"While I give my clients a great new look, in return, I get a lot of love and good wishes,” says Dilshad Pastakia who is today one of the most hot and wanted names in hairstyling in Bollywood and the fashion scene. Dilshad’s Salons may be second home to India’s A-list actors but as she candidly confesses, "The glamorous part is just an image. You experience the joy of making people look good and share an amazing energy with them.” But the reality at the other end is, "You’ve got to stand on your feet for eight to 12 hours everyday, concentrate on chemical treatments… Also, smiling all the time, by the end of the day, you’re drained off physically and mentally.”
At her four salons — in Andheri at Heera Panna mall, in Juhu at Sun-n-Sand Hotel, in Malad opposite Inorbit mall and in Bandra at St. John Baptist Road — she services a lot of clients. Additionally there are others based outside of Bombay and India too. "This year, we incorporated all the salons under one brand and mom’s one of the directors on board,” says Dilshad. It is mom Yasmin Eranee (as she is well known by her maiden name)who, prior to Dilshad, had earned a reputation in the hairstyling business with the launching of her Nalini & Yasmin Salon in Bandra.
(Above): Yasmin Eranee (center) with children Zarir and Dilshad; (below) Yasmin with a customer; (far right) Dilshad grooms Shahrukh Khan
"I’ve been working in the industry for a while and one of the first stars I had dealt with was Urmila Matondkar,” mentions Dilshad adding, "I had styled her for Rangeela which had become a rage back then. My first experience with a big star was with Shahrukh Khan. He was already big then, and we’ve done a lot of interesting looks for him, starting with Mohabbatein and every film thereafter. It’s a sacred bond; I really admire the man, personally and professionally.” Recent assignments handled by Dilshad and her team include the films Ra 1 and Don 2, both with Shahrukh Khan, and Shahid Kapoor’s movie titled Mausam, "which is something I’m dying to see!” Among her celebrity clients are Shiamak Davar, Dr Jamuna Pai, and several other people from various other professions who aren’t stars or socialites.
If one assumes that getting into the profession was a cakewalk for Dilshad she dispels all doubts by referring to her initial days and the times when she teasingly accused her mother of indulging in child labor, thanks to the amount of work and practice that she used to thrust upon her daughter. Dilshad recalls, "I began my career at the age of 15 at Nalini & Yasmin. It was tough being disciplined and going to work. I attended college, then went to the salon and partied hard the rest of the time.”
Dilshad acknowledges, "Getting around in the industry was easier for me as I had a platform to start from. However, I chose to leave the nest and comfort and started on my own when I was 26 years old. I had some good and some bad experiences; I learnt every aspect of the business on my own, be it dealing with the staff or tackling things such as accounts and BMC (Bombay Municipal Corporation) issues, etc.” Yasmin considers her daughter "extremely talented,” adding, "She’s very fashion conscious and is also great with people. After all, this industry is all about people.”
Hair care
Feeling a strong desire to do something creative, 39 years ago Yasmin and her friend Nalini Naegamvala decided that a career in hair and beauty would be a great option as they did not want to leave their families and little ones at home and go out to work. But it wasn’t easy. Yasmin shares, "Back then, the market was full of Chinese hairstylists; it did take us a couple of years to get going, after which it was all fine. Luckily, our families were very supportive. We could easily juggle our home and work without neglecting either and that is what was most important.”
Yasmin, a veteran in the hair and styling world, continues, "There are two ways in which one becomes a hairdresser, either one works at it or is simply creative by nature. When I trained in London, I became doubly sure that hairstyling was indeed something that I’d love to pursue further. For a while Nalini and I worked from home, but as business started expanding, an increasing number of people started coming home. It then made sense to branch out and open a salon. Ironically, when we went to the bank for a loan, they refused us saying that hairdressing isn’t a small-scale industry. But, eventually, we managed to get the loan and get things moving in a bigger way.”
Comparing the scenario then and now, Yasmin says, "It’s absolutely like an about-turn in the industry. When we started, we had to persuade people to go in for highlights; it would take us six months to simply convince them. We used to tell them to try it maybe for a special occasion such as Diwali or Christmas. They would not even think of things such as blonde highlights, etc. Today, there’s so much demand for such things! At that time women were dominated by the male members in their home.”
Apart from the vast difference in the approach of the clients, Yasmin also mentions that the hair and styling industry itself has witnessed tremendous growth. In the last 10 years Bombay, which is recognized as the fashion capital of India, has seen a sudden surge in the number of salons and spas, from big international names to budding stylists and artists from the country itself. "Back then, things were not easily available to us stylists. For instance, to get a tube of L’Oréal Professionnel or a Wella Professional color, we would have to go to the grey market and ask the shopkeepers to reserve the tubes for us. But today the companies come to us as there is so much competition. Also, in those days Nalini and I had to go as far as London for training; but now we have in-house training, as things are easily available here,” says Yasmin who for the last five years has been helping out only at Dilshad’s Salon where haircuts cost upwards of Rs 700.
Dilshad gives a new look to Shahid Kapoor (alongide) and Shahrukh Khan (left)
Personally and professionally
Although she labels her mother "a task-master,” Dilshad admits that Yasmin has always inspired her personally as well as professionally. The daughter says, "My mother is an amazing stylist and human being. I’ve learned the qualities of responsibility, sincerity, discipline and hard work from her.” The mother in Yasmin is constantly guiding Dilshad, but is never overly authoritative. Dilshad notes, "I think, she would like me to be less aggressive. But, luckily, she doesn’t advise me unless I ask for it. I’ve always been independent, even as a child. I believe one should make one’s own decisions, else how can one learn and grow?”
While pursuing a career that is very demanding, Yasmin found support from her husband and family. And, like Yasmin, Dilshad too has received immense backing from her husband Gaurav Issar, a composer, arranger and music producer who has his own music studio called Silence and Sounds. "We met in 1991 at a club called Piano Bar, where he was DJ,” mentions Dilshad. "Gaurav has always encouraged me to grow. He would take care of the home whenever I had to travel or work for long hours. Thanks to him, I could work for as much as 17 hours a day even when I was pregnant with my second child!
"I love what I do, whether it’s cutting hair or being a mother and a wife.” She adds, "We lead a very simple life. We do not socialize often or have too many late nights... My life’s changed after having kids. Now my day revolves around the kids, and in between I adjust the meetings and salon work.” Her capable in-salon team takes charge in her absence.
The doting mother of Dalai, a pre-schooler, and Dania, a toddler, says, "Luckily, my husband and I are very secure and open-minded people. We give each other a lot of space. It’s been an amazing journey.” When asked whether she would initiate her children as Zoroastrians she responds, "My kids are Hindu by birth and it’s really not our (my husband’s and my) wish to change that. Anyway, what difference would it make?” She stresses, "I do not agree with the term ‘religion’ anymore, as it separates humanity. I believe we are all one; a part of one universal energy. Yes, we are all born in different faiths and that gives us strength and a sense of security initially. But if you transcend that, you realize that you’re free and you would automatically start respecting all other faiths. I choose to be a spiritual being.” The principle of good thoughts, good words and good deeds is the one thing that strongly unites her to the religion. "This virtue explains Zoroastrianism and I’m very proud of being born in this faith, as we have always been very peaceful people.”
Dilshad and Gaurav Issar with children Dalai and Dania (inset)
Yasmin affirms, "I am very religious-minded, but not in the sense of practising rituals; I don’t have to do them in the fire temple and so on.” Having spent many years in Delhi, Calcutta and Rajasthan and having grown up in a non-Zoroastrian atmosphere, she adds, "I could identify with the religion a lot more when I shifted to the city… There are certain qualities in the people of our religion that are admirable. Our ‘live and let live’ attitude is very good. Also, we are usually very fine individuals, and other communities have always recognized and appreciated this fact. It makes me feel very proud of my community!”
Dilshad’s Salon, 1st floor, Candelar Apartment, St. John Baptist Road, Bandra (W), Bombay 400050, tel: 26431770, 26430126/27, 32564240, 9819907166.