Siddharth's latest trilingual film, Aval (in Tamil, The House Next Door in Hindi and Gruham in Telugu), a horror flick has been getting rave reviews for all the right reasons. Be it the story, the screenplay, the acting and even the prosthetics and makeup of the ghosts - the film is being tauted as one of the finest horror flicks in recent times.
The prosthetics and makeup of the characters of the ghosts have given the film an added advantage. The team behind this work is Mumbai-based Da MakeUp Lab studio by Preetisheel G Singh. A makeup and character designer, Preetisheel's approach breaks away from the cliched long-haired and pale-faced makeup. "Thin hair, decomposed flesh, rotten teeth, blood-clot nails and inscriptions in Chinese on the body... These details lend an authenticity to the characters," says the artist who has established herself as a name to reckon with.
First impressions
Interesting to note is how Preetisheel's journey began. Her story is the classic case of an engineer who gave up a plush job to pursue her dreams in the world of cinema. Though she had been a movie buff since childhood, Preetisheel got serious about pursuing her passion after watching Kamal Hassan's Chachi 420, "I was quite intrigued by Kamal Hassan's transformation. That's when I decided to learn this art of prosthetics makeup." After completing a course at the Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles, Preetisheel came back to India. Her first film Nanak Shah Fakir (2014) earned her a National Award for Best Make-Up Artist.
What's in store
From reading the script, understanding the character's back story and researching (if it is a period drama or a film with medical scenes), the artist does her homework right before executing. Her most recent and much anticipated work is for the film Padmavati. From Deepika Padukone's unibrow look as Padmavati, Shahid Kapoor's royal avatar as Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh's menacing look as Alauddin Khilji, to everybody else's makeup and prosthetics in war scenes, Preetisheel had to research on all the characters before coming up with the looks. "Khilji was an invader who travelled across the country and was on the battlefield all the time. The weather deeply impacted his skin and face, we've tried to reflect this in Ranveer's make up," explains the artist. Till Padmavati releases, her work in the epic drama will remain a secret.
For now, the woman behind Ranveer's beer-bellied man look in the MakeMyTrip ad and Akshay Kumar's pregnant look for the promotion of 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge', Preetisheel will also delight us with the looks she has given to Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor in 102 Not Out that releases in December.
ayeshatabassum@newindianexpress.com
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