In an exclusive throwback interview with Lehren, A-List Make-Up Artist of Bollywood 'Mickey Contractor' talks about creating Aishwarya Rai's famous no-makeup look for Kajra Re Song in Bunty Aur Babli, which till date is a mega hit! The creative personality also elaborates upon his professional & personal bonding with top celebs of the Hindi Film Industry including Kajol, Rani Mukerji, Tabu & Karan Johar in turn sharing some unheard & exciting make-up & beauty tales with them... Watch this most candid chit-chat session ft. the multitalented Mickey Contractor, only on your favourite online digital destination, Lehren Retro. #mickeycontractor #aishwaryarai #kajol #ranimukerji #karanjohar #makeup #makeupartist #kajrare #bollywood #nomakeuplook
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00:15So, we've heard that you gave Aishwarya a no makeup look for Kajrari's song and that worked like wonders. Can you just tell a little about it?
00:27It actually was not just a no makeup look. Actually, it was no makeup. That's the whole thing behind this Kajrari look and it's been discussed a couple of times before.
00:39Actually, Aish and I have been talking about it for a long time that we wanted to do a film where she would actually wear no makeup.
00:46And we were actually waiting for a right moment to do something like that because not every film can you do where the girls are completely bare without makeup.
00:54And this song came up. She had to look glamorous. At the same time, Aadhi wanted her to look very raw.
01:00And between Shad, Aadhi, Aish and myself, we decided that it should just be completely bare.
01:07Like there should be no foundation on her and it should just be...
01:11The whole song was about Kajrari, Kale Naina. And we didn't want to give her lenses.
01:15So we just used a black kajal and mascara and that's all that she was wearing with maybe a little lip gloss. That's it.
01:21So wasn't she apprehensive like without makeup?
01:25No, frankly, Aish is not the kind who asks too many questions. She has confidence in certain people and she goes by, you know, what we usually have to say to her because she knows we are her friends.
01:36We will always wish well for her. And she is very confident of her own beauty and of her own self and of her talent.
01:43So I think there is no question of being apprehensive. She knows she looks beautiful. Come on.
01:50Okay. You've said something that Kajal and Tabu hate doing makeup.
01:55Yeah. And Kajal looks the most prettiest when you do the makeup.
01:59And you've said also that Kajal has looked the best in Suraj Va Madhyam.
02:03That I think is true. I think even Kajal believes that she has looked her career best in Suraj Va Madhyam.
02:09But I...
02:11That's presumptuous to say that she only looks good when I do her makeup. That's not true at all.
02:15But...
02:16I frankly don't believe that. I mean, I...
02:22Maybe it's my affection for her because, I mean, she is very close to me.
02:26And I am very, very, very fond of her.
02:29Maybe my fondness shows in the work that I do on her. So...
02:33Maybe that's one reason why.
02:35But I think Kajal is a very photogenic girl.
02:38She does look nice. Maybe she looks just that little bit extra nice when I do her makeup.
02:43So maybe it has a lot to do with my affection for her.
02:47Okay.
02:49They were saying that it was all eyes in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.
02:53It was talked about. Like, you know, eye makeup.
02:56Yeah.
02:57About Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna for all the heroids.
03:00Well, I've only worked on Rani Mukherjee in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.
03:02And what was different is that I, instead of going just with blacks and browns, I've used a lot of greens and blues on her in the songs.
03:09Where I could get away by using blues and greens.
03:12Because the rest of the film, she was supposed to play this very serious character.
03:15But in the songs, because it was more or less a dream sequence and it was romance and love and, you know, she was just kind of blossoming as a woman.
03:25So that's why I thought that we should try and use colors which were like unusual and it would just, you know, give her a new dimension.
03:30So that's the reason why I used a lot of blue, green.
03:35I, in fact, used a few pinks and some autumn colors as well.
03:38And it just worked because, I mean, it was new and she looked great and she was photographed really well in those songs.
03:44And so I think that that worked. It really looked nice. It was new. So it worked.
03:48And you have a, your association with Karan Johar, could you just speak about that?
03:54Well, I have done all of Karan Johar's films so far.
03:57And again, my association with Dharma Productions goes back from the time I knew Yashji very well.
04:04And that's one production where I'm extremely comfortable working.
04:08They really look after you very well and they actually give you the space to create.
04:13I mean, not to say that the other productions don't, but with Karan it's like a, it's like a family kind of a relationship where, like even he says sometimes that there is no in our dictionary.
04:23There is no, no in our dictionary.
04:24So if he asks me to do a certain thing for him, there is no way I'm going to say no.
04:28So, and that's, that's, that's the one production. That's one director who I genuinely love.
04:37And he works under no stress situations. And he gives you your time. He gives you your space. He gives you your creative freedom.
04:45And he's so interested in the way his heroines look. He likes to present his women well. And that makes life so much easier for me.
04:52So on set, if you say, Karan I need an extra half an hour, others may freak out, but he will never, he says, okay, take 45, but then bring her looking perfect, which is great.
05:03And which movie of his you enjoyed the most?
05:05Frankly, I enjoyed Kuch Kuch Hota Hai the most because I think that was his first film and he didn't have to live up to any expectations at that point of time.
05:13And he as a person was different because he was far more carefree and we had a blast. We had a blast shooting Kuch Kuch Hota.
05:20Not to say that the other movies we didn't enjoy, but I think after Kuch Kuch, he had a lot of pressure to come up with one better than that.
05:27And that would definitely bog anybody down. It's natural. It's normal. But he's still a fun person, even on set, even today.
05:34But it's just that kind of madness and that kind of, what can I say? I mean, for lack of better word, I'd say that kind of abandon that we had during Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I find missing now.
05:46But I'm sure it'll come back at some stage.
05:49Does makeup and hair styling go together? And I would like to, because people are confused about hairdresser and hairstylist.
05:57Well, frankly, I mean, it's just a matter of giving a different name. We used to be called makeup man before. Now we are called makeup artist.
06:05It means the same thing. And hair and makeup definitely go hand in hand because that the two together, in fact, the three, the makeup, the hair and the costume go hand in hand
06:14because all three put together is what constructs a look. So, yes, it is a part of one department, if I may say so.
06:24And you've done, do you remember something special about some hair styling you've done for some artist, for any particular artist?
06:34I mean, well, Rani's hair in Kank was really appreciated, you know, which was like fairly just straight from the front and then a lot of bounce at the bottom.
06:42You know, it used to take a long time to do and very difficult to maintain through the day and, you know, through long hours of shooting.
06:49But I think that was really appreciated. And it was nice because the weather permitted us to do that kind of hair.
06:56You know, it was cold and the hair used to stay fairly long, though we had to keep touching it up again and again, but that's part of any shoot, you know.
07:04Okay. And is it true that we've heard that there's no women makeup artist?
07:12Well, that used to be so, not anymore. I mean, today women are doing makeup, men are doing hair.
07:16I've been doing hair and makeup for the last almost 15-17 years, so that's not true anymore.
07:21Initially, it used to be that, but not anymore.
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