He has inked some of the biggest names in Bollywood, from Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan to Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut. Tattoo artist Sameer Patange is in town to ink Calcuttans till Sunday (May 27) from noon to 9pm at Calcutta Punjab Club’s rooftop salon Blush. While Sameer gets going with his gun, his wife Dimpi will be busy snipping and styling your hair. A t2 chat with Sameer on the Bolly brigade that loves its tattoos…

The most experimental:

Sushmita Sen. She is my favourite. She is my friend, a mentor and an inspiration. She’s got a lot of things done. Sushmita comes back with her parents, especially her mother. Every time she comes across something that inspires her, the next day she is at my studio. The last thing she got done was her second daughter’s name (Alicia) on her arm. I have had the most interesting sessions with her. Each and every tattoo of hers has a hidden message. She’s got a huge piece on her back. One tattoo runs all across her forearms in Latin that says, ‘I’ll either find the way or make one’.

Initially scared but now a convert:

Jiah Khan was very sceptical. After days, weeks and months of counselling, she finally ended up getting something done. She was scared and did not want to take a chance. Now, she is coming back for more and much bigger ones. She wanted to get something very basic and very small. At the moment, she’s got ‘love’ written on her finger. I think it was her mom who inspired her to get it done.

The most versatile:

Sanjay Dutt. From his wife’s name (Manyata) to a God who is so high on aggression… Shiva…. In fact, he was the first one to get his to-be wife’s name tattooed on his forearm. The whole trend of wanting to get one’s girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s name done became a rage of sorts after Saif Ali Khan got his tattoo done, but Sanjay Dutt had got it done before him. He got it done in such a way that he wanted it to be there, but at the same time he did not want to highlight it.

Safe but trendy:

Hrithik Roshan, the safest! He got his wife’s (Sussanne) name tattooed. He made a statement! I get a lot of clients who ask me to do it the same way Hrithik’s got it done.

Celebrity cover-ups:

I have done a cover-up for Kangana Ranaut. She wanted to get a crown with wings. The tattoo defined her struggle towards success. The crown signifies her success and the wings a part of her while she was struggling. I worked around the same theme but I also added a sword to it, which basically shows that she has overcome her struggles. She’s got it on the neck.

Celebs who should get tattoos:

Anushka Sharma can definitely carry off a tattoo, may be something delicate and elegant.

And Aamir Khan. He is such a perfectionist. You never know what he would come up with!

The one from Calcutta you would like to ink:

Moon Moon Sen. I would want her to get something gorgeous yet delicate. It could be an orchid or a lotus.

Your all-time international favourite:

Johnny Depp. He was one of the reasons why I started tattooing. He was one of the first Hollywood celebrities who got a tattoo.