Interviews
John Abraham’s Romeo Akbar Walter look decoded!
Prosthetic artist Preetisheel Singh has worked on many hit films and has transformed several stars into iconic avatars. In a candid chat, she took us through the looks of John Abraham in RAW
Evolution of technology in cinema is evident and cannot be ignored. It is huge. The need for authenticity has led to a change in many things including the artists working on their bodies to fit the part. From building a set completely through CGI to transforming a person into another with the help prosthetics, we have come a long way. Today as John Abraham starrer Romeo Akbar Walter hits the theatres, we will get to see him in 15 different looks. Each look is extremely different than the other. Preetisheel Singh is a prosthetic artist who has worked on films like Padmaavat, 102 Not Out, Mulk, Thackeray and many others, transforming huge stars like Deepika Padukone, Rishi Kapoor and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Her latest work can be seen in the film RAW which stars John in 15 different avatars all created and executed by Preetisheel. While the lady has transformed many big faces with finesse, today Preetisheel decodes the prosthetics in RAW for us.
How much time did it take for the complete conceptualization of the looks?
In RAW, there are many looks that John has adorned, so every look depends on what kind of design you are making. You must have seen an old man get-up, which is very precise, and it took almost three to four hours of makeup. The time taken really depends on the design, say a nose, or to change the shape of the nose would literally take an hour and a half. Just the brooding of the face takes 10 minutes and then from those 10 it escalates to four-five hours to do the whole head, face, neck and back prosthetics. Also, it is a very detailed process in which we take the appliance and stick it to the actor’s face and blend it in such a way that it looks real and not like something that is stuck. After that, we do colour matching so it looks the same as the body colour and doesn’t mismatch.
What was the brief that you received, considering there are 15 different looks?
It is a spy thriller, so the brief was to create disguises. The main brief was to go with the flow of the story, according to the conflict, and how everything fits. While thinking of all those things, we designed the characters.
How do you create different looks?
Usually, when we get the script, we read the full script and create a blueprint according to the character, his lifestyle, where he comes from and what are the factors that influence him. We always keep in mind that the characters should belong as a part of the story.
On your part, what was the research that went in for RAW?
When we start our research we always begin with the era where the story belongs, what decade it was, what century it is set in are some of the basics. And there is always this thought of making the actor look different yet authentic. So it excites the audience to see him/her in a new avatar. My personal reason to get into such projects is the excitement to make something new every time and not just play with regular makeup. If you see the RAW poster, I have designed all those looks, so I had to create a young, old and mid-aged look.
Among all the 15 looks, which one is your favourite?
Out of all the looks, obviously the three main characters, Romeo, Akbar and Walter are my favourite looks. Plus I really enjoyed doing the old age prosthetics. It was a tough one but the output was worth it.
How was your experience working with John?
This was the first time that I worked with John and it has been an absolute pleasure working with him. He is such a good human being. Considering prosthetic is a job that requires a lot of patience, and John is the kind of person who doesn’t sit at a place for a long time, he sat patiently and was excited to get transformed.
Preetisheel is currently working on films like Chhichhore, Bala, Raat Akeli and many more.
The team that worked on the film also told us about an incident when John went to his vanity to get his make-up done and was in there for four hours. People on the set were busy with their work when suddenly an old man walked in on the sets with poise and elegance, and no one knew him. Everyone thought it was some visitor. It was later that a team member realised that this was supposed to be John’s look for the scene and that is when they recognized him. Well, that is the authenticity that was brought to the table. RAW is an amazing film as far as the prosthetics are concerned. Did you like John in his new avatar? Let us know in the comments section below.
