Journalism of Courage
The National Award has given make-up artist Vikram Gaikwad the coveted recognition of his behind-the-scenes hard work
All those hours of visualising the film’s character,working on the actor’s make-up and paying attention to intricate facial features have paid off for make-up artist Vikram Gaikwad. On Thursday,this city-based artist won the National Award for Best Make-up Artist for his work in the Bengali film Moner Manush. It was Gaikwad’s job to transform the actor into Fakir Lallan Shah,the 19th century philosopher,spiritual leader and musician from Bengal on whom the film is based.
Moner Manush,directed by acclaimed Bengali director Gautam Ghose,is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Sunil Ganguly. It stars Prosenjit Chatterjee in the lead role and focuses on the Baul style of music that was popularised by Fakir Lallan Shah. Gaikwad,who has also worked as a make-up artist at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Pune from 1983-1988 says that a make-up artist should have a fixed idea about how the finished character will look. When I was showing Lallan as an old man,I knew I wanted to depict a godlike aura on his face. I had famous historian Babasaheb Purandare in mind while doing the make-up. It took two hours to achieve the desired effect through prosthetic make-up, he reveals.
Some of Gaikwad’s other films include 3 Idiots,Rang de Basanti,The Legend of Bhagat Singh ,Delhi 6 and Lafangey Parindey. Bollywood gives one a chance to entertain the masses by going beyond reality,but regional and periodic cinema give audiences a chance to connect to their roots. And that is what makes this job more exciting, he says with a smile.
