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Of sweat, grime, blood and make-up

When Academy Award winning director, Sam Mendes decided to adapt his Cabaret in French, he hired Romy Angevin to bring some colour to the dark musical. Romy instantly quit her job at the Opera de Marseille and moved to the stage, going on to work on the musical adaptations of The Lion King and Zorro. Ten years later, the French make-up artiste is in India for Anushka Sharma's first home production, NH10.

She was contacted by director Navdeep Singh in 2014 and immediately jumped on to a plane. "Navdeep wanted bloody make-up for all the stunts. To be a part of the largest film industry makes me feel so important," she admited in her sketchy, heavily accented English.

Romy has worked for a month on the film, but lived in Mumbai for a year. She admits that the make-up and styling departments in India and France are not all that different. What sets them apart are the long working hours here. "Also, the fact that for the most part I did not understand what people were saying on the sets since they were speaking mostly in Hindi," she points out.

However, the Parisian had made sure to bring along her French cosmetics and other equipment. She is also accompanied by her two assistants.

"Depending on the scene, it took us three hours to prepare the artistes. I used a silicone component called 'A+B'. It is a two-part product that allows you to sculpt an actor's face using a moulding brush. I used this on Anushka. I also created blood and sweat,"she explains, adding that Anushka is a really pretty girl. "But my speciality is to make actors look damaged, tired and ugly."

During the first schedule in Rajasthan, the crew were caught in the middle of a sandstorm. Instead of cancelling the shoot, they filmed through the storm. Didn't that play havoc with the make-up? "No, it didn't,"she asserts. "It doesn't matter whether you are shooting outdoors or indoors, in dust and heat, because Parisian products are very resistant. Once the make-up is applied, it stays on through the day."

Romy has grown fond of the Manorama: Six Feet Under director who she describes as a "filmmaker with a vision". She insists that he played up the locations beautifully on screen and kept the cast and crew on their toes with a non-stop schedule. "He has a feel for aesthetics and an eye for small details,"she says.

While in India, Romy travelled down South to impart training in the art of make-up. "I conducted some workshops on the sets of some Tamil films,"she informs.

Then, she started missing her family and decided to go back home. But she will be back to work on a new film in June. "I am really excited because from my NH10 experience, I have learnt that everyday brings a new adventure in India," she smiles.