Bollywood Backstage: Meet the Prosthetic Artist of 'Chichhore'

Here’s how a prosthetic artist creates and executes a look with the help of SFX makeup.

How prosthetic artists make actors look older, younger or transform them in fantasy characters?

(Photo: The Quint/Aroop Mishra) 

Video Editor: Veeru Krishan Mohan
Cameraperson: Sanjoy Deb
Asst Cameraperson: Gautam Sharma

Gone are the days when Bollywood could show a human transform into a werewolf with a simple mask used in the sequence. Blood spurting out like it had been released from a gun. White paint sprayed in hair to make an actor look aged.

The prothetic scene in India has sure come a long way. Whether it’s ageing someone, giving them life-like-wounds or turning them into fantasy characters, there are unlimited possibilities to explore with prosthetics. The biggest example of great use of prosthetics abroad is Game of Thrones. The prosthetic team of about a hundred people managed to create and execute the looks for the Night King, zombies and the white walkers.

The first Indian movie that made good use of prosthetics was Paa. Artist Subhash Shinde worked for days together to achieve the look. Since then prosthetics have been used in movies like Fan, Kapoor and Sons, Raabta, Mary Kom, Sarbjit, Padmaavat, Mulk and many more.

We caught up with one of India’s most popular prosthetic artists, Preetisheel Singh. She has designed Ranveer Singh’s look as Alauddin Khilji for Padmaavat, Nawazuddin Siddique in Mom and Thackeray, Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor’s looks for 102 Not Out, Rishi Kapoor in Mulk amongst many. She’s also worked on many ads and music videos.

In a recent music video Don't Be Afraid by NUKA, Singh transformed Anushka Manchanda into a tree.

Anushka Manchanda camouflages as a tree with prosthetics. (Photo: YouTube)

Sourcing Materials a Big Challenge

Singh says that she worked as an engineer before she went to LA and did a master course in makeup and prosthetics. When she came back from LA, she had dreams of using her knowledge to create new looks for movies.

“You will not imagine, I took about two years to find substitutes for materials in India and sourcing materials from abroad in India. I would go to Mahalaxmi every other day trying to look for the right substitutes.”

Preetisheel Singh, Prosthetic Artist

She says that India needs an SFX makeup supplies store in India and that it’s the biggest impediment in the growth of the prosthetic scene in India.

Watch the video as Preetisheel Singh tries to explain every bit of how prosthetic works in India.