Work comes first and romance takes a backseat when make-up artist Bharat Godambe and his hairstylist wife Dorris are at work. They’ve been married for 21 years and it was love at first sight for Bharat.

Bharat got his first lesson in the trade from Pandry Jhukar, the most famous make-up artist of an earlier era. Dorris followed her elder sister into the profession at 17. Her first film as a hairstylist was Batwaara with Amrita Singh. Soon afterwards, offers started pouring in for ad films, movies, fashion shows and photo shoots. Her first fashion show was with Abu Jani. More shows with designers like Manish Malhotra and Suneet Varma followed.

The couple have two children, Suraj, 20, and Juhi, 13 and they divide the responsibilities at home between them. Dorris handles the finances and also takes decisions related to their business ventures. They also run two beauty salons called Dorris and Bharat and two B&D product outlets called Bharat and Dorris in Mumbai. Their salon also has a section where aspiring make-up artists are trained by them.

These days the couple is busy with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming film Saawariya, starring Anil Kapoor’s daughter, Sonam and Rishi and Neetu Kapoor’s son, Ranbir.

Bharat:

When I first met Dorris on the sets of an ad film, I knew she fitted the image I had of a life partner perfectly. I loved her long hair and her very Indian look. She’s an extrovert while I’m an introvert and this is how we complement each other.

Dorris is a great hairstylist and wife who juggles work and household chores with ease. We work together and at times differ when it comes to hairstyling. I ask her to do a certain sort of hairstyle with certain make-up because I want it to be perfect.

Working with stars can be fun but it’s risky too. So, I interfere with her job as I don’t want to take a chance when it comes to celebrity make-up and hairstyling. For instance, if she attempts to do an elaborate style, I stop her from doing it if I feel it would be too bold for a certain actress. At times, we argue over a particular look or style and the actor or the actress enjoys our argument and passes funny comments like, “So now Bharat is teaching her hairstyling”.

I’ve been in this business for about 26 years now and have enjoyed working with stars like Madhuri, Rani Mukherjee and Preity Zinta because they are so cool and casual. In fact Rani is also a very good friend.

But at times working with big stars can be challenging, so both of us work in sync in order to achieve the best results. So far no star has ever thrown a tantrum or fussed about the make-up and if someone does, he gets it back from me. Work comes topmost on my list of priorities but I do try to strike a balance between home and work.

At home, Dorris loves to cook for me. She is a perfect wife, mother and partner. Had it not been for her, we wouldn’t have set up a business and expanded it further.

At times Dorris complains that I am too busy, but she’s also very understanding. Our work sometimes begins before dawn and we reach home late around 10pm. My son is learning styling and colouring in Australia. Since our teenage daughter is growing up, she needs her mother’s constant attention, so I’ve asked Dorris to reduce her workload slightly.

Dorris and I are together a lot but we are busy working. So whenever we are invited by NRIs abroad to do the make-up and hairstyling for weddings, we get a bit of time to ourselves. This is quite a nice change from our busy schedules.

Dorris:

Bharat is senior to me in the industry and is 10 years older too. I started as a hairstylist when I was barely 17 and met Bharat on the sets of an ad film. Everyone told me that he was a very nice person and after working with him, I found he was hardworking and good at heart. It didn’t take much time to break the ice. He was always ready to pour out sher--shayari to woo me.

When we decided to get married, I was all of 18 and he was 28. I’m from a Sindhi family while Bharat is a Maharashtrian, so my family didn’t approve. But once we got married and my first child was born, my parents’ anger vanished and they accepted us with open arms.

How I began working in the industry is another story. I didn’t do any professional course. It was more an inborn talent. My sister Reena was Amrita Singh’s hairdresser and I met Amrita during a shoot one day. I started chatting with her and told her how much I enjoyed hairstyling. She encouraged me to pursue it as a career.

Soon I started working as a freelance hairstylist in ad films. Once when my sister was out of town, Amrita asked me to do her hair and that’s how my journey into Bollywood began. Soon after, I began getting offers to work with Madhuri and other actresses.

I’ve been working for about 22 years now and it’s been a wonderful experience working with my husband. I believe couples who are the same age tend to fight more, but an age difference seems to lead to a better understanding.

We do have work-related disagreements but that never leads to ego hassles. Bharat is a bit short tempered but he’s gem of a person. Yes, he is shy and inexpressive and never showers me with gifts or surprises. However he has always been there when I’ve needed him the most.

When we work together nobody can make out that we are husband and wife because his main focus is work and not me. I too ensure that the hairstyle I give is well co-ordinated with his make-up.

When it comes to finances he lets me do whatever I want, but I always take his suggestions. He sees to it that every year we go abroad for a holiday in May. It’s an annual ritual with us and that special time of the year when we get to spend quality time with each other and the kids.