Look-ing beyond

Somya Abrol

There’s makeup, and then there’s no-makeup makeup. A woman’s world is warped. But, behind closed eyes, while we agree we want to let go of all shades the world wants to paint us with, we also know that a better physical image boosts self confidence. Confused?

To put women’s twisted perception into context, Chandigarh, on Thursday, saw the arrival of two pretty ladies, at the launch of Godrej No 1’s range of facewashes. Though a panel discussion on natural beauty ensued with dermatologist, Dr Tripti Rathore, Bollywood stylist Nirali Mehta and small screen’s darling Deepika Singh, Tribune Life+Style caught up with the latter two to find out their definition of beauty.

Good management

Deepika Singh

Recently married to her maiden show’s former director, Rohit Raj Goyal, Deepika Singh went from being your typical Delhi girl to a small screen darling out of sheer love for acting. “I don’t care what the medium is; I just knew I wanted to act for people,” says she, on being asked if she’s making the natural progression towards Bollywood.

The definition of a woman’s beauty lies in the way she manages both fronts – home and professional – much like her character, Sandhya, in Diya Aur Baati Hum, where she essays the role of an ideal daughter-in-law parallel with that of an IPS officer.

Ask her how she switches between such contrasting roles on screen and she says, “I’m just playing the role of an Indian woman. All of us put up a different face at work and at home, in front of the in-laws.

I personally relate to Sandhya; she defines the Indian woman of today perfectly; I work 12-13 hour shifts and go home to my in-laws.

Sandhya also gives faith to my woman audience that if Sandhya can go from being a housewife to an IPS officer, they can too, if only they set their mind to it.”

Up next? “I’m quite happy with Diya Aur… Not looking at anything else for now.”

 

 

Experiment is the key

Nirali Mehta

You'd think holding your own in the fashion industry would command respect. Bollywood stylists, however, believe otherwise.

From styling Abhay Deol and Ranbir Kapoor to experimenting with Kangana’s looks and embracing Chitrangada’s bronze hues, Nirali has been styling our perfectly prepped celebs for half a decade now. Formerly a stylist with some fashion magazines, Nirali now styles Bollywood biggies for cover shoots and various fashion events. Her definition of beauty is embracing one’s natural self and adding layers to it. She is, however, one to embrace experimentation. “Though most celebs trust us with their looks for the particular event according to the brief we receive, there are some who are not exactly open to experimentation. Katrina Kaif, for instance, has four defined looks. She makes it plenty clear at the onset that she wouldn’t budge from her straight-hair look, or the mild curls or the pulled back pony tail. Then there are celebs like Kangana Ranaut, who are so secure about their public image that they are ready to go all out and trust the stylist wholly,” says Nirali.

Ask her whom she’s loved working with the most and she says, “That’ll have to be Sonakshi Sinha; more so because she is a challenge. She has really lost weight now, and that girl is open to all sorts of experimentation! Working with her is all the more fun because she’s very easy-going, despite the name and fame she’s got in the industry. Usually – since I’ve worked with a lot of youngsters of late – when girls enter the industry, they’re open to new ideas and concepts of fashion. As they gain popularity, they become more rigid in their approach towards fashion, since I believe they have a framed image to maintain.”

And the guys? “Oh, guys these days are getting quirkier by the day! They don’t mind using hipster elements or going all out for shoots.”

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Photos: Manoj Mahajan