Makeup artist Pandian passes away, Sathyan Anthikad recalls him being a steady hand on his film sets

Veteran makeup artist Pandian, a familiar presence in Malayalam, Tamil and other South Indian film industries, passed away at his residence in Virugambakkam, Chennai. He was 74. Pandian began his career at the age of 16 as an assistant to Krishnaraj, the personal makeup artist of actor Sathyan. During his early years in the film industry, he also worked as an assistant to cinematographer J Williams and as an assistant editor in Tamil films before establishing himself as a makeup artist.

Pandian made his debut as an independent makeup artist with ‘Madalasa’. Over the years, he went on to work with several leading actors across the Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu film industries, contributing to more than 500 films. In 2001, he received the Kerala State Film Award for Best Makeup Artist for his work in ‘Madhuranombarakattu.’

His last assignment was Sathyan Anthikad's ‘Hridayapoorvam’. Before that, he had worked on Sathyan's son Akhil's film ‘Pachuvum Athbuthavilakkum’. Remembering Pandian, director Sathyan Anthikad described him as an indispensable presence on his film sets, someone he could count on at all times. "Pandian was someone whom you could rely on at any time. He worked with me from my first film, Kurukkante Kalyanam, to Hridayapoorvam. Apart from working as a makeup artist on the sets, he was there to assist with everything else. I could rely on him for any additional work at the unit, whether it was managing the crowd or finding an extra for a film shoot," he told Onmanorama.

Sathyan also remembered Pandian as a constant companion during his overseas shoots in the 1980s, when the director travelled with a small crew to locations in France and the UK. "During those days, I would take a small crew with me, and Pandian was always part of it. I remember how he would step in whenever there was a need for an extra actor. In the radio scene in ‘Nadodikkattu’, I needed someone to carry a radio to the shop. Since there was no one else, Pandian stepped in. It was the same with ‘Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam’,” he said.

Pandian, according to Sathyan, had been suffering from kidney-related ailments for the past 20 years. He had also worked in films directed by Kamal and Lal Jose, besides collaborating with some of the biggest names in Indian cinema. Director Kamal had honoured Pandian on his film set when the makeup artist completed 50 years in cinema. His filmography included projects featuring Telugu stars such as N T Rama Rao, S V Ranga Rao and Krishna, as well as Tamil icons Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.