Season I mein hum kyun nahin thhe, Aalim bhai? Kya hum tab successful nahin thhe? Ranbir tha, Shahid tha…aur kaun kaun tha? Aapne ishara toh kiya tha, ‘Kya tu free hain?’ Par aapne kabhi wapas phone nahin kiya!

Thus bombarded by “do badmaash bachche” — Arjun Kapoor and Varun Dhawan — Aalim Hakim, Bollywood’s numero uno hairstylist, was feeling cornered. It was the launch of the second season of his show Style Inc. with Aalim Hakim at Taj Lands End in Mumbai for TLC.

#MereVarunArjunAayenge, he had been announcing on social media for days. And when Varun-Arjun came, the ace hairstylist introduced them warmly: “Mere do anmol ratan, ek hai jam, ek hai makkhan.” That was before butter and jam ganged up against the bread!

Finally, Aalim delivered the one-liner that shut both up: “Kyunki aap tab child artiste thhe.”
But Varun was in no mood to give up. “The fact that we are here to launch the second season means we are the best,” he preened, before the trio settled down for a chat.

Arjun, what is tougher to do on TV — hosting a show or taking part?
When I hosted Khatron Ke Khiladi (Season 7, Colors), it was a big learning experience. When you are a host, you have to give 200 per cent to engage the audience as well as the people around you. The TV channel can be changed in a second. When you come as a contestant or a guest to interact with someone on a show, you come as yourself and have to bring something new from your personality. Otherwise, people will say pichhle show mein bhi Arjun ko aise hi dekha tha. You have to keep yourself alive and fresh.

TV is a vital medium and our connection is increasing — ‘our’ means not with him (points to Varun) but with the TV audience — because we do film promotions, host award shows.… It allows us to reach people whom we cannot reach out to otherwise.

Varun, when are you coming on TV?
(Arjun butts in) Chhota parda itna bada star handle nahin kar sakta.

(Varun deadpans) Bilkul sahi. Actually, Arjun jis tarah se shudh Hindi mein vaartalap karte hain... (Arjun wisecracks) Guftagu nahin bola!

Varun:...and I genuinely think he has an amazing voice.

Arjun (shakes his head and points to Varun): Yeh aadmi kuchh bhi genuine nahin bolta.

Varun: ...and he has a gift of the gab. I am waiting to see him back on TV.

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Styling has evolved in India. It is no longer about fashion but about standing out. Style Inc with Aalim Hakim shows styling not as the privilege of a few but as easy and relevant. Since the stars are of different body types, the audience will get references to a variety of looks. It’s also a no-holds-barred look for fans into the lives of the stars.

— Rajiv Bakshi, 
vice-president, female & family entertainment products, 
South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific

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Aalim, what factors do you keep in mind when designing a look in a film?
It’s teamwork involving the director, the costume designer, the writer and the actor. It’s important to understand the character. All rockstars or doctors or journalists are not the same. The audience wants to understand how a personality is unique. The actor works the hardest. For months before a film goes on the floor, he is working away on his body, his diet, on his look... our contribution is small compared to what the actor does.

Aalim, which film was the most challenging for you?
Nothing should be challenging for professionals. Even then, the films where an actor is doing two characters from two eras with the same length of hair can be tough. We have to try out looks for nights in advance at his home when he returns after the day’s shoot.

Arjun: Recently, for Half Girlfriend, Mohit (Suri, director) and I thought we would try longer hair. But after some experiments, he felt it will not work for the whole film and Aalim bhai agreed immediately, even though he had spent so much time styling the long hair. That is the secret of his success, that he is open to understanding what the director wants and lets him discover what he likes.

(In an undertone to Aalim) Bill main baad mein bhej doonga!

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VARUN-ARJUN’S RAPID FIRE GUN ON AALIM…

 

Varun: Aalim bhai, which director has a keeda for changing the look of his characters in every film? Just one name.
Aalim: (Long pause) Imtiaz Ali.
Varun: You say that stars don’t want to change if they are looking good. But which actor wants to change his look in every film?
Aalim: Aap dono baithe huye ho. You guys keep changing your looks.
Arjun: Hamari taareef aap kisi alag tarike se karo, aise nahin.
Aalim: Shahid Kapoor. Wants to create a character for every film.
Arjun: Whose fashion sense do you admire the most?
Aalim: Sanjay Dutt. You will see his collection of boots on the show. He has spoken about where he got each pair from.
Arjun: He was the first to experiment with the beard, na?
Aalim: He has done a lot with facial hair. Look at Kaante, Plan, Musafir….

Varun: Which actor has the best real hair?
Arjun: (Turns to Varun) Tera naam toh kisi haalat mein nahin liya jayega.
Aalim: Baalon ka ghosla jo mere left mein baitha hai…
Varun: Who? Mr Rajiv Bakshi (the Discovery South Asia vice-president)? 
Aalim: No, my left. He can be a  hair donor.
Varun: Oh, achha. Dekho, kitne baal hain! (Tries to prise open the neck of Arjun’s T-shirt)
Arjun: (Trying to push him away) Isse mera taareef suna hi nahin jaata… Kisi ne galti se meri taareef kar di….dekho mujhe chhoona chahta hai barbaad karne ke liye.
Varun: (in a husky voice) Main karoon kya, tu hai hi itna sexy!
Arjun: Main dikhta innocent swami type, magar hoon bada
sexy (grins).
Aalim:  He can donate hair.
Arjun: Anil Kapoor ka bhatija hoon. Kuchh toh hoga same-same!
Aalim: He can donate agal se 
bagal se…
Arjun: Bagal bolna zaroori tha?
Bagal ke baal Ranveer Singh donate kar sakta hai. Next interview mein ussey aap poochhna usska raaz.

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VARUN ON AALIM

He used to style a lot of heroes in my dad’s (David Dhawan) films. Dad used to say: ‘Go and cut your hair with Aalim’. I used to get very embarrassed because till the time I officially entered films I used to stay away from all filmi things. Then for Student of the Year, Mr Manish Malhotra took me to him. Even the tattoos I had in the film were designed by him. Whatever I am in life today, Aalim bhai is a big part of my success.

ARJUN ON AALIM

Keeping the script, the story, the actor and new trends in mind, he gives something new every time. I am lucky that I met him very early in my career. It is one thing to make someone look good in public and another to make one look cinematic in accordance with the film. Aalim bhai can do that. In Aurangzeb, he gave me long hair. In Finding Fanny, I had to play a laid-back guy and he gave me a dishevelled look. For Ki & Ka, Aalim bhai baal buzz kar diya. I have blind faith in the man’s understanding of making a character come alive.

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Sudeshna Banerjee
(Style Inc with Aalim Hakim airs every Thursday-Friday at 10pm on TLC and TLC HD World)