By: Karishma Upadhyay
Date: February 07, 2006
Source: DNA
What does it really mean for an actor to get under a character’s skin? If you’re in Hollywood, you might even learn to speak Arabic (think George Clooney in the Oscar- nominated ‘Syriana’), but closer home, character makeovers pretty much begin and end with hair styles and colour.
HOLLYWOOD
Charlize Theron (‘Monster’): Considering she was playing one of the first known female serial killers, this South African hottie needed some extreme makeover.
What: Charlize gained more than 13 kgs to become Aileen Wuornos. Not just that, she wore her hair long and greasy, plucked out her whole eyebrow, wore dark contact lenses and got crooked teeth. And, who can forget the freckles all over her face.
Renee Zellweger (‘Bridget Jones Dairy I&II’): In between trying to give up alcohol and cigarettes and finding her self a bloke, one of Bridget’s primary concerns also is to lose weight.
What: For both the films, Renee put on and subsequently lost over 11 kgs. But Renee is said to have refused the third sequel saying that she wouldn’t be able handle her oscillating weight!
Salma Hayek (‘Frida’): When she finally got a chance to play one her favourite characters and painter Frida Kalho, she was ready to everything. After all, she had to wait for more than eight years to make the movie.
What: The Latina bombshell grew a unibrow. And, to get Frida’s limp pat, Salma also wore one shoe that was one centimetre taller than the other.lip. .
BOLLYWOOD
Aamir Khan (‘The Rising’): It took four years for this film to release because Mr Perfectionist wanted his look to be perfect.
What: Aamir’s hair growth was there for the world to see, but what few know is that he also dropped about 10 kgs to look the part. Aamir worked along with his trainer for about seven month to get the right combination of diet and excerise.
Sanjay Dutt (‘Kaante’, ‘Plan’, ‘Musafir’, ‘Zinda’): Sanjay was one of the first actors in Bollywood who started the ‘trend’ of changing their look (read: hairstyle) for every film if possible.
What: From silver spikes to handlebar mustache, Sanjay has experimented with all kinds of looks. At times, he’s been known to change his hairstyle the night before the film is slated to go on the floor. It’s all about being authentic to the character!
Hrithik Roshan (‘Koi Mil Gaya’): Hrithik Roshan took the ultimate risk by choosing to play an 11-year-old in the first half of the ‘Koi Mil Gaya’.
What: Hrithik dug out the frameless glasses he had worn in ‘Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai!’ and combed his hair differently. But what really made a difference was his ‘apparent’ weight loss. Before the film released, it’s said that Hrithik couldn’t loose all the weight that he had wanted to. So, to create the illusion Hrithik wore loose fitting clothes.