EXCLUSIVE! Amitabh Bachchan’s makeup artist Deepak Sawant shares how he got associated with the veteran actor and the industry

An actor or actress is often admired for their appearance on-screen and how they look. But there are many talented makeup artists who work hard to give these stars the look that the audiences like to watch. One such artist is Deepak Sawant, who has been the makeup man for many veteran actors. From Dilip Kumar to Amitabh Bachchan, Deepak Sawant has been closely associated with the Bollywood industry. He has been a makeup artist for Amitabh for the past 50 years. In an exclusive interview with BollywoodMDB, Deepak Sawant spoke about his experience working with Big B and how he entered the industry as a makeup artist.

How he entered the industry as a makeup artist

As a makeup artist, I entered the industry around 50 years back. So first when I started work, I worked at Rajesh Khanna’s production then Dileep Sir’s, and later, I worked with Amitabh Ji in Raj Khosla’s production. I am very grateful that I got to work with such big actors, usually, you don’t get such opportunities.

Working with Dilip Kumar

When I was working on Dastaan with Dilip sab, I noticed how he used to like everything in white. So, I turned the dressing table white then I also put a white cloth on the sofas. So, when he came, he asked everyone who did this and I said I did it. Later, he informed everyone that only Dilip will be allowed to stay in the room. At that time, I was working as an assistant so one day Dilip sir asked me why I don't work as a makeup artist. He asked me to join in two-three films as a makeup artist. The first actual makeup I did was for Dilip sir.

How he got associated with Amitabh Bachchan

Parallelly, Amitabh sir’s film was also in the shooting so I did the same thing for him and it worked for me. So, there is this makeup room in Mehboob studio, room no 8, which is still there. Whenever Amitabh Ji used to come on set, before entering the room he used to open the door and take a look at it for a while. There were many makeup artists and many makeup rooms but the way I used to keep the makeup room and deck it up like a five-star hotel and everyone saw it and Amit sir too saw it.

Deepak Ji on his first makeup for Amitabh

One day his makeup artist who is also my Guru didn’t reach on set and that is when Amit Ji asked me if u can do his makeup. Then I asked him to ask dada if I can do it and then dad told yes you do it. When I did the makeup, Amitabh Ji liked it. He asked why I am stepping back which is when I told him I also have to give respect to him because he is my guru. So, one day I got to work with him.

How he became his personal makeup artist

One thing I noticed about him is that he is very serious and professional about his work. He used to revise his lines and even after giving his shot he used to think about whether I did well. Amit Ji used to do a lot of rehearsals but he always gave his best in the first take. So, I knew that this artist is going to achieve great heights one day. So, one day I asked him if I could work with him as his personal makeup artist. He said why not and since then I have worked with him.