Celebrity Column: Wigmakers ke dushman, writes Sajid Khan

Amitabh cut dena... Mithunwala hairstyle karna... Shah Rukh ke jaise baal kar do... These and many more star hairstyles were requested by customers at the local barbers, who would proudly display stars’ pictures in their shops. Most still do.

Unfortunately, many stars of the newer generation haven’t made it to their walls. Also, because customers don’t request for their hairstyles. An actor becomes a star not because of talent alone. It has to do with his style, his look, his personality, and yes, his hairstyle!

Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Salman Khan, SRK and Akshay Kumar — fans have copied their hairstyles the most. It says a lot if there is a picture of an actor on the wall of a local barber’s shop. It means you’re a star. When these stars had to change their look for a particular film they would wear wigs, fake beards and moustaches. Not grow them! Wigmakers were a very happy lot.

Today, most actors grow or cut their hair for a film. Hence, in every film, they look different. Most of the times their look is copied from either an international fashion magazine or a film. This makes it very confusing for a fan to copy their hairstyle as their hairstyle is copied! Plus, it isn’t their hairstyle, it’s just a temporary look for a film, which many don’t remember in the first place!

Believe it or not, such small things also prevent actors from becoming all-India stars. Popularity and stardom are two separate things. Most of them are working because they are popular. But most of their films aren’t working because they aren’t stars!

To be a star, of course, one needs hit films, but more importantly, fans should be able to mimic his mannerisms, dancing style, dialogue delivery, and, of course, his hairstyle. It may sound a little passé, but it is true, wigmakers ke dushman bahut rarely stars bante hain.