were not disclosed, Acharekar emphasized the value of the portrait as an homage to Balasaheb Thackeray. Additionally, New York-based diamantaire Ketan R. Kakkad described Acharekar’s creation as a work of genius, estimating its cost to be in the range of Rs 5-7 crore.

Acharekar, a former advertising professional who transitioned into painting and filmmaking, aimed to create portraits of both J.R.D. Tata and Balasaheb Thackeray that were unique and unprecedented.