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Story of a Make-up man: Ravi Dada
Debashree Mukherjee
Ravi dada one of the famous make up artistes in Bollywood. When trying to unpack the film industry, Debashree interviewed the make up man on her sets - ravi dada. Its an intersting posting.
He carries his make-up kit everywhere, all the time. The two are inseparable. He's bent with the constant weight but won't let go of it. It's a big, brown, mundane-looking bag but seems to be heavy with mystery and magic. (and I wanted so badly to believe the magic…) Like most people I've spoken to these past few months, Ravi dada wanted to talk. Some of the stories are old favourites, told over many an evening with friends. Some I'd heard before, on the way to the locations, and in different forms…
Born and brought up at Marine Lines in Mumbai, Ravi dada left school after Class 6 and started working in a printing press. In a few years he quit and got a peon's position at an AC plant in Tardeo. It was a small manufacturing unit that basically made spare parts for air compressors. His job was to give the staff water and tea. Occasionally he would have to take files from one desk to the other. This was in 1972, when he was 15.
Ravi soon got friendly with the other peons at the office. One of them doubled as a make-up man for the theatre after office hours. He would regale his pals with stories about the Gujarati theatre scene. One day he asked Ravi if he wanted to make some extra cash. This was during the Navratri period when Ras Garbas were being performed all over the city. His troupe was putting up several stage shows and each show had around 40 dancers. They desperately needed extra help with the make-up. Was he interested? Ravi was reluctant initially because he had no idea about make-up and besides, he was just not interested in this kind of thing. Eventually though, it seemed like a good idea and he took the job. He got Rs.5 per show. Soon he was making 30 to 40 rupees every month from stage shows and plays in Gujarati and Marwari. He worked at the office from 9am to 6pm and then worked at the 'other' job till 12. His first big play was a Gujarati play called Marichhe ta Marinehi (Meri Ho ke Bhi Meri Nahi) which was performed at the famous Birla Matushree theatre in Marine Lines.
By this time he had been promoted at his office job and was now doing the filing and delivering parcels. Soon, however, he had an altercation with his boss and was sacked. Ironically, a month later, his boss was arrested for stealing spare parts from the Kirloskar AC plant. This is how the alternative spare parts industry worked/ (works): storekeepers at plants like Kirloskar were bribed and original goods were smuggled out. Then hundreds of duplicate parts were manufactured based on this copy.
After a couple of short-lived stints at other day jobs, Ravi was left with no option but to follow Make-up as a full-time vocation. "It was completely accidental; and that's the story of my life", he says. The money wasn't good and he was completely disillusioned with the glamour industry. The atmosphere of licentiousness, the illicit messy affairs, the alcoholism and drugs - it was all true and very frightening for a young boy.
In 1980 the Doordarshan centre in Bombay had an opening for 4-5 make-up men. He got a temporary job there and the plays continued side-by-side. It was during his association with a dance troupe that he fell in love with one of the dancers. Their romance was nipped in the bud when the girl got an offer from a rich patron that she couldn't refuse. This led to a phase of severe depression in Ravi dada's life and he took to drinking.
By 1982, Ravi dada was a brown sugar addict. He was taken for rehabilitation but he ran away from the hospital both times. It was then that Bhakti Barve, whose make-up he used to do at DD, got a role in Kundan Shah's Jaane Bhi Di Yaaron. She insisted that Ravi do her make-up in the film and Kundan Shah decided to let him do the entire film. Having only worked for the stage and TV, Ravi was a little apprehensive about how to go about doing faces for film. His first big job was Neena Gupta. In order to give her skin a warm and glamourous tone on screen, he would first give her a "full Ram Leela make-up" which included a heavy base plus heavy pancake. This entire stuff was then removed with oil and her face tapped with powder. Finally he would apply a little blusher and eye-make-up. So the overall effect was a glamourous look with a healthy glow.
Ravi dada was trying hard to quit his addiction and was in counseling. No one on the sets had a clue. In fact, he would often end up rolling joints for actors! After Jaane Bhi Do, he stayed at home for more than a month and gave up drugs. He then worked on Saeed Mirza's Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho. In 1985 he started working on Nukkad. The serial had a fixed, permanent set at Rajkamal Studios and they would shoot 15 days in a month from 9am to 11pm. "This was a completely different atmosphere. We were like a family. Often we would all sit down and play cards after pack-up." There were about 25 actors in Nukkad, most of whom would come everyday at 8am. Kundan Shah had quite a reputation for punctuality and everyone called him "Hitler". But there wasn't much to do between shots. Rama Vij had her own make-up room, and there were 3 other make-up rooms for the male and female actors. One of these make-up rooms was unofficially converted into a Card Room where the actors would play cards while waiting for their shots.
After Nukkad, Ravi dada worked on some short films and serials like Manoranjan and Intezaar. He met the cameraman Virendra Saini who provided him with a basic knowledge of what to keep in mind for film make-up. For example, how it was important to try and match the skin tones of the characters in a scene especially if the film had a small budget and couldn't spend much on getting several prints for colour matching in the post-production phase.
"Shah Rukh was my best friend." Ravi dada started working for Vikas Desai on a serial called Umeed, where he met Shahrukh Khan. SRK had just completed Fauji and was starting to get noticed. He had just moved to Bombay and was a typical 'struggling actor'; broke and constantly bumming cigarettes, most often from Ravi. Soon after Umeed, they again worked together on Circus. The entire serial was shot on location with the Apollo Circus. Each schedule would be planned according to where the circus was next going to set up tent. They moved from Goa to Ratnagiri and then Satara, following the real circus around.
Then came Khayalgatha with Kumar Shahani. The entire shoot took place in Gwalior. "He is a typical art film director, what they call a 'landscape director'. Actors pe zyada dhyaan nahi deta. Shot-taking important hai. Jab tak camera aasmaan se neeche tilt hota hai, tab tak actor ka scene hi khatam ho gaya!" Ravi didn't know what to expect. The entire crew as well as cast was alien to him and he didn't have a clue about the story or kind of make-up to be done. The muhurat shot was to be taken at 12 pm. 20 feet long tracks had been laid and the DOP, K.K. Mahajan, was getting impatient. Ravi dada gave the actresses the same look he'd given Neena Gupta in Jaane Bhi Do. When Mahajan and Shahani saw the women, they were livid. Ravi dada had to hurriedly strip them of all make-up and gave them a 'natural' look.
Khayalgatha also gave him a chance to hone a skill that he is proud of today: "manufacturing make-up". Stuck in Gwalior with no supplies, he had to try ingenious ways to make blood, create wounds and other special effects. Later in Salim Langde pe Mat Ro, he had to create the effect of a rotting corpse for which he used 45 packets of Nirodh condoms! Condoms, apparently, are a cheap way to simulate peeling skin and create patches for wounds and other effects. A cheaper option is Fevicol, which also dries up to give a similar effect. Latex, which is used in Hollywood, is too expensive and not generally used in Bombay.
Then he worked with Mani Kaul. At that time, Mani was involved with the casting for The Idiot/Ahmak. They were stuck for the role of --------. Ravi dada suggested Shahrukh Khan. After much coaxing and convincing, Shahrukh agreed to meet Mani and the rest is history. Ravi dada maintains that had he cashed in on his friendship with Shahrukh, he could have made it big in the make-up world. But that would have meant joining a coterie of yes-men. So he didn't attempt it.
Since then he's worked on several films, his most recent being Raghu Romeo. He's also worked on plays like Evita with Alyque Padamsee.
When asked if he is satisfied with the way his career has materialized, he shakes his head vigorously. He is vehement about the fact that this was not a career of his choosing and that it has not been particularly fulfilling. There were some good times, but make-up men are way down in any crew's hierarchy and they don't get much respect or creative freedom. "Even the spot boys throw attitude and won't get us tea!" On most big budget films, the stars get their own make-up persons. On the independent film circuit, actors generally don't have personal stylists and then he is responsible for the entire cast. "This kind of a situation is more challenging and more fun." As far as creative authority is concerned, "It's only in Hollywood or in the case of a Mickey Contractor, that the make-up artiste has complete freedom. Here, if the actor feels that he/she needs more pancake or a clean-shaven look, it's their call."
Ravi dada now wants to direct his own film. He has a few ideas and is looking for a financer. It's his only dream in life…
Ravi dada one of the famous make up artistes in Bollywood. When trying to unpack the film industry, Debashree interviewed the make up man on her sets - ravi dada. Its an intersting posting.
He makes a curious figure standing there. Always present, for every
shot, except you don't quite notice him. "Ravi dada!" "Make-up dada!" everyone shouts and Ravi Rajput quietly appears from behind a reflector.He carries his make-up kit everywhere, all the time. The two are inseparable. He's bent with the constant weight but won't let go of it. It's a big, brown, mundane-looking bag but seems to be heavy with mystery and magic. (and I wanted so badly to believe the magic…) Like most people I've spoken to these past few months, Ravi dada wanted to talk. Some of the stories are old favourites, told over many an evening with friends. Some I'd heard before, on the way to the locations, and in different forms…
Born and brought up at Marine Lines in Mumbai, Ravi dada left school after Class 6 and started working in a printing press. In a few years he quit and got a peon's position at an AC plant in Tardeo. It was a small manufacturing unit that basically made spare parts for air compressors. His job was to give the staff water and tea. Occasionally he would have to take files from one desk to the other. This was in 1972, when he was 15.
Ravi soon got friendly with the other peons at the office. One of them doubled as a make-up man for the theatre after office hours. He would regale his pals with stories about the Gujarati theatre scene. One day he asked Ravi if he wanted to make some extra cash. This was during the Navratri period when Ras Garbas were being performed all over the city. His troupe was putting up several stage shows and each show had around 40 dancers. They desperately needed extra help with the make-up. Was he interested? Ravi was reluctant initially because he had no idea about make-up and besides, he was just not interested in this kind of thing. Eventually though, it seemed like a good idea and he took the job. He got Rs.5 per show. Soon he was making 30 to 40 rupees every month from stage shows and plays in Gujarati and Marwari. He worked at the office from 9am to 6pm and then worked at the 'other' job till 12. His first big play was a Gujarati play called Marichhe ta Marinehi (Meri Ho ke Bhi Meri Nahi) which was performed at the famous Birla Matushree theatre in Marine Lines.
By this time he had been promoted at his office job and was now doing the filing and delivering parcels. Soon, however, he had an altercation with his boss and was sacked. Ironically, a month later, his boss was arrested for stealing spare parts from the Kirloskar AC plant. This is how the alternative spare parts industry worked/ (works): storekeepers at plants like Kirloskar were bribed and original goods were smuggled out. Then hundreds of duplicate parts were manufactured based on this copy.
After a couple of short-lived stints at other day jobs, Ravi was left with no option but to follow Make-up as a full-time vocation. "It was completely accidental; and that's the story of my life", he says. The money wasn't good and he was completely disillusioned with the glamour industry. The atmosphere of licentiousness, the illicit messy affairs, the alcoholism and drugs - it was all true and very frightening for a young boy.
In 1980 the Doordarshan centre in Bombay had an opening for 4-5 make-up men. He got a temporary job there and the plays continued side-by-side. It was during his association with a dance troupe that he fell in love with one of the dancers. Their romance was nipped in the bud when the girl got an offer from a rich patron that she couldn't refuse. This led to a phase of severe depression in Ravi dada's life and he took to drinking.
By 1982, Ravi dada was a brown sugar addict. He was taken for rehabilitation but he ran away from the hospital both times. It was then that Bhakti Barve, whose make-up he used to do at DD, got a role in Kundan Shah's Jaane Bhi Di Yaaron. She insisted that Ravi do her make-up in the film and Kundan Shah decided to let him do the entire film. Having only worked for the stage and TV, Ravi was a little apprehensive about how to go about doing faces for film. His first big job was Neena Gupta. In order to give her skin a warm and glamourous tone on screen, he would first give her a "full Ram Leela make-up" which included a heavy base plus heavy pancake. This entire stuff was then removed with oil and her face tapped with powder. Finally he would apply a little blusher and eye-make-up. So the overall effect was a glamourous look with a healthy glow.
Ravi dada was trying hard to quit his addiction and was in counseling. No one on the sets had a clue. In fact, he would often end up rolling joints for actors! After Jaane Bhi Do, he stayed at home for more than a month and gave up drugs. He then worked on Saeed Mirza's Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho. In 1985 he started working on Nukkad. The serial had a fixed, permanent set at Rajkamal Studios and they would shoot 15 days in a month from 9am to 11pm. "This was a completely different atmosphere. We were like a family. Often we would all sit down and play cards after pack-up." There were about 25 actors in Nukkad, most of whom would come everyday at 8am. Kundan Shah had quite a reputation for punctuality and everyone called him "Hitler". But there wasn't much to do between shots. Rama Vij had her own make-up room, and there were 3 other make-up rooms for the male and female actors. One of these make-up rooms was unofficially converted into a Card Room where the actors would play cards while waiting for their shots.
After Nukkad, Ravi dada worked on some short films and serials like Manoranjan and Intezaar. He met the cameraman Virendra Saini who provided him with a basic knowledge of what to keep in mind for film make-up. For example, how it was important to try and match the skin tones of the characters in a scene especially if the film had a small budget and couldn't spend much on getting several prints for colour matching in the post-production phase.
"Shah Rukh was my best friend." Ravi dada started working for Vikas Desai on a serial called Umeed, where he met Shahrukh Khan. SRK had just completed Fauji and was starting to get noticed. He had just moved to Bombay and was a typical 'struggling actor'; broke and constantly bumming cigarettes, most often from Ravi. Soon after Umeed, they again worked together on Circus. The entire serial was shot on location with the Apollo Circus. Each schedule would be planned according to where the circus was next going to set up tent. They moved from Goa to Ratnagiri and then Satara, following the real circus around.
Then came Khayalgatha with Kumar Shahani. The entire shoot took place in Gwalior. "He is a typical art film director, what they call a 'landscape director'. Actors pe zyada dhyaan nahi deta. Shot-taking important hai. Jab tak camera aasmaan se neeche tilt hota hai, tab tak actor ka scene hi khatam ho gaya!" Ravi didn't know what to expect. The entire crew as well as cast was alien to him and he didn't have a clue about the story or kind of make-up to be done. The muhurat shot was to be taken at 12 pm. 20 feet long tracks had been laid and the DOP, K.K. Mahajan, was getting impatient. Ravi dada gave the actresses the same look he'd given Neena Gupta in Jaane Bhi Do. When Mahajan and Shahani saw the women, they were livid. Ravi dada had to hurriedly strip them of all make-up and gave them a 'natural' look.
Khayalgatha also gave him a chance to hone a skill that he is proud of today: "manufacturing make-up". Stuck in Gwalior with no supplies, he had to try ingenious ways to make blood, create wounds and other special effects. Later in Salim Langde pe Mat Ro, he had to create the effect of a rotting corpse for which he used 45 packets of Nirodh condoms! Condoms, apparently, are a cheap way to simulate peeling skin and create patches for wounds and other effects. A cheaper option is Fevicol, which also dries up to give a similar effect. Latex, which is used in Hollywood, is too expensive and not generally used in Bombay.
Then he worked with Mani Kaul. At that time, Mani was involved with the casting for The Idiot/Ahmak. They were stuck for the role of --------. Ravi dada suggested Shahrukh Khan. After much coaxing and convincing, Shahrukh agreed to meet Mani and the rest is history. Ravi dada maintains that had he cashed in on his friendship with Shahrukh, he could have made it big in the make-up world. But that would have meant joining a coterie of yes-men. So he didn't attempt it.
Since then he's worked on several films, his most recent being Raghu Romeo. He's also worked on plays like Evita with Alyque Padamsee.
When asked if he is satisfied with the way his career has materialized, he shakes his head vigorously. He is vehement about the fact that this was not a career of his choosing and that it has not been particularly fulfilling. There were some good times, but make-up men are way down in any crew's hierarchy and they don't get much respect or creative freedom. "Even the spot boys throw attitude and won't get us tea!" On most big budget films, the stars get their own make-up persons. On the independent film circuit, actors generally don't have personal stylists and then he is responsible for the entire cast. "This kind of a situation is more challenging and more fun." As far as creative authority is concerned, "It's only in Hollywood or in the case of a Mickey Contractor, that the make-up artiste has complete freedom. Here, if the actor feels that he/she needs more pancake or a clean-shaven look, it's their call."
Ravi dada now wants to direct his own film. He has a few ideas and is looking for a financer. It's his only dream in life…
