Veteran make-up artiste Pattanam Rasheed's dream of starting an institute dedicated to make-up comes true. Not a new hand at creating makeovers for celebrities on the silver screen, Rasheed, who has been a make-up artiste for the last 27 years, is set to share his expertise through Pattanam Designory Make-up and Fashion Academy in Kochi.
“Starting this academy is a cherished dream of mine. You have academies for photography and theatre but none that specialises in make-up. Make-up is something that can make or break a character, so I felt it necessary to start an institute that taught the art of applying make-up in various fields: theatre, cinema, television, prosthetic, sci-fi… The academy offers diploma courses in professional make-up art and in fashion and beauty artistry. We also offer short-term courses in hair dressing, bridal make-up, traditional and theatre design, beauty and prosthetic make-up,” explains Rasheed.
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The institute will open its doors to aspiring students of make-up on October 2. Apart from an in-house faculty, various guest lecturers will also hold classes.
While Rasheed is excited about the launch of his dream project, he is also on another high. His work in R. Sukumaran's movie Yugapurushan has won him his sixth Kerala State Award for best make-up artiste.
Says Rasheed, who turned Dileep into a buck-toothed hunchback in Kunjikoonan, aged Mohanlal gracefully in Paradesi, and had Thalaivasal Vijay looking like Sree Narayana Guru in Yugapurushan: “There is no such thing as a ‘more challenging' work. Getting the actor to suit the skin of the character he is playing in a movie is a challenge in itself. You need to ensure the make-up used on the actor does not jar with the character. For instance, you can't give an actor who is playing a rustic villager an urbane look in a movie or give a historical figure a completely new look.”
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He does go on to add however, that his work in Yugupurushan had him “putting in an extra effort.”
A movie based on Sree Narayana Guru, Yugapurushan portrayed the Guru in his various phases in life.
“The Guru is a familiar figure for Malayalis so I had to be certain that Vijay who played the Guru in the film, resembled the image of the Guru. We used artificial ears and nose to ensure the right look. We also used prosthetic make-up to help him age naturally on screen.
“The latest cameras capture the smallest details, so we had to ensure each wrinkle and crease on his skin looked natural.”
But it was not just the Guru's look that Rasheed had to get right for the movie. He also had to get Mammootty, Siddique and Babu Antony to slip into the roles of K.C. Kuttan, Dr. Palpu and Ayyankali respectively.
Right look
“Most people feel the role of a make-up artiste stops at the face. They fail to realise we do the whole body too at times. In Yugapurushan, for instance, we had to ensure Vijay's hands looked aged too. Make-up helps the actor get into character. In fact, Salim Kumar said as much when he won the national award for Adaminte Maakan Abu, for which I had done the make-up for his character,” says the artiste.
Rasheed is currently working on Dr. Biju's Akasathinte Niram, Avira Rebecca's Pigman, Shafi's Venicile Vyapari, and P.T. Kunjumohammad's Veeraputran, to name a few films.
Apart from work, Rasheed is also busy with the final touches of his book on his experience in the industry and on make-up and how it transforms the artiste.
Kerala State film awards for
Aadharam – 1992
Guru – 1997
Kunjikoonan – 2002
Anandabhadram – 2005
Paradesi – 2007
Yugapurushan – 2010