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A piece of Dhaka in Hollywood films

Factory in Dhaka EPZ manufactures prosthetic make-up used in film sets around the world

Suman Saha
It is almost inconceivable that make-up appliances produced in our backyard can transform actors into characters in places as far away as Hollywood and Bollywood, but Kryolan's factory in the Dhaka Export Processing Zone is making that a reality.
Indeed, many of the bloody wounds, oozing gashes, false chins and devilish horns, as well as the scary monsters seen on the silver screen can be traced right back to this humble factory, set up in 2001, of the German-based professional make-up company: Kryolan.
Its products are widely used by celebrities and make-up artists in Hollywood, Bollywood and international ramp shows for its quality, said Yesmin Ipphat, chief executive of Kryolan Bangladesh.
The factory's products were used to achieve the look of Na'vi -- humanoids indigenous to Pandora - in the Hollywood blockbuster 'Avatar'. The film is set in the mid-22nd century,
when humans are mining a precious mineral called unobtanium on Pandora, a lush habitable moon of a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system.
The Na'vi differed from humans in that they had blue striped skin, pointed and mobile ears, large eyes, catlike noses and teeth, tails and four fingers. They also had a distinctive tendril feature protruding from the back of their heads, surrounded by hair (resembling a long plait or queue).
Closer to home, Kryolan Bangladesh's products transformed a then 67-year-old Amitabh Bachchan, an acclaimed Bollywood star, into a 13-year-old child suffering from a rare disorder called progeria in the film 'Paa'. The filmmaker used prosthetic make-up that uses sculpting, moulding and casting techniques to create advanced cosmetic effects.
"The Bangladeshi plant is a world leader particularly when it comes to providing make-up for slit throats, split-open stomachs and other scars shown in movies," she said, adding that the make-up items sustain for 7-10 hours at a stretch.
But, it took the intervention of James Bond actor Sean Connery for the fact to be proclaimed.
"When we first started out, the German owners were concerned about using the 'Made in Bangladesh' label. But one day on a film set, someone asked Sean Connery where the make-up came from and the people were surprised at the answer."
"Sean Connery said he didn't care where it was from as long it was Kryolan. That comment was made in 2004 and since then, we have mentioned Bangladesh on all our products," Ipphat said.
So now, the 'Made in Bangladesh' label appears on some of the make-up products used on Hollywood film sets and theatres around the globe.
Initially, the Bangladesh unit was established to supply a maximum of 2,200 to 2,500 pieces of bald caps a year. But now, the factory, which employs 25 Bangladeshis, is supplying upwards of40,000 pieces a year.
On average, Kryolan Bangladesh earns $80,000 a year by exporting jewellery eyelash made from human hair, rubber appliances, bald caps, latex mask and make-up appliances like various scars, horns, ears and noses.
It does not export the products straight to the make-up artists; it sends them to Kryolan GmbH for distribution to 83 countries across the world, she said.
But, in case of urgency, the factory also does direct exporting to the final destination, as it did recently for Kryolan USA and Kryolan UK.
Kryolan Bangladesh recently got the permission to sell 10 percent of the total of ‘last year's export volume' for the local market.
Subsequently, a separate organisation called Lotus Wave was established to provide make-up and beautification products for the local market, all of which would be imported directly from Kryolan Germany. Lotus Wave is also planning to run workshops in future for the local make-up artists.
Local artists too are using Kryolan products, she said, while citing the make-up items used by Joya Ahsan, a noted actor, for the Bangladesh Liberation War-based
movie 'Guerrilla'.
Television commercials such as the "Banglalink Shunte Ki Pao" one and online English learning course "BBC Janala" too used Kryolan Bangladesh's make-up accessories and appliances.
The parent company, Kryolan, was established in 1945 by Arnold Langer, a committed chemistry student heavily influenced by the glitz and glamour of 1920s Berlin.
Inspired by the city's artistic expression, he combined his passion for theatre and science to create revolutionary new make-up purely for the professionals.
Kryolan has been producing the makeup for the A to Z of the film industry. It supplied the make-up for the box office hit Titanic'. When the heroine Kate Winslet finds her lover frozen to death in the icy water, the make-up she and Leonardo DiCaprio had one was Kryolan's.
suman.saha@thedailystar.net