'Farah Khan is one of the only women in my career who supported me right from the beginning.'
'That support meant the world because it opened up a lot of doors for women in the industry.'
Celebrity makeup artist Namrata Soni has reflected on her journey in the beauty industry, sharing experiences of working with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Sushmita Sen, and creating the bridal look for Sonam Kapoor.
Namrata recalled her early collaborations with Aishwarya Rai, calling the former Miss World 'so beautiful' and someone who enjoyed experimenting with her appearance.
'We had done this beautiful glittery blue eyeshadow when she was walking the ramp in Delhi,' Namrata said, adding that Aishwarya explored a variety of looks during that period.
Speaking about Sushmita Sen, Namrata said she had the 'biggest girl crush' on her when she met the actor for the first time.
'Whatever you thought she was, she was bigger than that. She was an amazing dynamic woman and I was in awe of her,' she said, adding she had done a Cosmopolitan magazine cover with her which was a major personal milestone.
Soni also shared that her career took her to international assignments, including doing makeup for Steffi Graf, Serena Williams and Christian Bale during his India visit when he came for Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.
"I was his makeup artist for four days. It was incredible," she recalled.
Reflecting on Sonam Kapoor's wedding, Namrata described it as an 'amazing' experience.
'She is a fashionista, once she trusts you, she lets you do what you do best,' she said, noting that every function required a completely distinct look aligned with Sonam's fashion-forward sensibility.
Soni said every celebrity she has worked with has taught her something new.
Namrata opened up on the challenges and resistance that she faced while working her way into the industry that was once dominated by men.
'I must have been maybe the second female makeup artist in the industry,' she says, recalling her early days in the 2000s.
'It was dominated by men, and it was very scary. It was a makeup dada and a hair didi. I would be on set, and the cine union would turn up. They would come and harass the producers and fine them for hiring a woman makeup artist. They would expect us to hide in vanity vans because they didn't want us to be on set.
'My mother would get threatening phone calls on the landline, like voicemails that if your daughter doesn't stop working, we're going to cut off her hands when she's coming back from Film City.'
She recalled fighting a legal battle in the Supreme Court for women makeup artists, further adding how one of the actors stood up for her.
'It was this amazing male actor whom I absolutely love. He called the union, asked me to keep quiet, and just hear them out. The hairdressers and the makeup artists who had come from the union were so angry at me. They were like, "If I'm a hairdresser, my daughter becomes a hairdresser. If I have a son, my son will become a makeup artist",' Namrata said.
Actors like Sonam Kapoor, Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Farah Khan, Sameera Reddy, and Preity Zinta were very supportive of women working with women.
She shared an anecdote from the shooting of Om Shanti Om, recalling how Director Farah Khan intervened firmly when someone attempted to replace her.
'The closest I got to doing was ageing makeup in Om Shanti Om, which I loved as I love Farah. She is one of the only women in my career who supported me right from the beginning. Farah was like "Can anybody do what she's doing for Om Shanti Om? If they can, I won't take her", and that support meant the world because it opened up a lot of doors for women in the industry,' Namrata shared.
Namrata won the IIFA award for her makeup in Om Shanti Om.
She has received various accolades for her work, including the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Namrata stressed that India's weather conditions, lifestyles, and skin types may have made the much-followed '10-step skincare routine' unsuitable for many people.
'We live in a country where the 10-step skincare routine does not work because we have a lot of humidity. So that means after step one itself, you're perspiring. Imagine you're putting that on, then you're sweating, then you're putting on another. So you're like literally putting sweat between each layer of your skin. It's crazy! Just keep it simple. Cleanser, moisturiser, sunscreen, and eye cream at night. That's all you need,' Namrata said.
Noting that heavy filter culture has created pressure on people to constantly appear flawless, Namrata added, "We live in a world of Botox and fillers and surgeries. It's so easy with lasers and CO2 to have that kind of skin today."
She emphasised how Indians, with a lot of elasticity and melatonin in their skin, don't face the quick wrath of ageing. She explained that women need to start a proper skincare routine from their mid-20s.
'Mid-20s is when you start a skincare routine. I mean, people have started at 16 and 14, which I don't understand. I don't understand girls going to Sephora and buying skincare at 14 and 16. But I would say like 23, 24. And it does not have to be a crazy routine. It just could be an amazing moisturiser meant for your skin type and a lip balm, and a sunscreen.'
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
