From Rihanna to Baby Yoda: This cosplayer morphs into famous faces during lockdown

Medha Srivastava, a cosplayer and artist in Mumbai, shows off her artful make-up skills which have gone viral on social media

Medha’s looks as Rihanna, Baby Yoda, Medha Srivastava

Medha Srivastava is no stranger to headlines across the geekdom. Her cosplay as video game Dota 2’s Legion Commander for Comic Con India 2020, earned her the ‘Fan Favourite’ title from judges. Comic conventions aside, concept artist and illustrator Medha is one of millions of creatives trying to make the most of the lockdown.

What is an artist to do in the current situation? Naturally, she decides to wow her 12,000-plus followers on Instagram with her surrealistic make-up and prosthetics skills, morphing into well-known figures, both fictional and real. So far, the 29-year-old has shared herself rendered as Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher , Wonder Woman, The Professor from Netflix’s Money Heist , Baby Yoda from Disney+’s The Mandalorian , Rihanna and Billie Eilish, among others. In her posts, she also embodies the posture and mood of these figures.

Medha Srivastava as Billie Eilish

Cosplaying for three years now, Medha says she has long been into the performing arts, something nurtured by other women in her family. “I’ve never been into glamorous make-up, but as an artist, the whole idea of transforming yourself into another character, species or gender is exciting.”

For her portrayals as Rihanna and Billie Eilish, Medha used not only wigs and make-up but also coloured contact lenses. “I love powerful women like Rihanna who are really confident in themselves and change their approach to their craft regularly. I see that in myself,” she confesses. The Rihanna look was particularly popular for its red wig, reminding many of the singer’s ‘Only Girl’ days.

Hands-on experience

Make-up, prosthetics, wig-making and electronics all contribute to cosplay, but during the lockdown, Medha had to be careful with resources, especially for her portrayal as Baby Yoda. “We obviously won’t be out buying these tools, so I had to hunt around my house. I ended up using a sofa cover for the hood of Baby Yoda. And for the whole picture, I was kneeling down wrapped in this material to look really small. My mother thought I had made an installation!” Medha had done the look and shared the pictures of the final look before the launch of Disney+ in India — a look which won appreciation from friends and new followers alike.

Medha Srivastava’s looks as The Professor from ‘Money Heist’, Geralt of Rivia from ‘The Witcher’, and Wonder Woman

Over the past couple of weeks, her Instagram and Facebook accounts were flooded with video requests. So when the fourth season of Money Heist came out, she decided to take on the cunning yet quiet Professor. “Last year, I lost my grandmother, and kept her glasses in my bag as a memento. So when I decided to do a look of The Professor, I was hunting for glasses and came across these,” she recalls, “and, while the glasses were the correct shape and colour, they also made the look so special and personal to me. So I also did a time lapse video of the entire makeover.”

The video is also a detailed one; she glues down her eyebrows to create new ones later. Then she contours a new facial structure using shadows and various brushes. A wig, artfully-placed facial hair, plus a shirt and tie had her viewers gush over the remarkable likeness.

As a creative who is under lockdown, creating these looks is not just a hobby or a way to pass the time, but also a way to keep in touch with potential employers with whom she can freelance as an artist, acknowledges Medha. “Cosplay makeup has also been so therapeutic in these anxious times and it offers a little escapism for me. The creativity does not need to stop.”