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Mickey Contractor said Aishwarya Rai had no apprehensions about her not wearing makeup on screen as she is confident in her beauty.
Aishwarya Rai only wore kajal and lipgloss.
Did you know Aishwarya Rai’s look in Kajra Re seemed natural because she didn’t wear any makeup for the song? Ace Bollywood makeup artist Mickey Contractor made this revelation in a recent interview with Lehren Retro. He revealed that Aditya Chopra wanted a natural, raw look for Aishwarya, and the actress had no qualms about appearing in front of the camera sans makeup.
Mickey said, “It was not a no makeup look, it was actually no makeup. That’s the whole thing behind this Kajra Re look. Aish and I had been talking about it for a long time that we wanted to do a film where she would actually wear no makeup.”
Their wish came true with the Kajre Re song in Bunty Aur Babli. “We were waiting for the right moment to do something like that, because not every film you can do where girls are completely bare without makeup,” he recalled.
The makeup artist said, “This song came up. She had to look glamorous, but at the same time, Adi wanted her to look very raw. Between Shaad, Adi, Aish and myself, we decided that it should just be completely bare – there should be no foundation on her.”
“The whole song’s lyrics were about Kajra Re, Tere Kaale Kaale Naina, and we didn’t want to give her lenses, so we just used a black kajal and mascara, that’s all she was wearing with a lip gloss,” he said.
Mickey Contractor said, “Aish is not the kind who asks too many questions. She has confidence in certain people, and she goes by what we usually have to say to her. She knows we are her friends. We will always wish well for her. And, she is very confident of her own beauty, of her own self, and of her talent. I think there’s no question of being apprehensive. She knows she looks beautiful.”
Released in 2005 as part of the film Bunty Aur Babli, Kajra Re quickly became a cultural phenomenon and one of Bollywood’s most iconic item songs. Composed by the musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, with lyrics by Gulzar and vocals by Alisha Chinai, Shankar Mahadevan, and Javed Ali, the song blended traditional qawwali elements with a modern Bollywood twist.
The visual charm of “Kajra Re” was further elevated by the magnetic performance of Aishwarya Rai, who danced with unmatched grace and allure. Her chemistry with Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan — who would later become her husband — created a unique and memorable on-screen dynamic. This marked one of the rare instances where all three appeared together, and the song capitalised on their star power.
Kashvi Raj Singh is a Sub Editor at News18. She extensively covers Bollywood, Hollywood and television. She not only keeps an eye out for interesting news angles but also often writes social commentary in long-…Read More
Kashvi Raj Singh is a Sub Editor at News18. She extensively covers Bollywood, Hollywood and television. She not only keeps an eye out for interesting news angles but also often writes social commentary in long-… Read More
October 20, 2025, 07:47 IST
