New Delhi, Jan. 25 -- The well-known make-up man looked me up and down and asked quite dismissively, 'So what role are you playing?'

'Morjina,' I mumbled.

'Oh,' he said, a little taken aback. Then he said, 'Well, you are young. You will look fine, I guess.'

He took some white powder and mixed it with some yellow, then added a bit of orange and made a paste while I followed along, trying to remember all the steps. Then he took a brush and slathered that paste on my face as if he was whitewashing a wall. When the paste had dried, he dabbed some powder on my cheeks. When he was satisfied, he took a matchstick and drew my eyes and brows quite expertly. All that was left were the lips. He put a little colour on them, then used the tip of th...