‘Rs 55 lakh for Katrina Kaif’s hair, Rs 1 cr to remove eyebags of male star’: Karan Johar is right, hair and makeup is Bollywood’s most secure career today

So, depending on the additional costs, the hair and makeup of a singular star can go upto Rs 2 lakh. A film with two lead stars, and other supporting actors, can thus cost upto Rs 6 lakh for hair and makeup alone. The shoot of a film goes up to 40-60 days at the least these days, which adds upto Rs 2.4 to Rs 3.6 crore for the hair and makeup department alone. And if it’s a bigger film shot over a longer period of time and also shot outdoors, the total hair and makeup budget can go upto Rs 8-10 crore.

In comparison, on an average, a screenwriter is paid Rs 4 lakh for story, screenplay, and dialogues each. While that adds upto Rs 12 lakh per film, one must take into account how the writer’s job starts months or even years before the film goes on floors. Meanwhile, hair and makeup artists’ jobs involve prep work of barely a few days at best. The travesty is that writers don’t even get paid all their tranches, let alone on time.

How make-up dadas were replaced by HMU

The crème la crème of the industry — makeup artists Mickey Contractor and Namrata Soni and hairstylist Aalim Hakim — charge in the above range, but it’s no longer an essential prerequisite to have decades of experience. A hairstylist or makeup artist five or 10 years into the industry can also reach there on certain projects. All they need is skill, but moreover, trust — of the star they’re loyal or attached to.

“Gone are the days of makeup dadas and hair didis. Back in the ’90s, either the stars had the same professionals for years or they used to avail the services of those made available for all actors on set by the producer. They were thorough professionals, but they weren’t brands,” says Anees Muss, renowned hairstylist who has worked with A-list stars like Priyanka Chopra. “We’ve come a long way since then. In the age of social media, a film look isn’t just reserved for the film, but is plastered all across the audience’s smartphones for posterity,” he adds.

Priyanka Chopra’s hairstylist Anees Muss believes hair and makeup artists are brands today.

He also attributes this shift from faceless but loyal hair and makeup professionals to brands to the ability of the latter to keep up with the times. “When I started out 30 years ago, there was barely anything we could work with. A lot of the makeup products had to be imported. I remember L’Oreal was the first brand to step into the Indian market later, and others followed. We all learnt on the job and those who couldn’t are no longer around today,” argues Anees.

The role of new-age star and airport looks

The evolution in the hair and makeup industry has also coincided with the rise of the new-age star. That star no longer banks on inaccessibility to guard their stardom. Instead, the concept of stardom has changed completely on its head — the more visible and accessible you are, the bigger star you are today. “If I hire an HMU (hair and makeup) team to do my airport look, why would I not call the paparazzi to capture it? You know how much it costs, right? I’d better get something out of it,” said a content creator on the condition of anonymity, who has even signed up with an athleisure brand to cover their HMU costs in exchange of modelling for their outfits at the airport.

While there’s a whole parallel machinery in place for stars — big or small — on how they navigate escalating hair and makeup costs — several independent producers harbour grouses for how the stars levy the same expectations on the production budget of a film set. “Because these stars are now out there everywhere, they expect to look like that — with perennially blow-dried hair and perfectly done eyes — in all their films. Sure, you want to look like that, but why am I bearing the cost?,” asks a producer who prefers to not be named.

Moreover, since the stars are now so comfortable with their choice of hair and makeup team that they don’t want to experiment or downsize to the far more reasonable professionals employed by the producer. “The team we have on set would charge Rs 50,000 per day to do the hair and makeup of three actors. That’s still okay. But how do they expect me to pay Rs 50,000 just for one actor every day, especially if it’s an independent film low on funds?,” says producer Shiladitya Bora, who recently backed the Huma Qureshi-starrer police procedural Bayaan.

Shiladitya Bora, producer of Huma Qureshi’s Bayaan, feels hair and makeup costs are off the charts.

Not just hair and makeup, stars demand fee for their drivers too

Another independent filmmaker claims he had to drop a star from his film after he charged over Rs 50,000 per day for his hair and makeup costs. “The star was all gung-ho when I first narrated the film to him. He even considered it when I told him we have a limited budget. But then his manager just levied these additional entourage charges. Of course, the hair and makeup costs were the highest, but why would I pay even your driver Rs 5,000 per day? For driving you to and from the set? It’s atrocious,” said the filmmaker.

If the rules of economics are applied, the HMU costs should have plateaued by now given there’s so much demand out there. But it’s not just the escalation in accessibility that’s fuelled the fire, but also the rise in insecurity among stars that comes with it. “These hair and makeup professionals have been working with those stars day in and day out for years. They’ve seen them at their most vulnerable and insecure. They also know how to hide the cracks, wipe out the marks, and cover the bald spots. Going to any other hairstylist or makeup artist would amount to starting from the scratch,” a celebrity manager tells SCREEN on the condition of anonymity.

Crores to remover wrinkles and eye bags

He adds that transferring these high hair and makeup and other entourage costs to the producer only makes the star even lazier. He poses a pertinent question: “Why don’t you do your skincare routine religiously every day and take care of hair loss instead of relying completely on the HMU department? What’s happened to the idea of self-care?” In fact, it doesn’t even stop at hair and makeup costs. Now, VFX artists at leading post-production companies are being told to conceal wrinkles and even trim waist lines. “The effort is less for younger stars like Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon, and more for ageing stars like Kajol,” says a supervisor. As much as Rs 1 crore was spent to whitewash the eye bags of a newcomer who can’t get enough of partying.

Of course, hairstylists and makeup artists would take advantage of stars’ insecurities to charge a higher paycheque. No wonder their compensation has gone up by over 10 times in the last 15 years. But this practice is merely a symptom of the larger film ecosystem which revolves blindly and desperately around the star. “Why don’t we have filmmakers like Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam who can ask a Rani Mukerji and a Manisha Koirala to wash the makeup off their faces because it doesn’t go with their parts in Hey Ram (2000) and Bombay (1995) respectively? Why is there so much currency on how the star looks, and not the character, even today,” asks a production controller.

Kamal Haasan asked Rani Mukerji to wipe off her makeup for Hey Ram.

But hair and makeup artists insist their job isn’t all about glamour, but also about worldbuilding. “They’re the stars behind the camera. They help you define characters, community, time frame and era of a film,” says hairstylist Raaj Gupta, adding, “Fantasy, sci-fi, and superhero genres rely on prosthetic and extensive wig work. They also ensure characters look consistent across shooting days, crucial for visual cohesion. They also work closely with costume designers, cinematographers, and directors to ensure the overall look aligns with the film’s tone and lighting.”

Rs 55 lakh for correct shade of red in Katrina’s hair

But the production controller insists that while dedicating Rs 1.5 crore (10% of the the total budget) for specialized hair and makeup/prosthetic for Amitabh Bachchan’s character in a film like R Balki’s Paa (2009) makes sense, that’s not the intent with every film. “Burning Rs 55 lakh to land that exact shade of red in Katrina Kaif’s hair in Fitoor (Abhishek Kapoor’s 2016 film) is such a waste. Yes, you remember that look till date, but that’s because you don’t remember the rest of the film. That was their only claim to fame,” he says.

Katrina Kaif’s hair colour in Fitoor cost Rs 55 lakh.

However, popular hair and makeup artist Kanta Motwani points out how their work also saves a lot of production costs in the most invisible way. “We contribute a lot more than what people realize it to be. Calling it a ‘burden’ isn’t fair. Good hair and makeup saves time and prevents retakes. Imagine if strands of hair keep coming in the way of tight close-up shots?,” she says, adding that even for films which may not seem to require hair and makeup, that’s never the case. “Even for a realistic or low-budget film that aims for a ‘no-makeup’ look still needs professionals to achieve that on camera. Lighting, lenses, and high-definition formats pick up everything, so subtle makeup becomes essential.”

Do hair and makeup artists then paint every film with the same brush? Do they charge between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh even for the smaller films? Do they increase their compensation along with the star? Seasoned hairstylist Aalim Hakim believes the pricing for services should be standardized. “Charge the same fees to everybody, whether it’s a superstar or a newcomer. When you buy an iPhone, the price would remain the same for both the rich and the poor. Why does entourage double or triple their fees once their star delivers a Rs 500 crore hit? As if they’ve delivered a Rs 500 crore hit. A star can increase their fees, but the staff should get that 5-10% hike every year like it happens in the corporate sector,” says Hakim.

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But professionals like Hakim and Gupta believe that despite the perception about increasing costs, the HMU department seldom gets its due. “Internationally, there are categories in major award shows that honour the hair and makeup artists. But that’s not the case in India,” says Gupta. Hakim also chimes in, “When the first poster of the film drops, you can only see the hair and face. But we haven’t gotten enough recognition for that. I don’t get it even till today, whether it’s for the looks of Vicky Kaushal in Chhaava, Jr NTR in War 2, and Rajinikanth in Coolie,” says Hakim.