Actress and politician Khushbu Sundar has recalled how actors in their twenties had no dedicated hair or makeup artists on film sets, and how they often managed everything themselves. She also shared an unforgettable incident involving Kamal Haasan on the sets of the 1990 Tamil classic ‘Michael Madana Kama Rajan’. Khushbu narrated the story during a workshop organised as part of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

Khushbu played the character Shalini in the film. She remembers arriving on set looking “like a queen” — hair neatly styled, curls set perfectly, bold eye shadow and full makeup. What she did not expect was the hero Kamal Haasan’s reaction.

“As soon as Kamal saw me on set, he said, ‘There’s a washroom at the back. Go wash your face and come.’”

Khushbu said she was shocked, assuming he had misunderstood something. But Kamal was firm: “I don’t want even a trace of makeup on your face. My Shalini appears without makeup in this film.”

Khushbu said she immediately understood the artistic intention behind his request and went to wash off all her makeup before returning to set. Kamal then calmly said they could proceed with the shot.

“What felt like a reprimand at first made complete artistic sense later,” she added, emphasising that Kamal was neither annoyed nor harsh — he simply wanted authenticity.

Khushbu also noted that those days lacked the specialised, well-equipped film sets seen today. She has since built a highly successful career in films and television and remains active in politics.