Mihir Negandhi- May 2025 Edition 21

Some careers surge from boardrooms; Mihir Negandhi’s began with the silvery click of a Sony Cybershot in a crowded Pune apartment. That modest sensor froze birthdays and college trips, yet the sound of a Canon shutter—sinewy, metallic, hypnotic—rewired his future overnight. He bought the body next morning, unaware that the decision would reroute him toward hospitality branding, gourmet photography, and the intricate vortex of social media marketing for restaurants across Goa.

Then life pressed pause. Eight silent years—punctuated by grief and the claustrophobia of lockdown—hid the camera inside a wardrobe. When restrictions lifted, he aimed at runway models, yet a detour awaited. A Goan restaurateur, noting Mihir’s instinct for flavour-as-visual, invited him to recast the venue’s identity. The brief arrived with astonishing freedom: no mood boards, no corporate leash, just “see what your eye sees”. That single shoot spiralled into a portfolio of heritage cafés, beach-side bistros, and boutique hotels seeking buoyant Instagram engagement, high-intent search traffic, and mouth-watering reels. Mihir renamed the venture ThatChefWhoClicks, fusing culinary storytelling with crisp videography and targeted hospitality SEO techniques that convert followers into footfall.

Success, though, never travels in straight lines; pending invoices do. Persuading restaurant owners that creative labour merits punctual payment turns into routine diplomacy. “Art feeds your menu before mouths are fed,” he reminds clients, and sometimes the conversation sparks respect, sometimes a curt nod, occasionally an unexpected friendship, or empathy.

Goa itself offers a living studio: monsoon trails dripping emerald, colonial facades splashed in ochre, night markets where masala smoke curls upward like calligraphy. Mihir photographs sunlight the way chefs plate desserts—layered, deliberate, a touch indulgent. His hospitality social media marketing strategy pivots on local insight: tide charts decide brunch timing; visa-free weekends for Russians reshape coupon codes; sudden floods redirect influencers toward hill cafés.

Data whisper to him through booking dashboards, yet instinct still pilots the drone. One evening he waited thirty minutes for a dog to stroll across back-lit cobblestones, the resulting reel hitting two million organic views, boosting targeted keywords “hidden cafés in Goa” and “authentic Goan breakfast spots” straight onto Google’s first page. Numbers matter, story matters more. Viewers tasted atmosphere before they booked a seat. Accolades arrived: Best Hospitality Influencer and Photographer 2025 by IIHM India and IHC London, then Best Lifestyle and Fashion Influencer 2024 by IFBA. Prizes look shiny on a shelf, although rent still waits at the end of every month anyway.

Beyond restaurant reels he crafts narrative campaigns for celebrities who slip into Goa incognito, seeking seaside backdrops for personal brands. Each collaboration refines his palette—colour grading that mirrors coconut husk, audio beds echoing distant susegad choirs. Mentoring interns, he warns, a camera is merely a device; living teaches focus. He turned down twelve projects last season because the brief felt hollow, advising juniors to protect credibility like shutter blades protect sensors. When payments lag, he drafts polite reminders at dawn, a ritual as steady as tide. One mentor once told him, “keep working—regardless,” and the mantra embosses itself on morning coffee cups, maybe grammar is imperfect but resolve stays spotless. Clients notice that quiet perseverance, it wins bids without speeches.

Next on his storyboard is a series revealing monsoon Goa—fern-lined paths, cinnamon skies, rain hitting tin roofs like jazz drums. He plans to weave tourism SEO phrases such as “Goa monsoon itinerary” into lush visuals that spellbind travelers before they pack. The narrative is still unfolding, camera batteries charged, heart tuned to the ocean’s hum, while sunsets rehearse tomorrow’s palette.