Mumbai

Celebrated makeup and hair artist Namrata Soni opened up on the challenges and resistance that she faced while working her way into the industry that was once dominated by men.

Reflecting on her journey, Namrata, who has worked with prominent actors like Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan and Karan Johar and created red carpet looks for Sonam Kapoor and Rani Mukerji among others, shared how she received major support from many celebrities, who believed in her talent.

Speaking to ANI, Namrata Soni recalled encountering bias and hostility in her early years, stating, "I must have been maybe the second female makeup artist in the industry. It was dominated by men. And it was very scary. It was a makeup dada and a hair didi. I would be on set, and the union would turn up. The cine union would turn up. They would come and harass the producers and fine them for hiring a woman makeup artist. They would expect us to hide in vanity vans because they didn't want us to be on set. My mother would get threatening phone calls on the landline, like voicemails that if your daughter doesn't stop working, we're going to cut off her hands when she's coming back from Film City."

She recalled fighting a legal battle in the Supreme Court for women makeup artists, further adding how one of the actors stood up for her.

"It was this amazing male actor whom I absolutely love. He called the union, asked me to keep quiet, and just hear them out. It was the men and the women. So the hairdressers and the makeup artists who had come from the union were so angry at me. They were like, 'If I'm a hairdresser, my daughter becomes a hairdresser. If I have a son, my son will become a makeup artist'", Namrata said, further adding how she had the opportunity to work alongside stars like Sonam Kapoor, Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Farah Khan, Sameera Reddy, and Preity Zinta, who were very supportive of women working with women.

She also shared a vivid anecdote from the shooting of 'Om Shanti Om', recalling how director Farah Khan intervened firmly when someone attempted to replace her.

"The closest I got to doing was ageing makeup in 'Om Shanti Om', which I loved as I love Farah. She is one of the only women in my career who supported me right from the beginning as a woman makeup artist. Farah was like 'Can anybody do what she's doing for Om Shanti Om? If they can, I won't take her, and that support meant the world because it really opened up a lot of doors for women in the industry," Namrata shared.

In a career spanning over two decades, Namrata Soni, who started working in the early 2000s, has truly established herself as one of the leading makeup artists, redefining beauty standards in Bollywood.

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She received various accolades for her work, including the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Namrata also won the IIFA award for her ageing make-up in Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'Om Shanti Om'.