On the art of Make-up

K.G. Ramachandran Nair, popularly known as ‘Chamayam Ramu’, was a make-up artist known for his exceptional work in the films of Padmarajan, Bharathan, and a host of other filmmakers.His first work was for the Hindi film Trisandhya. But the turning point came with his second film, Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Swayamvaram. Later, he also became the make-up man of choice for filmmakers such as Padmarajan and Bharathan.
 

A Walk With Subeida featuring KG Ramu.

 

With Padmarajan, he worked in Peruvazhiyambalam, Kallan Pavithran and Oridathoru Phayalman . Other notable works from that period include those in Bharathan’s Ilakkangal , Aravindan’s Utharaayanam and some films of Balachandra Menon. Nedumudi Venu’s Pooram was another favourite of his. The last time he did the make-up work for films was in 1998 for Balachandra Menon’s award-winning film Samaantharangal.
 
The first one to have applied grease-paint to the actor in Bharat Gopy, theirs was a cherished friendship that rose above their professional interactions in theatre and cinema.
 
The hand-written tribute forms the opening chapter of a memoir tome brought out by KG Ramu on the eve of him completing 50 successful years in his profession as a Make-up man in theatre and cinema.