How did you get this opportunity to work on Ra.One’s look?

Red Chillies approached the studio (Hakim’s Aalim tattoo studio in Mumbai) I was working with at that time and that’s how I got the opportunity. I went to the studio at Film City and met Arjun Rampal first. The experience was quite awesome since I got to sit in Shah Rukh’s fancy vanity bus and discuss the designs. Arjun explained to me what he wanted the designs to look like. After that I met Shah Rukh and Anubhav Sinha, the director of Ra.One.

How did you go about planning the designs?

Both Arjun and SRK were quite clear about what they wanted but they gave me free reign to come up with something unique. They already had an idea about the look — Arjun was going to get his head shaved and wanted a tattoo on the side of his head. We decided on a pi (the mathematical symbol)/2 for this one. We also decided to do like a puzzle back piece, which has random signs and wraps around his body like a belt. He also has a barcode on the nape of his neck and random signs on both his hands, which also look like puzzles.

I was at the shoot for three days and it took me about the same time to come up with the designs. On Day 1, I made a rough layout, the next day I made the final layout and on the third day we did the fittings and trials.

Since the tattoos are not real, what is the process behind getting them done?

Well, once the designs were finalised, they were given to this guy called Tushar Shah, who made those designs into tattoo-like stickers that can be pasted on your body. Tushar is the same person who did the stickers for Ghajini, Golmaal, Force etc. So I had a meeting with him and told him specifically how to make them look more authentic, more like real tattoos.

How do the tattoos add to Arjun’s look?

I think the tattoos make Arjun look more mysterious and menacing... that was the idea behind the puzzle pieces. The look was supposed to be a big secret because of the tattoos and the shaven head. No cameras (not even cellphones) were allowed inside the studio during the shoot... even the costume was a big secret.

How will this project impact your careergraph?

The platform is a great one and working with SRK has definitely been one of the best experiences. But that’s all to it. I don’t think this will help my career in any way... since they are not real tattoos. I’ve worked with many other celebrities before but the last thing I want is people to get tattooed by me because I have tattooed celebs... they should come to me to get a good tattoo... a good experience.

Any other film projects on your plate?

No, I’m not working for any more films as of now. I usually travel a lot and concentrate on my own work, i.e. tattooing, inventing and researching on better designs, attending tattoo conventions (the latest fad in India) and a lot more. Currently I am working on a style of tattooing which is absolutely new in India. It’s called Dotism, which is basically stippling… where tattoos are done with dots. It’s a very new form of art and I do full colour pieces in this style. I am also trying to incorporate Indian motifs and Bengali scripts and font work into tattooing.

Being a Calcutta boy, what do you think about the tattoo scene in your hometown?

I started tattooing in Calcutta four years back. Basically self-taught, I have worked with a bunch of great Indian and foreign artists during my extensive travels and I have picked up skills from them. The tattoo scene in Calcutta is still amateur in terms of both business and art. People don’t have the kind of spending power required to get big pieces and artists are also not technically sound enough to do great work. But I am sure it will pick up soon... artists from Calcutta need to travel and pick up skills from more experienced artists.

marks that rocked

Aamir Khan’s reverse tattoos in Ghajini were an integral part of the script and his character.	The vibrant motif on John Abraham’s muscles in Force lent his character the required rugged look.	In Singham, a Shiva on Ajay Devgn’s left chest complemented his tough-cop look. For Golmaal 3, the actor sported a tribal trishul tattoo on his neck.