Jan 28 2016

Warning: Hair-raising pictures

by   Mayur Lookhar

A few startling Bollywood hairdos that left audiences saying ‘Hair-e Rama, Hair-e Krishna’

1 Anupam  Kher – Mast Kalandar (1991)

Mast Kalander's profile online says nothing about the film, except that it starred Dharmendra and is possibly Bollywood’s first film with a gay character. Kher's bald frame and white skin made him perfect for the stereotypical gay character, although the orange-cum-pink mohawk was still a shock. Do check out the tragic scene when Shankar dada (Dharmendra) gives Pinkoo a haircut.

 

2 Salman Khan – Tere Naam (2003)


Many have called this his finest performance. The same cannot be said about Salman Khan’s shocking hairdo though. We wonder if bhai got his hair styled by a goatee-sporting Bandra hajaam.

3 SRK – Happy New Year (2014)

Jaya Bachchan didn’t hesitate to call this film crap, despite her son's presence in it. Happy New Year made big bucks but raised eyebrows thanks to Shah Rukh's blonde streaks. The gold streak and tiny tapering hair were likened to the back of a skunk.

4 Naseeruddin Shah – Jackpot (2013)

This 2013 film was directed by Kaizad Gustad, who is notorious for having made Boom. Just like the latter, Jackpot bombed at the box-office too. We wonder what got into veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah though, prompting him to sport such dreadlocks? Dreadful indeed.

5 Amrish Puri – Salaakhen (1975)

We often remember Amrish Puri for being a big bad bald villain. This doesn't mean he didn’t harbour hairy ambitions. This classic still from the 1975 flick ‘Salaakhen’ is testimony to the fact that Puri tried. It’s not just the classic retro goggles that surprise you, but  it looks as if Puri had also borrowed a classic wig from some 70s diva.

6 Amrish Puri - Tahalka (1992)

Staying with Amrish Puri, the actor constantly experimented with his looks during the 80s and 90s. Anil Sharma cast him as the dreaded Dong in this 1992 action flick. Dong is the ruler of Dongrila, and his trademark dialogue is ‘Dong kabhi wrong nahi hota’. He did go wrong with his feeble attempt to look like Hollywood actor Mr.T though.

7 Helen — Apradh (1972)

It's hard to find fault with Helen during her heyday, be it with her dancing or acting. Whatever she touched turned to gold. Even her most ardent fans must have been taken aback by this picture though. The hair is nicely tucked, but one wonders what Helen has wrapped around her head, making her look like Medusa’s distant cousin.

8 Rekha – Super Nani (2014)

Rekha isn’t averse to making the odd fashion disaster. She has a tendency to shock. Remember her beehive hairdo in Khoon Bhari Maang? It can’t get more shocking than this though. The actor was heavily trolled on social media for this botanical bloop. Wearing a costume more apt for a funeral, she looked like a deluxe V-day combo gift on offer by florists Ferns 'N' Petals.
 

9 Himesh Reshammiya – Kajraare (2010)

Early in his career, Himesh Reshammiya always wore a cap to hide his partly bald scalp. A few films later though, he saved enough to afford a transplant. When he returned from an operation, fans couldn’t stop laughing. There were murmurs that he was actually wearing a wig after the transplant went awry. Himesh’s hairdo in Kajraare brought memories of a young Pooja Bhatt, who also happened to be the film’s director. Bhatt and producer Bhushan Kumar fell out, so the latter chose to release the film in just two theatres. Nevertheless, Kajraare will forever be remembered for Himesh’s hilarious hairdo.

10 Karisma — Prem Qaidi (1991)


Randhir Kapoor’s daughter broke family protocol with her debut, thanks to the conjoined eyebrows and messy hair. She can be easily forgiven though, considering she was just 17 at the time.

11 Anupam Kher – Baby (2015)

Many in the audience studied the footage carefully to figure out who the real ‘baby’ in Baby is. That is until we stumbled upon this picture.

12 Amitabh Bachchan – Piku (2015)

Big B has often been a style icon. Piku, however, was an aberration. This Tagore-inspired look only highlighted how severely constipated his character Sir Bhaskor Banerjee was.