Veteran make-up artist Pandhari Jukar died in Mumbai today. He was 88.
In a career spanning almost 50 years, from 1948 to the late 1990s, Jukar, popularly known in the industry as Pandhari dada, worked as a make-up artist for some of the biggest names in the Hindi film industry, like V Shantaram, Meena Kumari, Nutan, Madhuri Dixit, Amitabh Bachchan and Pran.
Bachchan and Dixit Nene were among the few who offered condolences to their co-worker through social media.
Saddened to hear of the passing of Pandhari Dada, who has worked with everyone from Meena kumari to Madhubala to today. I have very fond memories of him working together in Tezaab, Ram Lakhan & many more. He made everyone look beautiful & elegant on screen. May soul rest in peace
— Madhuri Dixit Nene (@MadhuriDixit) February 18, 2020
T 3445 - Pandhari Juker .. no more .. the Master, the Icon, the Ultimate make up artist .. passes away ..
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) February 18, 2020
He touched hundreds of faces and enhanced them .. but it was the hundreds of hearts that he touched that endeared us to him ..
Prayers ..🙏 pic.twitter.com/zOk6Jx24DW
While Bachchan called Jukar the 'ultimate make-up artist', it was Jukar's collaboration with the late Yash Chopra that brought him the most fame.
In an interview with Setumag.com in 2017, Juker said, "It all started long back when I joined BR Films. That time Yashji was assisting Balraj Sahni. During that period, I developed great bonding with him. When he started Yash Raj Films, I joined him. My real journey started from there. Yashji was like a brother to me. My bonding with him can't be explained in words."
In the interview, Jukar also revealed how he was among the first make-up artists to work with Bachchan on the actor's debut feature, Saat Hindustani (1969). Jukar said that owing to personal reasons, he had to leave the schedule midway. When he returned, Bachchan was still taking care of the beard that Jukar had left with him.
In the course of his career, Jukar worked for some of the biggest producers and directors in Indian cinema, like Kamal Amrohi, Raj Kapoor, Chetan Anand and Subhash Ghai.