French prosthetics for bruised Anushka
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 24, 2015)

Anushka Sharma is determined that her debut production, NH10, should be as 'real' as possible. So director Navdeep Singh decided to fly down French make-up artist, Romy Angevin, from Paris to sculpt her 'look'.

"It's a gritty, gory film but thanks to Romy, when you see Anushka lying in a pool of blood, her skin peeling off, you will never guess the amount of prosthetics involved," says a source from the unit.

The 26-year old actress-producer spent over four hours in make-up before several sequences. It was tedious because most of the shooting was done outdoors in summer and abrasive chemicals were used on her skin.

The film revolves around a young couple, Meera and Arjun, who are attacked after a party in Gurgaon in the wee hours. "The action is not romanticized or over-the-top, but it will make you cringe," adds the source.

When prodded on the need to fly down a French artist, the director explains, "It's a new-age thriller and the prosthetics helped to break stereotypes. Anushka is a star but in this film we did not want to glamourise her at all. The protagonist is a woman who is assaulted but she is spirited and fights back. We wanted the scratches, bruises and gashes she sustains to look convincing. That's why a specialist in make-up and design was brought in. Romy's experiences on stage and European films gives the film an world cinema look."