Saif Ali Khan's Jaawani Jaaneman hair stylist Aalim on making the actor look a decade younger for the role of a father
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 3, 2019)

Slipping into the role of a father in Nitin Kakkar's family drama, Jawaani Jaaneman, Saif Ali Khan, one would assume, would add a tinge of grey to the wavy locks and facial fuzz that's now become synonymous with his appearance. But it is his summer-ready crew cut, sported at recent appearances and family gatherings, that has taken cinephiles by surprise. Fans of the actor have celebrity hairstylist Hakim Aalim to thank for shaving off years from Khan's appearance for the film, which marks the debut of Pooja Bedi's daughter Alaia Furniturewalla.

"Saif can pull off a lot of hairstyles, so, working with him is easy," says Aalim, adding that he decided to go chop-chop on Khan's mane after a series of brainstorming sessions with Kakad. "Over the last five years, he hasn't sported a hairstyle like this. He has a young face, and a spunky spirit, so we decided to go for a faded beard, with short spikes on top. It reminds people of him from older times, which is why they find it appealing. He looks 10 years younger; cool and sexy."

Khan's "chameleon-like quality" of becoming the character he plays, enables stylists like Aalim to accordingly set his appearances. "When working on films like Salaam Namaste and Omkara, he became [my] inspiration. But, for this film, we needed something fresh. Also, Saif has an intrinsic style. He doesn't need many frills or even a stylist."

The final appearance that they arrived at is devoid of the drama that initially became part of discussions, he says. "We considered giving him tattoos and earrings too, apart from a thick beard. But, during a final meeting at a suburban hotel, we made a sketch of the look, and finalised this." Yet, he promises, there's more to come. "There will be a few surprises, even in terms of the look. There are a few more, which I can't reveal. I will travel to London to be on the sets, and create something on the spot."

Hiren Kotwani (DNA; December 8, 2018)

Aalim Hakim, who has styled various looks for superstars like Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn and Hrithik Roshan for their movies, is the go-to man for Gen Now stars like Ranbir Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Shahid Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur, and even sports icons like India’s cricket captain, Virat Kohli.

“Every actor is experimenting with his hairstlyle, make-up and other aspects of look for his roles. Rajkummar Rao shaved his head for the web series on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, which is quite daring for an actor.” he says adding, “When you do something like this for real, it shows the amount of passion you have for your craft. Sometimes, even subtle changes make a big difference, as in the case of Ayushmann Khurrana for AndhaDhun.”

Ask him about the inspiration and the celebrity stylist quips that it’s all around. He explains, “Earlier, people would get inspired by film stars, now it’s the other way round. Actors are interested in how normal, approachable and real they can look. Of course, the director gives the brief about the character, how the hair should be coloured, textured, manicured, healthy or vintage. So, it definitely helps to have a director who has clarity.”

Talking about his star clients’ looks, Aalim says, “After a quirky look in Udta Punjab, Shahid is sporting long hair and a beard in Kabir Singh. Each and every strand of hair in the beard is real and even though manicured, it looks like it hasn’t been worked on. It’s not easy when you’re making a good-looking face look drugged and someone who doesn’t care about himself.”

Time and effort definitely plays a key role in the desired results. The celebrity stylist, who took over three weeks for Ranbir’s looks in Sanju, recalls how Sanjay Dutt’s Thanedaar look didn’t work for the young superstar. “When we first tried the straight-haired Tamma Tamma look, Ranbir was far from looking like Sanjay. Then Raju sir (director Rajkumar Hirani), Ranbir and I discussed about trying the Saajan and Yalgaar look, with wavy hair. That worked, and so did the others, like the younger Sanjay Dutt look too.” Excited about RK Junior’s looks in his upcoming films, he adds, “Ranbir sports a very normal and approachable look in Brahmastra and drastically different in Shamshera. He’s got a deadly look in that.”

Tell him that at one time, Sanjay, who plays the antagonist in Shamshera, was also called Deadly Dutt and Aalim says, “Sanjay’s also got a very interesting look in that one. You’ve to wait to see that. Talking of films set in a long gone period, Ajay Devgn has got an interesting new look for his Taanaji: The Unsung Warrior. He’s sporting shorter hair with mutton-chop sideburns.”

Sometimes, the celebrity stylist has to convince the director about the actor’s look. Like in the case of Varun’s avatar for Kalank. “The director wanted Varun to have short hair, but we felt longer hair would look better. So we styled Varun accordingly and when the director saw it, he, too, felt the long-haired look adds to the character. Varun has been experimenting with looks as we’ve seen him in films like Badlapur, October and Sui Dhaaga: Made In India, for which he grew a moustache. And there was a time when actors preferred to use a fake mooch,” he says.

He reveals that Arjun, too, will be sporting distinct looks in his upcoming movies. “His look in India’s Most Wanted is far different from Panipat, where again, he’s doing something daringly distinct,” he sums up.