After
a hattrick this year with Padmaavat, 102 Not Out and
Mulk, National Award-winning makeup and prosthetic designer Preetisheel Singh
is once again on a high with the success of AndhaDhun. Here's an interesting
tête-à-tête with the lady.
What
was so special about AndhaDhun compared to the other films you have handled
makeup and prosthetics for?
This
movie did not require heavy prosthetics like many of the other movies that I
have done, but giving Ayushmann (Khurrana) a blind look required a special kind
of lens. The lenses were custom-made for the character to make it seem
realistic. These are not the ordinary lenses that you get in the market, these
are 'Scleral lenses' that cover the entire visible part of your eyes. The only
downside to these are that they blur your vision, but Ayushmann was really
co-operative and did an amazing job considering he actually couldn’t see much.
Is
it easier or more difficult to design characters where the character does not
have a prototype; like caste, creed or historical relevance?
I
wouldn't say difficult, but it is more time consuming, as they don't have
pre-set look-traits that I can use to build up a character. It’s the little
background details like where they grew up, what is their religious background,
what are their habits, what do they like or dislike -- small things like this
help maneuver and create a character design.
Did
the fact that you have worked with Ayushmann Khurrana earlier make your job
easier?
Ayushmann
is a fantastic actor to work with. The fact that I’ve worked with him in the
past has helped build a rapport with him that makes the environment more
comfortable to work in, for both him and me. He is a very positive and fun
person to work with. There were a lot of constraints on him due to the lenses,
but he still worked brilliantly with them and made it all seem so easy.
Sriram
Raghavan is considered to be quite a meticulous director. Was he very demanding
with the looks?
Working
with Sriram Sir was like a dream come true, because I grew up watching his
movies like Ek Hasina Thi and Johnny Gaddar. And working on a thriller was on
my check list which is finally ticked off. He had a very clear vision in his
head as to what he wanted and when I presented him with the designs, we both
were on the same page. So that made both the discussion and the execution very
smooth.
How
was it working on the other characters in the movie?
It
was really interesting creating the different characters because every
character has a significance in the movie. Going through the script, I could
slowly visualize what the characters would look like based on the role they
had. And there was a lovely lineup of actors cast for the movie that fit the
characters perfectly making my job a lot easier, as it’s easy to conceptualize
something when you have a face in mind. And having worked with many of them on
previous projects, it was a smooth sailing in terms of execution.
Were
you expecting such rave reviews for a movie with such an unusual storyline?
Guess
the tradition created with Sriram Sir’s movies lives on. He always comes up
with brilliant stuff and it shows on screen.
Runaway
successes put more pressure on everyone. How do you deal with that?
The
pressure sometimes becomes very overwhelming when the expectation levels
continue to shoot up. The best thing to do is keep creating with a steady and
calm mind with regular de-stressing breaks.
Which
was the most difficult character to work on for AndhaDhun?
Ayushmann’s
character was a little tricky, especially working with the lenses. I wanted to
design something that would justify the character and give it a very realistic
look, so that took a little time. And every character was important in their
own aspect so due diligence was given to each character.
How
are you going to celebrate the success of AndhaDhun? Do you take breaks after
each success?
I
would love to take a break, but sadly my work is not permitting of that. I am
currently working on a couple of other projects and they're keeping me busy.
Maybe a nice little dinner with my team to celebrate the success of AndhaDhun
is something that I see happening soon.
आकांक्षा पुरी ने की 'विघ्नहर्ता गणेश' की ४८ घंटे तक शूटिंग - पढ़ने के लिए क्लिक करें
