On Monday, the film fraternity was taken aback by the sad demise of veteran makeup artist Pandhari Juker, who breathed his last in Mumbai, aged 88. He was a renowned name in Bollywood, having previously worked with superstars such as Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Amitabh Bachchan and many others.
After the news emerged that Pandhari Juker was no more, various celebs including Amitabh Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit posted their heartfelt messages for the late makeup artist, wishing for his soul to rest in peace.
While actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Abhishek Bachchan, Manisha Koirala and Sonali Kulkarni posted their condolences on social media, some stars posted their collage with Pandhari Juker, as he can be seen putting makeup on celebs.
In his illustrious career, the late makeup artist had worked with various big names, apart from actors, he had also collaborated with leading directors of his era, such as Raj Kapoor, Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai, Kamal Amrohi to name a few.
Veteran actress Amitabh Bachchan took to his twitter handle and posted an emotional message for Pandhari Juker, along with a picture of the two of them.
Big B tweeted "Pandhari Juker .. no more .. the Master, the Icon, the Ultimate make up artist .. passes away .. He touched hundreds of faces and enhanced them .. but it was the hundreds of hearts that he touched that endeared us to him .. Prayers."
Madhuri Dixit's tweet read: "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."
Abhishek Bachchan also tweeted about the same and sent his prayers. His post read, "RIP Pandhari Dada. The Godfather of make-up in the industry. Was blessed that I, at least got to sit on his make-up chair just once. It was an honour and a dream. He'll make the heavens look even more beautiful now. Condolences and prayers to his family and students."
Furthermore, actress Manish Koirala tweeted, "My first makeup was done by dada, who is adored and respected by all.. there will be no one like him..we will miss you dada..was a blessing that you did my makeup amongst such great actresses."
In an earlier interview with the Indian Express, Pandhari Juker had revealed that he came into this profession accidentally and had trained under the tutelage of legendary Bollywood makeup artists, such as Dada Paranjpe and Baba Vardhan.
"My getting into the film line was an accident. It was my father's illness that pushed me to take up work as a make-up assistant at Rajkamal Studios. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I was a commercial artist, so I knew how to use colours. I learnt under the guidance of make-up gurus like Baba Vardhan and Dada Paranjpe," he was quoted by the Indian Express as saying.
May his soul rest in peace.