Mumbai-based celebrity hairstylist Adhuna Akhtar, who has given Bollywood stars like Preity Zinta and Aamir Khan a makeover in their well-known films, will now make her television debut with a brand new series on TLC beginning July 16.
For a change, she will not be giving a hair-do to celebrities, but transform ordinary looking girls hailing from different parts of the country into a head turner.
Wife of Bollywood actor, singer and film-maker Farhan Akhtar, Adhuna says the new show will see famous personalities from Hindi cinema making a special appearance. But the show titled “Be Blunt” will primarily focus on contestants who were selected through a laborious process in which the hairstylist had the final say.
“The six-part series is predominantly about make-over. Contestants have been selected through a format. We first highlighted details of the selection process on Twitter and received entries from girls from cosmopolitan cities and towns. They sent us videos in which they explained why they wanted to go in for a make-over. As a refreshing change, there is an element of surprise as celebrities from Bollywood will come to the show and share their thoughts with the contestants.” Noting that the nominated girls are going through certain change in their lives, Adhuna says one collegiate has been selected for a job and another girl has egged on her working mother to become a contestant. “Contestants come from divergent professional backgrounds….The objective of the show is to give television viewers an idea how to sport a new hairstyle.”
Brimming with excitement on making a debut on the small screen, Adhuna says the show is a natural extension of her passion for styling. “Teaming up with my brother Osh Bhabani and giving our passion a new dimension has truly been a gratifying experience. Fortunately, the celebrity guests including Shah Rukh Khan have been magnanimous enough to come on to our show.”
Bollywood celebrities who will be part of her show include hubby Farhan Akhtar. And Aruna thinks he is the most stylish of the lot. “I have known Farhan for the past 14 years and can vouch for the fact that he has always been a performer. Even when he made his directorial debut with ‘ Dil Chahta Hai ’ I knew he would one day demonstrate his acting skills on the big screen. For Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s mega project ‘ Bhaag Milkha Bhaag ’ my team is looking after Farhan’s styling. Our job is to make Farhan look as close to the real person (Milkha Singh).”
In Adhuna’s new show only young actors from the film firmament will make special appearances. The older generation of actors like Amitabh Bachchan and lyricist and her father-in-law Javed Akhtar will unfortunately not be seen. “I admit that yesteryear stars also looked dapper during their heyday. But they are not part of the upcoming show.”
Other actors part of the show include Priety Zinta, who was given a make-over by Adhuna in “ Dil Chahta Hai ” and “ Lakshya ”. Arjun Rampal, whose shoulder long hair has given him a debonair look, will also be appearing in one of the episodes.
