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Can You Recognise These Actors?

July 10, 2024 13:29 IST

IMAGE: Kamal Haasan returns as Veerasekaran Senapathy in Shankar's Indian 2.

Isn't it cool is to see actors taking a route of total transformation to embody a character better?

Certain films demand actors to take on roles that come with a distinct look -- it could be that of a terrifying villain or an unusual personality.

For the imagination alone, the prosthetics team deserve the appreciation for putting in tremendous work for creating such wacky looks.

Credit also goes to the actors for sitting patiently through that gruelling task of make-up, acing the role and then spending hours removing it.

10 recent awe-inspiring prosthetic aesthetics that actors have donned for their roles:

 

Amitabh Bachchan

IMAGE: Amitabh Bachchan gets his makeover as Ashwatthama in Kalki 2898 AD. Photograph: Kind courtesy Da MakeUp Lab/Instagram

The Internet loved the first glimpse of Amitabh Bachchan as Ashwatthama in Nag Ashwin's Kalki 2898 AD.

Not only has the film met with a terrific reception at the box office, the 81 year old received the lion's share of the acclaim, with many critics hailing his as the most compelling performance in the film.

We have seen make-up artist Preetisheel Singh's magic before, and she doesn't disappoint here.

Bachchan knows the power of prosthetics, as his look in Paa -- where he played Auro, a child who suffers from the genetic disorder Progeria -- won the National Film Award for make-up back in 2009.

 

Kamal Haasan

IMAGE: Kamal Haasan reprises his role from the 1996 film Indian.

When it comes to the most memorable film transformations, the Big B's Kalki co-star Kamal Haasan is a creative benchmark of sorts.

Extremely creative with his roles and deeply committed to performance, Kamal Haasan is known for the make-up and costume designs of the characters he essays on screen.

While he looks unrecognisable as the villain Supreme Yaskin in Kalki, the anticipation is building up for his next outing with Director Shankar in Indian 2, in which the movie legend dons unusual get-ups.

Oscar-winning make-up artist Michael Westmore reunites with Kamal once more after Hey Ram, Indian, Dasavatharam and Chachi 420, and receives rich praise from the actor in an Instagram post: 'From (The arrow in the sun) Soldier blue where I saw Mike Westmore's work to this day, I have admired Mike's work from inside out. Had the joy of working with him on the make up and also wearing it to fame and applause. 40 years have flown with the speed of an arrow.'

 

Akshay Kumar

IMAGE: Akshay Kumar transforms into the villain Pakshi Rajan in 2.0. Photograph: Kind courtesy Akshay Kumar/Instagram

Lots of make-up, some insane prosthetics and a great deal of CGI went into Akshay Kumar's stunning transformation as the nightmarish villain Pakshi Rajan in the pan-India biggie, 2.0.

His unique appearance made sure he did not get overshadowed by the film's hero, Rajinikanth.

It would take about three-and-a-half hours to put on the make-up and about two-and-a-half hours to remove it. During the shoot, he was on a liquid diet, as the bodysuit was made according to his size.

 

Shah Rukh Khan

IMAGE: SRK as obsessed fan Gaurav in Director Maneesh Sharma's Fan.

With the help of both practical and digital effects, SRK stunned audiences with his dual role in Fan.

On one hand he played himself, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, and on the other, he played an obsessed fan named Gaurav, who happens to resemble the star.

Hollywood make-up genius Greg Cannom, who has done spectacular work in films like The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Bicentennial Man and Face Off, was roped in for this Maneesh Sharma film.

 

Kangana Ranaut

IMAGE: Kangana gets into the skin of Jayalalithaa. Photograph: Kind courtesy Kangana Ranaut/Instagram

Kangana took great pains to resemble J Jayalalithaa in the actress-politician's biopic, Thalaivii

There were reportedly three stages of prosthetics, which took many hours to complete and later to remove after filming.

Seen here, Kangana gets the prosthetics measurements from Jason Collins's studio in Los Angeles. Jason has previously worked on Captain Marvel, creating prosthesis for Brie Larson.

 

Deepika Padukone

IMAGE: Deepika as Malti Agarwal in Meghna Gulzar's Chhapaak (2020).

Deepika portrayed an acid attack survivor in Chhapaak based on a true story.

UK-based Clover Wootton, who has worked on Hindi films since 2012 and is credited for films like Revolver Rani, Haider, Rangoon, Sui Dhaaga, Zero, Pari and Sanju, transforms Deepika in one of their most challenging films.

 

Ranveer Singh

IMAGE: Ranveer as Kapil Dev in '83.

Showcasing his incredible range, Ranveer brought cricket legend Kapil Dev to life under the watchful eye of Director Kabir Khan in '83. Ranveer nailed Pail Paaji's look and mannerisms in a rousing sports drama about India's historic World Cup win.

Make-up artist Vikram Gaikwad revealed in that an interview that the toughest part was to find the right dentures for Ranveer's look.

 

Rajkummar Rao

IMAGE: Rajkummar Rao in Raabta.

The heavy layers of prosthetics made Rajkummar unrecognisable in his guest appearance as the mysterious 324-year-old man in Dinesh Vijan's directorial debut Raabtaa, starring Kriti Sanon and the late Sushant Singh Rajput.

Zuby Johal and Rajiv Subba of Dirty Hands Studio, who have done the make-up in films like Tumbbad, Ghost Stories, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui and Kill, were roped in for the transformation.

 

Gulshan Devaiah

IMAGE: Gulshan Devaiah in Ghost Stories.

Gulshan transformed into a haunting character, a human flesh-eating monster, in Dibakar Banerjee's segment in Ghost Stories. If it wasn't in the credit roll, we wouldn't have guessed it was Gulshan underneath that far out make-up.

The suit may have been claustrophobic but Gulshan and Zuby Johal and Rajiv Subba of Dirty Hands Studio made sure it came perfectly to life.

 

Sharvari

IMAGE: Sharvari in Munjya. Photograph: Kind courtesy Sharvari/Instagram

With its sweeping success at the box office, Munjya was loved for its technical craft and as well as the horror/comedy elements.

In the climax sequence, Sharvari puts on freakish make-up for a distinctive pallor as a possessed being. Prosthetics were further used to create her pointy ears, crooked teeth and fingers.

She tells us all about it here.

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