KOCHI: When Sreejith Damodaran wields his makeup brush, he finds the ability to transform himself into any celebrity or popular fictional character. With some contour, mascara, and eye shadows, Sreejith adds dimensions to his face. The 33-year-old has recreated the look of Money Heist-fame Alvaro Morte, Heath Ledger’s Joker, Cristiano Ronaldo, BR Ambedkar, K.G.F star Rocky, NT Rama Rao Jr and many more! His flawless transformations will have you double-checking if it is an original picture of the celebrity.
A chef by profession, Sreejith has been thrilling his followers with make-up transformations for a year now. Inspired by the Brazilian makeup artist Leticia F Gomez, Sreejith, who has no prior experience in cosmetics, began making videos on TikTok and YouTube. “Back then, I used to replicate the mannerisms and costumes of characters I adore. Later, Leticia’s videos made me want to advance my skills. I found out the right products and shades to use and even took online lessons. After a couple of failed attempts over three months, I could finally make successful makeovers,” says the Adoor native who is now based in Texas, USA.
Sreejith mainly focuses on Indian celebrities since his skin tone and features match theirs. He spends almost four hours getting every character right, and so far, he has done 50 of those. When he transformed into Ivan Vukomanovic, the coach of Kerala Blasters FC, he became unrecognizable . Many layers of meticulously painted details — wrinkles, shades, brown wig, beard and mustache — finished the look. The act even got him a heartwarming response from the coach himself.
Sreejith’s artistry is not just limited to looks and costumes. He even adopts the mannerisms of the celebrities. “Each character has a unique aura. To get it right, I watch their movies or shows multiple times. For instance, when doing the Joker look, the evil grin alone won’t suffice — you need to get the head and shoulders right too. The professor from Money Heist has unique movements that complete his character,” he says.
Despite his skill, Sreejith claims he is still learning about makeup. “There are times when I have had to try a look around five times. Getting the look of late Puneet Rajkumar was quite challenging. Even B R Ambedkar’s look was hard to pull off as he is such a revered personality,” adds Sreejith. The artist in him even trims his hair for each character.
Since makeup transformation artists are more common overseas, Sreejith doesn’t have many references from India. “With my basic knowledge and experience of having done characters belonging to different ethnicities, I am now able to get the contouring and shading right. Though the process is time-consuming, the acceptance from my followers drive me to do better,” concludes Sreejith.