Business of giving colours and shades

26 June 2009

C harlie Chaplin is known to have once said that clothes and make-up, which he had on during performances, made him feel the person he was. Although that may not be the case with our local celebrities, make-up does add to a person’s character.

A ccording to producer and director Tshering Wangyel, make-up artists are very important part of movie production since they have the responsibility to bring out ‘all shades of a character’ on screen.

A lthough there are many make-up artists in the growing Bhutanese movie industry, only a few of them have been able to make their mark so far. One of the highest paid among them is Phuntsho Dema, who won the best make-up artist award twice in a row – for Muti Thrishing in 2006 and Don’t Tell Mom in 2007.

S he has more than twelve movies under her belt and charges Nu 50,000 for each movie. She was also the make-up artist for the internationally acclaimed movie, Travellers and Magician, for which she was paid a bonus of 10,000 for a job well done. S he owns a beauty parlour in Paro. Asked how she felt about her job, she said “I love this profession and will be continuing it for as long as I can, it pays well too.”

O thers with equal experience include Sherab Yangchen, whose recent works include Seldrup, Seday, and Sherubtse Ga Mi Ga, among others. “I have been in this business for the past two years and make around 30,000 for a movie,” she said, adding that she has around 10 movies to her credit. She runs her own beauty parlour in Thimphu when she is not working for any production house.

A nd perhaps the veteran among them would be Chema Sharma, who has now given up the profession but had once worked in blockbusters like Jigdrel I and II, Chorten Kora, Lengo I and II. She had also bagged the best make -up artist award for Lengo I in 2005. She too would earn around 30,000 to 35,000 for a single movie but had given it up as she wanted to concentrate on her business. She owns Shangrila Saloon in Thimphu.

Most of the make-up artists in the film industry are trained. Many young girls, who undergo training in Bangkok or India, come back with the objective to get into the fast-growing film industry where one can earn good money within a short span of time. However, only a few of them make it.

“Our industry lacks professional make-up artists. Although the local audience accepts it, if our movies have to go beyond the borders, we will have to have professional make-up artists,” Said Tshering Wangyel. He admits to have received criticisms from some people about make-up in his movies.

“Make-up on some actors is not done well; you can literally see the difference between the colour of their face and neck,” Said Tandin Dema, 25, who is a regular viewer of Bhutanese movies.

By Metho Dema

Ratings: 1 Star