The studio is very happy that not only were Ranveer’s looks accepted by the public, but that the ad campaign was a huge hit with people. “It’s really great to see that our work has been appreciated and the ads are such a huge success,” says Mark D’Souza, business head and partner at DML.

“Ranveer is always a pleasure to work with as he is open to new ideas to experiment. Plus, he is a very easy-going person and gives complete freedom when it comes to curating looks,” adds Preetisheel Singh D’souza, creative head and partner at DML, who character-designed his looks for the ads.
This is not the first time Da Makeup Lab has woven magic with Ranveer. They first designed his looks for the Sanjay Leela Bhansali superhit Bajirao Mastani, where Ranveer played the role of the Maratha warrior Peshwa Bajirao I. Then, for another Bhansali blockbuster Padmaavat, where he played the intimidating pre-Mughal era emperor Alauddin Khilji. His character design as Khilji was a rage and Ranveer rocked in the role.

Apart from FreshToHome, DML has also worked on Ranveer as an adi-manav for the Set Wet hair gel ad, as well as a character with a large head and swollen nose for the Vicks Inhaler ad.

Moreover, DML has provided its services for some of the biggest box-office blockbusters including movies such as Chhichhore, Housefull 4, Bigil, Master, Gangubai Kathiawadi and Pushpa: The Rise, which has made it the undisputed leader in makeup and prosthetics for the entertainment industry in India.

The outfit, run by the National Award-winning character designer Preetisheel Singh D’souza along with her partner-husband Mark D’souza, has its state-of-the-art studio situated in the upmarket Mumbai suburbs of Versova.

What’s more! The coming months are expected to be as exciting for the studio as the earlier years. Coming up are thrilling looks for Shah Rukh Khan in the much-awaited movie Jawan. SRK’s unique character with his bandaged and bruised look in the teaser has already got fans curious and excited for more.

This is the third time the illustrious filmmaker Bhansali entrusted Preetisheel, the first two films being Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat. After the tremendous response to Gangubai Kathiawadi, Preetisheel has been feeling overwhelmed.

“I’m overwhelmed with all the appreciation. Designing characters takes a lot of patience, time and thoughts,” quips the expert known for her look transformations in many Bollywood and Southern movies too. “When my work gets recognition and is appreciated, honestly there is nothing more valuable than that. I am thankful for the faith Bhansali Sir has put in my work and the freedom he has given me to work on the looks,” says Preetisheel.

Preetisheel adds, “It’s also heartening to see the number of messages I receive from my well wishers. When I see how much the young generation of makeup and prosthetic artists are keen to learn from me, it really leaves me speechless. I would just like to thank everybody for valuing our work — the directors, actors, artists, audiences and my entire team at Da Makeup Lab.”

After working on Ranveer Singh’s character as the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao in Bajirao Mastani, Preetisheel again managed to stun everyone by curating the look of Ranveer as the evil ruler Alauddin Khilji in Padmaavat. This as well as the characters of Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati and Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh won her humongous praise from all quarters. And now with Gangubai Kathiawadi it’s happening all over again.

Starting out a decade ago, Preetisheel received the ‘National Film Award for Best Makeup’ for the pre-Mughal historical epic Nanak Shah Fakir. She has also handled character transformations for various movies like Chhichhore, 102 Not Out, Mulk, Bala, Thackeray, Mom, Andhadhun, Housefull 4 and the more recently released Pushpa – The Rise. Along with her partner-husband Mark D’souza, she runs India’s premier makeup and prosthetic outfit Da Makeup Lab which is a landmark in Mumbai’s posh seaside locality of Versova.

The premier state-of-the-art studio has opened a new workspace to incorporate more projects. Apart from its main facility, a workforce of around 25 skilled workers have begun lending their talent at the new facility in Versova itself, to create some of the amazing looks produced by the lab.

The rising

Led by makeup and prosthetic character designer Preetisheel Singh D’souza along with her work and life partner Mark D’souza, DML has curated looks for some of the biggest movies in Bollywood.

It’s profile includes names such as Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat, 102 Not Out, Housefull 4, Mom, Bala, Chhichhore, Bunty Aur Babli 2, the Southern megahit Master and the recent blockbuster Pushpa: The Rise. The lab has also curated looks for various advertisements featuring names such as Madhuri Dixit, Akshay Kumar and Ranbir Kapoor.

Creative genius

Preetisheel Singh D’souza has won the ‘National Film Award for Best Makeup’ for the pre-Mughal historical epic Nanak Shah Fakir. She has been featured by international media among the top 5 makeup and prosthetic designers in the world, along with Hollywood stalwarts such as Kazu Hiro, Christian Tinsley, Jordu Schell and Neill Gorton.

Her creative genius in the field has worked like a Midas Touch for many a movies, some of them emerging as the biggest box-office blockbusters of recent times.

Force behind the workforce

The company’s co-director Mark D’souza has a degree in Design Studies from the prestigious Griffith University in Australia. Earlier, he dabbled in VFX and animation. While his wife Preetisheel handles the talent and artistic departments of the studio, he handles the business and is the backbone of the company.

Mark’s guidance and expertise has helped DML witness tremendous growth in clients and has led the transformation from its initial days, to the full-fledged state-of-the-art makeup and prosthetics company today.

The future is here

The coming year will also see Da Makeup Lab launching a school for select students of the art. And as if all this isn’t enough, DML has various new projects lined up for release in the coming months. The firm has handled the makeup and prosthetics for top artistes in upcoming films like Gangubai Kathiawadi, Bachchhan Paandey, Ram Setu, OMG 2 and more.

Speaking at an event, the superstar who plays the forceful character of Pushpa Raj in the film said that the team of Da Makeup Lab were the “main reason” for the success of his look in the film.

Humbled by Allu Arjun’s gesture Preetisheel shared the clip of Allu Arjun and wrote, “When an actor, so versatile like @alluarjunonline appreciates your work… it only encourages you to do better. Thank you so much for such kind words. It means a ton to the whole team!”

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CYT_QvupfEp/

The lab is also behind the makeovers of Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil in the film, with their looks too receiving tremendous praise from critics and fans alike.

In fact, Da Makeup Lab, at Versova, Mumbai, has emerged as the number one outfit for makeup and prosthetic requirements in the entertainment industry. It has been the undisputed leader for many years. The studio has been responsible for handling challenging look transformations for many movies such as Padmaavat, Bajirao Mastani, 102 Not Out, Housefull 4, Mom, Bala, Chhichhore, Bunty Aur Babli 2 and another Southern megahit Master.

Their forthcoming films include very interesting names such as Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiwadi and Akshay Kumar starrers like Bachchan Pandey, OMG 2 and Ram Setu.

Fans who watched the movie flooded social media with appreciation about Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil’s performances, their unique looks and makeovers. Some called it a masterpiece for the direction, while others appreciated the actors’ looks and transformation that makes the characters look more realistic and believable.

The talent behind all the makeovers (from Allu Arjun’s to Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil’s), Preetisheel Singh D’souza, finds herself a little short of words to express her happiness. The makeup and prosthetic character designer remarks, “It’s always a pleasure to hear good things about your work, but this level of appreciation is a real blessing.”

Allu Arjun, who plays a truck driver involved in red sandalwood smuggling, dropped his ‘style icon’ image and donned a rustic look – ruffled hair, tanned skin, rugged beard and sharp-piercing eyes. “He patiently sat on the chair for hours for the transformation and gave all the liberty to experiment,” informs Preetisheel. The hard work indeed paid off as fans are going gaga over it.

She adds, “It was a challenge to create the looks. Whether it was the dramatic avatar of Allu Arjun, the deglamorized version of Rashmika Mandanna, or the bald look of Fahadh Faasil, a lot of work went into making them look the way they do in the film. I am happy that people are finding these drastic transformations interesting.”

But that’s not the only reason for Preetisheel to be happy. This has been a rocking year for her. Besides the success of Pushpa: The Rise, another Southern film Master, where she worked on Thalapathy Vijay, emerged a mega-hit at the box-office. Her film Chichhore where she had designed the old and new looks for all the cast including Sushant Singh Rajput, won the National Award in the Best Film category. She earned a lot of critical acclaim for the various makeovers in Bunty Aur Babli 2. Apart from that her character designs for Divya Agarwal in the ALT Balaji web series Cartel won tremendous praise.

Moreover, her studio Da Makeup Lab in the posh Versova locality of Mumbai, which she runs with her work and life partner Mark D’souza, has emerged as the number one outfit for makeup and prosthetic requirements in the entertainment industry.

What’s more! 2022 looks as promising as 2021. Preetisheel is gearing up for the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiwadi and Akshay Kumar starrers like Bachchan Pandey, OMG 2 and Ram Setu next.

Last but not the least, Chhichhore will be one of the first international films to hit Chinese theatres in 2022. With its release date set for January 7, the first Friday of the new year, some are even talking about it as a sign of thawing of ties between China and India in the coming year.

While the various looks of the much-awaited film are the talk of the town, one person who is really really happy with the tremendous response is makeup and prosthetic character designer Preetisheel Singh D’souza. The lady who is known for creating transformative looks for actors in numerous films like Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat, Housefull 4, Haider, Rangoon, Mom, 102 Not Out, Thackeray, Bala and Chhichhore, has once again outdone herself curating various looks for Bunty Aur Babli 2.

“It’s been a roller coaster ride,” quips Preetisheel, who recently also acquired a lot of critical acclaim for the various characters played by Divya Agarwal in the ALTBalaji web series Cartel. “When the pandemic hit, everyone was worried about the pace of the film industry. But the way things are picking up, it’s as if we are rolling at double the speed. And I for one, am not complaining,” she cheerfully adds.

Of course she has all the reason to celebrate. It’s been one of the most momentous years for her. Chhichhore won a National Award for best film, her Tamil action thriller where she curated the look for Southern superstar Vijay broke box-office records, and apart from Bunty Aur Babli 2, she has got yet another huge project in Allu Arjun’s multilingual Pushpa: The Rise – Part 1 coming up for release.

For the record, apart from being the No. 1 hair, makeup and prosthetic look designer in Bollywood, she runs India’s premier outfit Da Makeup Lab along with her partner husband Mark D’Souza. The lab’s building is a landmark in the posh Versova locality of Mumbai.

Her different character designs include one of a transgender, an elderly woman and even of an old man. They are so convincing, that it is difficult for the viewers to believe it is the same actress playing all these roles.

Preetisheel who has worked on these looks is currently working on her forthcoming projects like Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hiramandi and South star Vikram-starrer Cobra, while Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi, YRF’s Bunty Aur Babli 2 and Southern star Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa are readying for release soon.

Along with her work partner-husband Mark D’souza, Preetisheel has set up India’s first makeup and prosthetic lab called Da Makeup Lab which is now a landmark in Versova, Mumbai. The talented lady is now preparing to launch the Preetisheel School of Character Design.