Syed Mussarat Interview: Legendary Makeup Artist of Sanjeev Kumar to Rekha

By Shant Swarup Tripathi

When we watch films, we often can’t stop praising the beauty of the heroes and heroines on screen. The actors we admire and become fans of are able to captivate us largely because of the skilled hands of makeup artists — the unsung heroes of the film industry. These makeup artists, also known as "makeup men" in Bollywood, are the ones who craft the visual identities of characters so perfectly that the audience accepts them wholeheartedly. Without makeup, some artists might not even be visually appealing enough for the screen.

 It’s just like people admire a building's beauty but often overlook the foundation that holds it up.

Today, we bring you an exclusive interaction with one such legendary makeup artist who has completed 50 years in the Indian film industry. His name is Syed Mussarat. Yes, Syed Mussarat has spent five decades enhancing the on-screen presence of iconic stars like Rekha, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, K.N. Singh, Neetu Singh, Pran, Vijayendra Ghatge, and many others through his makeup artistry.

Here are some excerpts from our conversation with him:

• You’re originally from Gwalior. What brought you from there to Mumbai? Were you always aiming to be a makeup artist?

Well, our family first moved from Gwalior to Kota, Rajasthan. I completed my education there up to 12th grade. I must have been about 18 or 19 at the time. Everyone in school used to tell me how handsome I looked. Many of my friends even said I could become a film hero.

Encouraged by these compliments and the support of my friends, I left for Mumbai at the age of 18 to try my luck at becoming a film hero. But when I arrived in Mumbai, things were nothing like what I had imagined. The reality was far different from my dreams. I faced a lot of challenges here. Thankfully, we had a few acquaintances in Mumbai who supported me a lot.

You may not believe it, but I went through tremendous struggle. Still, I couldn’t become a film hero. Honestly, my dream of acting in films never came true.

One day, I met a family acquaintance, C.N. Reddy, who was a renowned makeup artist in the film industry. He offered me the opportunity to work as his assistant. By then, I was already quite disheartened, so I agreed to his offer. He also promised to teach me the art of makeup.

I began working with him and stayed by his side for two to three years. He taught me the craft of makeup with great sincerity and affection, like one teaches their own child. I soon became perfect in my work — and I found my calling in this profession.

• What exactly did your mentor teach you as a makeup artist?

– He taught me everything. In makeup, whether it was ladies’ makeup, men’s makeup, or even the specialized makeup for portraying characters like Lord Hanuman, he taught me all the intricate details and techniques. Whatever respect and success I have earned as a makeup artist is entirely because of his training and guidance.

• Today, if you wanted to train someone to become a makeup artist, how would you begin?

The first thing I would do is ask them to clean the muslin sponges and tools. That helps break the initial hesitation and awkwardness. From the next day onward, I’d have them stand beside me and watch how I work — observing and learning. Slowly, I’d let them do makeup for junior artists. If I find them capable and sincere, I would open my heart and teach them everything I know — every small detail — and support them in growing further.

I’ve trained many people. As of today, around 40 makeup artists working in Bollywood have been trained by me. I always tried to teach honestly, but only those who worked with sincerity actually learned. Those who didn’t, couldn’t learn, no matter how much I tried.

Let me share a small incident. Director Muzaffar Ali was making a TV serial titled ‘Jaane Aalam’, in which an actor named Habib was cast — you might be familiar with him, he’s known for his long mustache. His mustache often had to be applied on set. At the time, I had an assistant — I won’t name him. I told him to apply Habib’s mustache. But instead, seeing the large size of the mustache, he shaved his beard and stuck it on instead!

I assumed, since I had trained him, he’d know what to do. The scene was about to be shot. When the director called for Habib, we couldn’t recognize him — he looked completely different and was quietly sitting to the side. When I noticed him, I asked, “Habib bhai, what is this?” He said, “I don’t know... your assistant did this. I thought maybe the director asked for a look change, so I didn’t object on set.”

I told him, “Habib bhai, this is unbelievable.” Meanwhile, Muzaffar Ali was shouting, “Where’s Habib? Where’s Habib?” I panicked. I quickly took Habib aside, removed the beard, washed and cleaned it, and reapplied it properly as a mustache. Now, how can assistants succeed who don’t even know the difference between a beard and a mustache?

• There was another incident on the same serial’s set…

 I was applying a beard to another actor when Muzaffar Ali suddenly called me. I told my assistant to handle the beard. He told me, “Sir, I can apply the beard by cutting it into four pieces.” I strictly told him not to do that. But I don’t know what inspiration struck him that day — he went ahead and cut the beard into four pieces.

While applying it, one piece disappeared somewhere. So, he applied the beard with a missing section. Muzaffar Ali got very upset, and even the actor was furious. He said, “I kept telling him not to cut the beard and to go call Mussarat sir, but he didn’t listen!”

• Hearing the commotion, I rushed over. When I saw what happened — a chunk of the beard was missing. The actor was clearly angry, saying, “Your assistant thinks he’s so clever. He cut the beard. How long have you been applying these beards?”

I scolded the assistant and sent him off the set. At that moment, I remembered my guru, Mr. Reddy. I had some caramel-colored hair strands tucked behind my ear — I took those, trimmed and blended them, and patched the missing spot. It took some time, but I managed to fix it so perfectly that no one on set noticed anything odd. Only I and the actor knew the patch was there. After pack-up, I prepared a new beard — because you can’t keep fixing the same one forever.

So yes, sometimes such unexpected mishaps happen on set.

• When and how did you first get an opportunity to work as a makeup artist?

Back then, a lot of Punjabi films were being made. So in the beginning, I worked as a makeup artist on several major Punjabi films like ‘Bagga Daku’, ‘Santo Banto’, and many others. Later, I got my first Hindi film — ‘Beti’, directed by J.S. Gautam, which starred Sangeeta Nayar as the heroine and Sudhir Pandey. That was my first film in Hindi cinema. After that, more offers kept coming.

Eventually, I got associated with filmmaker Muzaffar Ali. I worked with him on all his films including Daman, Aagaman, Anjuman, and Umrao Jaan, as well as nearly 15 television serials. We developed a very close friendship over time.

After that, I became the personal makeup artist for Neetu Singh for six years. With her, I worked on around 40 to 50 films including Kaala Patthar, Chorni, Choron Ki Baraat, Yaarana, and Yuvraj, among others. I had a wonderful time working with her. She is a kind-hearted and noble human being. Even if I made a mistake, she never said a word. She would just ignore it.

There were times she gave me something — once even a gold chain — which I unfortunately lost. Yet, she never scolded me. She simply said, “It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

• Why was your relationship with Muzaffar Ali so strong?

When I worked on his first film ‘Daman’, he observed how perfect I was in my craft and that I had no bad habits. That built a foundation of trust and respect. Even today, if he starts any project, I am the first person he calls.

• Was there an incident during your first project with Muzaffar Ali that left a strong impression on him?

Yes, absolutely! One day on set, he suddenly needed an actor to be made up as a Maulvi (Islamic cleric). He asked me, “Do you have a beard?” But he had never informed me in advance. I said, “Sir, you didn’t mention this earlier.” He replied, “I didn’t feel the need until now.”

However, I always carry long hair strands in my kit. So, I quickly pulled them out and created a beard right then and there. He was very impressed. He said, “You’re a master of every task.” And since then, we’ve had a strong bond that continues to this day.

• One of Muzaffar Ali’s most iconic films is Umrao Jaan, which also starred Rekha. People still say that the kind of dance Rekha performed in this film hasn’t been matched even by Sanjay Leela Bhansali in any of his movies. Do you recall anything special from the time when you were doing Rekha’s makeup for this film?

Director Muzaffar Ali had given me a sketch — he said, “This is our Umrao Jaan. These are the clothes. This is her face. This is her hair.” I worked strictly according to the reference he provided.

At that time, I had four assistants helping me. We prepared and did Rekha Ji’s makeup, then presented the look to the director. He rejected it two or three times. But we didn’t give up. Eventually, our efforts paid off. Everything became perfect — exactly as the director had envisioned.

It’s true that the makeup in Umrao Jaan, that level of classical dance and poetic grace — no one has been able to recreate that since. It became a cult film. Even today, people remember the movie and Rekha Ji’s dance. She was an outstanding actress and a phenomenal dancer. She even won several awards for that role. Honestly, it was a perfect character in every sense.

• There was also a last-minute moment in the film where a new actor had to be transformed into a Nawab. Tell us about that.

 Yes. One day on set, the director suddenly pointed to an actor and said, “He has to be made into a Nawab — the father of Farooq Sheikh’s character.” He started listing out all the things we’d need — this, that... I told him, “But this is a real problem. You’re telling us at the last minute, and we don’t even have the materials ready.”

But Muzaffar Ali simply said, “You can do anything — I believe in you.” That faith of his became my motivation. We pulled it off. The shoot happened smoothly. This kind of thing often happens in films. I always told my assistants — “There’s nothing on a film set that a makeup man cannot do. If he can’t, then what kind of makeup artist is he?”

• Any other such incident from your theater days?

Yes, there was a stage play called ‘Rustam Sohrab’. I had created a beard for the actor playing Rustam’s father, since Rustam himself had a beard, the father had to have one too. But the actor suddenly refused to wear it. He said he had an allergy to net material. The show was at Tata Memorial, the hall was packed with audience.

Time was short — only 20 minutes left, and he was the first to go on stage. The director was in a fix. I tried to convince him, but he was stubborn and said he would leave. As he began to walk out, I quickly called my assistant, cut some hair, and started pasting it strand by strand — creating a beard like a sketch.

When he saw it, he was pleased, and the play went on as scheduled. But he kept repeating, “I’m allergic to net!” After the show, the director told me, “You saved the day — otherwise we were about to get booed off stage!” So these kinds of incidents happen too.

• What is your philosophy about the role of a makeup artist?

A makeup artist should always give it their best. If you can’t get the job done, then what kind of makeup artist are you? That said, a director must also clarify everything with the actor beforehand. Still, sometimes unexpected things do happen. My belief is — a makeup artist must be perfect in everything. Listen to your director and execute exactly what they envision.

• Do you think the director should give the entire film script to the makeup artist so that the makeup artist can read it and understand the requirements?

Many directors do give the script. But sometimes, what happens is that at the last moment, changes are made in the script or the scenes. When that happens, it becomes very difficult. For example, in director Vijay’s film Hum Hain Kamaal Ke, everything was understood initially. But suddenly the director decided that the character who was supposed to appear first should be made bald. Now, a bald wig was needed. But where would you get a wig at night? He was a great director. I said, “Sir, you have complicated things... how will I make him bald now?” He laughed and said, “Do whatever you can, but I know you will do it.” Then I washed some muslin cloth, stuck it, applied makeup and polished it to create a bald look. When the director saw it, he said, “This is exactly what I wanted.” He loved me a lot. I have worked on almost 300 films and never once did a director or actor shout at me on the set.

Let me tell you a funny incident from 1980. This is from the set of director Raghunath Jhalani’s film Be Reham. The lead pair was Sanjeev Kumar and Mala Sinha. Sanjeev Kumar was a very kind-hearted and wonderful person. He used to have very thin mustaches. I used to take care of his mustaches on the set. Whenever he asked for his mustache, I would apply gum on his mustache hair and hold it for him. He would take the mustache from my hand and place it on his face, then ask me if it looked okay. One day, we were shooting in a bungalow where it was quite dark. I mistakenly applied gum on the wrong side of the mustache hair. When Sanjeev ji asked for the mustache, I gave it to him. As soon as he tried to put it on his face, he realized I had made a big mistake. Then he said, “Oh son! You put gum on the wrong side of the mustache.” I got scared. But then Sanjeev Kumar said, “It’s okay, no problem. Just quickly wash it off.” I did as he said, tried drying it with a fan, applied the gum properly, and then gave it to him. He wore the mustache properly. If a modern artist was there, he would have created a big scene and maybe I would have lost my job. But after all, the mistake was mine. Sanjeev Kumar told me, “Son, the one who works makes mistakes. The one who doesn’t work doesn’t make mistakes.” Meanwhile, director Raghunath came and asked, “Brother, why haven’t you put the mustache yet?” Before I could answer, Sanjeev Kumar said, “Yes, we are putting it... wait, we are cleaning it.” Raghunath Jhalani was a great director. But Sanjeev Kumar deserves respect. He did not tell anyone about my mistake. I kept apologizing to him. He kept saying, “It’s okay... the one who works makes mistakes. We also make mistakes.” I still remember his words. Honestly, you won’t find another artist like Sanjeev Kumar. If a makeup artist makes a mistake today, the artist would blow up on him.

• Don’t you think that earlier artists used to value art? They never rushed after shooting. But now everyone is just in a hurry to finish work, so the entire behavior of the artists has changed?

You said it absolutely right. Now the temperament and behavior of every artist have changed a lot. Earlier, artists valued art. They considered their work like a worship or prayer. They used to work with dedication on the set until the entire work was done. But now, it’s all about rushing and finishing quickly. Earlier, reaching the set meant a form of worship. They worked as if they were performing a prayer. That feeling is missing now. Earlier, work was done like a devotion. Everyone on the set lived with love and affection. I have worked with many big artists — Prem Chopra, K.N. Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Sanjeev Kumar — watching them shoot was like watching them pray, as if they had come to worship God. Back then, artists never argued with the director, never complained. Artists at that time were honest, hardworking, and worked with love. Even now, some artists are good and kind-hearted. There is no doubt about that. But earlier artists used to worship art. That atmosphere is no longer visible.

• Now, serving art is not the priority; earning money has become the main goal?

Yes! Now both artists and makeup artists mainly focus on earning money. But earlier, it was not like that. Work was work. Even if the money was not good, they didn’t complain so much. Earlier, money was not that easily available. When we started, getting 200 to 300 rupees was a big deal. Today, makeup artists earn twenty to twenty-five thousand rupees per day. So, now money has become more important than art. Earlier, work was valued. Even when we got just 200 rupees, we were very happy and did our work honestly. But now, we see even personal makeup artists of actors are not satisfied with 50 thousand rupees.

• When did you start working as a personal makeup man?

By chance, I met actress Neetu Singh, and I became her personal makeup man. She is a very good woman. The days I spent working with her were so wonderful that I still remember them today. I worked with her in many films and traveled a lot outdoors with her. She never spoke to me rudely. She treated me like a brother, sharing meals together, always giving me a ride in her car, dropping me home. The respect and love I received from her, I never got from anyone else. Even today, we keep in touch.

• How many years did you work with Neetu Singh, and which films did you do?

I can’t count the number of films. I worked with her for six years. I did films like Chorni, Kala Patthar, Bandini, Yuvraj, Dhan Daulat, Duniya Meri Jeb Mein with her.

• There was a big difference in makeup between Kala Patthar and Chorni, wasn’t there?

In Chorni, it was a village girl’s look, while in Kala Patthar, the makeup was black and gritty. Chorni had a simple village girl’s makeup, whereas Kala Patthar had makeup like laborers working in the village mines.

• The shootings of Kala Patthar and The Burning Train were happening simultaneously. Since the makeup was very different for both, how did you keep track?

That is part of our work. We remember what the getup is, what the makeup is — all those details stick in the memory.

• Earlier, a film used to take 3 to 4 years to make, with shooting done in bits and pieces. Now, films are made in continuous 40-day shoots. How was continuity maintained when shooting was fragmented?

In those days, to maintain continuity, photos were clicked during shooting and albums were made. Nowadays, I think they don’t make such albums. When shooting resumed, we would refer to those albums. Earlier, people used to shoot according to their mood — they didn’t just shoot like that. Nowadays, shooting is done like a business. Earlier, it was not about business, it was about mood, love, and style. If winter was needed for the shoot, they would shoot in winter only.

• Earlier, there were no facilities outdoors. What kind of problems did you face while doing makeup?

In those days, tents were set up outdoors where artists could sit and we could do their makeup. Now there are vanity vans. Earlier, there were no vanity vans. You might be surprised to know that we even did makeup for big artists sitting on Juhu Beach. I have done makeup for Neetu Singh and many others on Juhu Beach. At that time, there was no security. Now, when we do makeup in the makeup rooms inside Film City studios, there are bouncers and many others — almost like an army is present. Now, for every artist, the vanity van arrives first, then the artist appears with his entourage. Earlier, there was no such thing — complete freedom. Honestly, the work environment was much better before. There was mutual respect. No security, no fuss, no arguments. Now, you can’t meet the artists freely.

Akshay Kumar did a telefilm with us. We had very good relations with him. But now, we can’t meet Akshay Kumar. There are about 25 people standing around him. We can’t meet Amitabh Bachchan either, though we had very good relations with him too. So much has changed.

• Which films did you work on with Amitabh Bachchan?

 I worked with him on Kasme Vaade, Yaarana, Kaala Patthar, and several other films. Amitabh Bachchan is a truly good person. He was punctual then, and he still is. He used to arrive on set before all of us. He always focused on his work. To be honest, all the veteran artists of that era gave great importance to work and time. They would arrive on time and leave on time. Nowadays, time doesn't seem to hold the same value.

• After Neetu Singh, whom did you work with as a personal makeup artist?

I worked with Vijayendra Ghatge, who was a very famous actor. I did about 30 to 40 films with him, including Chitchor, Prem Rog, and Razia Sultan. He was associated with the royal family of Indore and was a wonderful human being. I worked with him for nearly five years. After that, he left the film industry and returned to Indore. In Raj Kapoor’s film Prem Rog, he had a very touching role. In Razia Sultan, he played the character of Usman. Even today, we remain good friends.

• In your 50-year career as a makeup artist, you must have received recognition and awards?

My work has always been appreciated. I’ve also received a Lifetime Achievement Award, which I deeply value.

• What are you currently working on?

 I'm preparing for a biopic film on the dacoit Malkhan Singh. A few days ago, the director and I visited Gwalior to meet Malkhan Singh. We collected a lot of information and photos from him. When we asked him what he looked like in his youth, he showed us a picture from that time.

• What changes have you seen in the makeup artist industry over the past 50 years?

The love and respect we once had have diminished. Earlier, makeup artists were highly respected. Now, not so much. In the past, actors would touch our feet before getting their makeup done. Even top stars would bow and show respect. That culture is disappearing. There's no understanding of those old traditions anymore.

Veteran actor K. N. Singh used to touch our feet and give eleven rupees as a token of gratitude after his makeup was done. Pran Saab would happily give a hundred rupees after his makeup was complete. That kind of respect has almost vanished now.

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