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BEHIND-THE-SCREEN HEROES

‘They called me make-up man, I prefer make-up artist’
“Sadly, there is no make-up learning institute in Bangladesh, so I thought of checking in the neighbouring country. Then I discovered that, even in Kolkata, there were no makeup schools. Later, I went to Mumbai,”
SHARMIN JOYA
“I have always wanted to work in a sector where I am the first, and it will give me an identity of my own,” shared Atia Rahman, the make-up artist who drew attention for her breathtaking works, particularly in OTT platforms.
Nazia Haque Orsha’s ‘horrific burn,’ created through prosthetic make-up in Sabrina , was done by Atia. She also crafted the look of Chanchal Chowdhury as the mystery man from 150 years ago in Karagar .
The artist took home the Blenders Choice-The Daily Star OTT & Digital Content award for Best Make-up Artist this year for her work in the web-series Karagar . She was also nominated for Sabrina .
Reminiscing her journey with The Daily Star, she shared that she was born and brought up in Dhaka. Her maternal grandparent’s home is in Natore, and this is where the story of make-up artist Atia started.
“Whenever I visited Natore, I would not miss any chance to get the brides ready around me,” she smiled, “At that time, the bride’s make-up included a red bindi, alongside designing the forehead and cheeks with snow cream.” Atia always loved doing make-ups on other people and discovered the passion which later became her profession. “The most challenging part of my job is that I am responsible for elevating the beauty and, at the same time, demoting it when needed.”
It was back in 2012 when Atia began her journey in the industry to explore her inner talent. She learned basic make-up and later mastered her skill development in make-up from Mumbai, taking further training in prosthetics from there. “Sadly, there is no make-up learning institute in Bangladesh, so I thought of checking in the neighbouring country. Then I discovered that, even in Kolkata, there were no make-up schools. Later, I went to Mumbai,” she added.
This designation is dominated by men, and usually, the term ‘make-up man’ is used to address them. Was this a challenge for Atia, and how did she break this?—”Not only in Bangladesh, but in India, this sector is somewhat dominated by men. The transition from the idea of ‘make-up man’ to ‘make-up artist’ was not easy at all,” said Atia. “To my knowledge, I am the first female make-up artist in the ad film industry in Bangladesh and the first one to do prosthetic make-up as well.”
Although she stepped into the industry through ad films in 2013, the remarkable acclaim was brought to her with the Hoichoi web project 71 in 2020, directed by Tanim Noor. “I was doing very well in the ad film sector, and earning quite well; however, I felt it is time to gear up the level of challenge,” shared the artist. She is the only make-up artist who has done the highest number of projects in OTT projects.
In her career, she has worked on projects such as Ladies and Gentlemen, Boli, Kaiser, Dui Diner Duniya, Over Trump, Myself Allen Swapan, Virus, Something Like an Autobiography, and upcoming work is Kachher manush Durey Thuiya , amongst others.
While discussing the crisis of designated institutes in Bangladesh, she shared that the journey for aspiring make-up artists is quite difficult, as there are no proper learning institutes. “For a female, the path is even tougher here; people are very judgmental, and it takes quite a long time to prove yourself. But I am glad that the mindset is changing, and while I am working here, I can witness the changes very well, especially the directors and the team I have worked with so far, played a great role in this journey.”
Three people who Atia definitely wants to remember during her whole journey are her mother, who has always supported her and stood by her side. Another is Ashfika Rahman, her sister, and her best friend Szymon Pluta. “Without these people, I would not have come this far, and I dedicate all of my achievements to them,” she concluded.