Calcutta-based make-up artist and stylist duo Kaushik Rajat is celebrating their 25th year of working in the fashion and bridal industries this month. Recalling their days as beginners in the ’90s, training under the expertise of the revered make-up guru Cory Walia to revealing the secret of staying relevant for over two decades, the duo looks back at their journey in this t2 chat before basking in the celebration of their silver jubilee this week.
Introduction to Make-up and Styling
Rajat: Our mothers were family friends and Kaushik’s mom was passionate about beauty and fashion. She sent him to Delhi to learn the Shahnaz beautician course and he called me to visit him during his vacay. There was an institute called Elite that taught model grooming. Styling wasn’t that popular as a separate skill in the late ’90s; designers played the role mostly. I ended up doing a crash course in styling.
Kaushik: My mother encouraged me to follow my passion going against the family. After completing my course, I wanted to gather experience from one of the bests. Cory Walia had come to Delhi for a seminar and I went to visit him. He asked me for a demo instantly and I had to use his kit... he chose me. I have never had to look back since.
Working as a Duo
Rajat: It was Cory who had asked me to join Kaushik during fashion weeks to get an idea of styling by watching the designers backstage. Our first independent fashion shoot was a campaign for Khaitan fans in Calcutta. In Calcutta, people were getting used to styling. Models used to bring clothes from home and we used to just put them together. There was no concept of sourcing.
Kaushik: Our first celeb as a duo was Ritudi (Rituparna Sengupta). It was a midnight shoot for an editorial. After completing the shoot, she dropped us at the airport as all of us had flights to catch. It has been 25 years of working with her as well.
Rajat: The name Kaushik Rajat as a duo was first published in The Telegraph. It was a shoot with Rachel White and Pabitra Das was the photographer. While we were giving him our credits as Rajat Chakraborty and Kaushik Banerjee, he told us it is too big a credit line. He suggested that since we have already decided to work together, we should create a brand name together. Today, people no longer recognise us by our individual names. We have become each other’s surname. This identity as a duo started with The Telegraph and we are grateful for that.
Highlights, Walk Down Memory Lane and Learning Experiences
Kaushik: After Delhi, we worked in Bombay. In 2010, we returned to Calcutta. For 10 years, we built our portfolio there. We have worked with celebrities like Jacqueline Fernandez, Neha Dhupia, Soha Ali Khan, Vidya Balan, Kangana Ranaut, Genelia Deshmukh, John Abraham, Dino Morea and Arjun Rampal in fashion weeks, and with Anushka Shetty from the south for her films Ragada and Khaleja. We worked in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion as part of Cory’s team and led the first season of Chennai Fashion Week, Kolkata Couture Fashion Week and worked with Sonam Kapoor for her debut with Tarun Tahiliani at Lakme Fashion Week. But 25 years went by in the blink of an eye!
Rajat: Khushbu Sundar was a star of the south at that time. At Chennai Fashion Week, Kaushik was very busy and Khushbuji came and stood right beside him, ready for her make-up. But Kaushik in a hurry had failed to recognise her and asked her to move away and told her Khushbuji was to come and sit in that chair, so she should step aside. In the South, there was a ritual where actors used to touch the shoulders of the make-up artist and do a pranam to them before sitting on the make-up chair. Khushbuji did that to Kaushik and told him that he should start the process and soon he will find out that she is Khushbuji! It was embarrassing but hilarious! With Ritudi, we have countless funny memories. We shot for a song sequence with her in Turkey where the temperature was 59 degrees! We managed to survive!
Kaushik: Once we did a high-altitude bikini shoot in minus 15 degrees, and being unaware a desert shoot in Jaisalmer where dacoits stayed! But the high and low altitude shoots were challenging for both the models and us. Make-up products don’t make a huge difference in such cases, the technique does. One needs to have the right knowledge and training.
Rajat: Every day is a learning experience for us. Initially, in analogue photography, there was no scope for us to check and correct errors on the spot. We used to come back and wait to receive a phone call from the photographer to know if the work was done properly. We have learnt so much from the photographers of those times.
Staying Relevant
Kaushik: When we groom a bride before the wedding, we always ask them to focus on their body language. Make-up enhances that body language and confidence.
Rajat: Similarly, as a stylist my job has always been to enhance the individual style of a person. Every person has their own style sense.
Kaushik: Our aim has been to always stay updated and never reject the new generation’s needs. Fashion week used to teach us trends earlier, but now people learn from social media. We knew if we couldn’t be trendsetters, we wouldn’t sustain.
Postscript
“In these 25 years, one of our most significant experiences that we deeply cherish is that the friends we made in the industry have become family, and our own families have become extended family!” said the duo at the end of our telephonic chat.