As a young make-up artist who made U.S. President Barack Obama smile in appreciation of her work during his visit in January, Charu Khurana stepped out of Court No. 5 of the Supreme Court on Monday morning with a rainbow smile of her own.
She had just won a decade-old court battle over the film world’s 59-year-old prejudice against women make-up artists.
Women were banned from enrolling as members in Mumbai’s Cine Costume, Make-up Artist & Hair Dressers Association.
“Without membership, women make-up artists were barred from working in Bollywood or any regional film industry,” Ms. Khurana said.
But on Monday, she made history by becoming the first woman to get enrolled.
The Association informed a Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and P.C. Pant that Ms. Khurana has been registered as a member and she would be getting her membership card soon.
“In January, I was hired by a TV channel as a make-up artist for an interview with U.S. President Barack Obama. In October last year, I did make-up for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. My clients include Indian cricket player Virat Kohli and other top film actors, but yet the Association has failed to recognise my services to the field,” Ms. Khurana said.
The Supreme Court had in November last ordered Mumbai’s Cine Costume, Make-up Artist & Hair Dressers Association to drop its “obstinacy” and open its doors to women. Ms. Khurana had taken her battle to court, but the Association had managed to come back with one excuse or the other.
“What is happening in this country? First comply with our orders. Give her the membership,” a visibly annoyed Justice Dipak Misra told the Association’s lawyer on Monday.
Ms. Khurana said her struggle for equal treatment began 10 years ago when she first approached the Bombay High Court against the no-entry rule. She also moved the National Commission for Women, where the case remained pending for five years before she finally knocked on the Supreme Court’s doors.
In a petition, Ms. Khurana and eight other women make-up artists detailed how they were discriminated against.
The petition, filed through advocate Jyotika Kalra, asked why women still face discrimination despite having gained entry in all spheres of public life.
The apex court held that the bar on women was sheer gender bias.
It said the gender classification “affected their constitutional rights to be treated with equality.”
But Ms. Khurana has more to accomplish.
“The Association does not allow members to do personal make-up for the first three years after being enrolled. Why should a talented, qualified make-up artist have to wait for three years to do top-notch personal make-up? Why should an Association have monopoly over the personal decision of an actor or a celebrity to use the services of a particular artist?” Ms. Khurana said.
The Supreme Court has decided to hear her on this point in August.
