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Tamil Nadu
K. Sethumathavan. 
Faces are canvases for K. Sethumathavan. Round or oval, dark or pale, faces never fail to excite the artist in him. With expert dexterity, he dabs pancake make-up and powder, tints eyes with kohl, painting the lips red and steps back to check if all is well. Many of those classical dancers who hold you in raptures with their fluttering eyelids and well-defined mesmerizing smiles get a dramatic makeover from him. He talks to S. Aishwarya on his experience in beautifying the dancers and drama artists. The five decades have been a journey of colours for the make-up artist. Beginning his career in N.S. Krishnan’s troupe, he had dolled up the faces of veteran drama artists and Bharatanatyam dancers for whom looks matter the most. When K. Sethumathavan came to Chennai for a job in tinsel town, he got a chance to assist make-up men. His learning experience began since then and soon he learnt the ropes of the job to shape his career on his own. Make-up for dancers by exclusive make-up artists was unheard of those days. But his creative touch allured dancers who booked him to get that fashion-forward looks. His career kicked off at a time when dance dramas beckoned attention for their innovations. Amateur dramas had men getting a feminine makeover to don women roles. However, in Chandrakantha, Mr. Sethumathavan faced a challenge of different sorts. Women took up male characters, and he had to cover-up their hair and skin to present them as men. Mythological charactersMythological characters proved far trickier. For the character of Goddess Kaali, the face needs to be doused dark blue with thick strokes of kohl over and below the eyes. But artists with excess heat tend to attract puffiness and reddishness in the eyes. “I dab a bit more of pancake and paint their faces with light blue. Their body heat darkens the colour. I still have not figured why everyone is concerned about skin types. Less base cream for oily skin and more for dry skin — this has been my formula for decades.” With turmeric and zinc being his key beauty tool, the artists know their skin is in safe hands. Serving the time-starved dancers for years, Mr. Sethumathavan has learnt what makes him click. He marries time with style and does up faces in 10 minutes to one hour. Home-made“It depends on what the artists want. I don’t use the new products that are in the market. They are expensive and only made of starch and zinc. I can prepare it at home myself.” Dancers Yamini Krishnamurthy, Kamala Lakshman Narayan, V.P. Dhananjayan, Chithra Visweswaran, Sudharani Raghupathi, Jayanthi Subramaniam and Srinidhi Chidambaram are a few of his clientele that Mr.Sethumathavan recalls. Like a painter, he has catalogued colours in his make-up kit. Red and yellow, which are base for dark and fair skins, are stocked in abundance, followed by tiny bottles of other colours made out of head-spinning combinations of turmeric zinc and water. He turns melancholic talking about recognition for make-up artists. “We are not recognised as artists by the government. We are called technicians and deprived of any awards and honours. It is time the government looks it into it and adds beauty to our profession.”
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