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Namrata Soni Recounts Threats and Union Harassment in Fight to Open Bollywood Makeup Jobs to Women

She says a 2014 Supreme Court decision ended a union rule that barred women from makeup jobs.

Overview

  • In a new ANI interview, Soni describes being one of the few women in makeup departments and facing on-set intimidation by cine unions.
  • She says unions fined productions for hiring her and told her to hide in vanity vans to keep her off set.
  • Soni recounts threatening voicemails to her family warning her hands would be cut off and says she was dragged out of Filmistan before calling Goregaon police.
  • She credits support from Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Karan Johar, Sonam Kapoor, Farah Khan, Sameera Reddy and Preity Zinta for helping her continue working.
  • She notes the Supreme Court struck down the ban on female makeup artists in 2014, after which she built a two-decade career and won awards including an IIFA for Om Shanti Om.