"Shah Rukh, Salman stood by me...": recalls make-up artist Namrata Soni

From working on film sets to opting for an entrepreneurial route and launching her beauty brand Simply Nam in 2020 Namrata Soni has undoubtedly come a long way as a makeup artistIn a twodecadelong professional journey she left many mesmerized with the magic that she has created with her makeup brushes Be it Rani Mukerji or Sonam Kapoor a lot of Btown divas rely on Namrata when it comes to getting their makeup done before making a grand appearance before the publicHowever her journey has been full of twists n turns pushing her to the limits that one can hardly think to bounce back fromIn an interaction with ANI Namrata got candid about her professional life recalling the hardships that she faced while challenging the union rule in Mumbai that banned women makeup artists from working in BollywoodThere was a time when women were not allowed to do makeupSo I used to be fighting with the union to be able to work in this industry It was very hard honestly I didnt know how to do it I remember I used to work at the Film City and my parents would get threatening phone calls saying if your daughter doesnt stop being a makeup artist were going to cut off her hands she sharedView this post on InstagramA post shared by namratasoni namratasoniThe struggle that Namrata faced wasnt just restricted to her Her fight for justice made it difficult for her parents as well Her mother was even prompted to ask Namrata to stop workingIt was very tough for my parents My mom was very scared She even told me to stop working Namrata recalledDespite facing such threats Namratas will didnt break as she continued her fight to get justiceWe live in a secular country We had a woman president Its so strange when people would come and tell me what I can do and cannot do in my career Namrata remarkedIt was not easy to deal with the union It was very scary to be honest Initially I didnt know any better They would say go hide in the vanity car and we will tell you when to come back on set I did that the first two three times Then I said Im sorry but Im going to stand up for myself she saidWhen odds stood against her renowned stars like Shah Rukh Khan Farah Khan and Salman Khan extended their support to NamrataI was very blessed and very lucky that I got to work with amazing people like Farah Khan Karan Johar Sonam Kapoor Sameera Reddy Katrina Kaif who supported me They said no we want to work with her We are willing to support and willing to fight with her when the union comes on set I was very lucky I had people like Shah Rukh and Salman who stood by my sideI feel very blessed Im glad that I fought she sharedThe moment that she dreamt of finally arrived in 2014 The Supreme Court had in 2014 put an end to decadesold practice in Bollywood that put restrictions on women from working as makeup artists in the film industryIm glad that that ban doesnt exist anymore Im very grateful that this industry opened its arms and accepted us and fought for us she saidNamratas inspiring journey has motivated many women to become makeup artists She continues to change the dynamics of the field with her constant efforts dedicated towards the betterment of the industryThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever