About Kanta Motwani, the Celebrity –
Kanta Motwani aims for the Stars! Literally, the Celebrity Hairstylist who started her entrepreneurial journey 17 years ago with Kromakay Salons, has been dressing up the Celebrity Stars so that they look like the Million Dollars they always do!! Here’s my small chat with her, offering a sneak peek into her multi dimensional World – where Talent and Hardwork meets Success…. read on to dig into the mind of this Celebrity through this Interview…
Me : Hi Kanta, thank you so much for sparing the time to speak with me. So, how has your lockdown experience been and what are you doing to deal with it?
KM : Initially, when the lockdown was announced, I thought it would be a week long or maximum 10 days, so I shut my Salons a little before, around the 17th of March and I thought I’ll give my team a little bit of time to just enjoy their Sundays, arrange their house and just be with their families – because I really didn’t know what the Lockdown was gonna be like and how long…
But as it started and when it became very serious, that’s when I understood the true meaning of lockdown… Where you’re not allowed to go out and all. It made me a little anxious initially but now that the Lockdown is over, I’ve kind of forgotten about the anxiety.
I’m dealing with it by trying to get back into the routine and adapting to the New Normal, organizing my time, helping my team to with some trainings – doing stuff which are doable currently. It’s made all of us a little calmer and the anxiety that all of us had has gone down considerably.
We’re dealing with it in a very calm and collected manner. Yes, the problem is – earlier I had 117 families to feed and the first couple of months it was really tough, because we had absolutely zero income and the expenses were still there. So third and fourth month has been a little better, we’ve started working and we’re taking 20% of our capacity, but we’re working and the idea is to deal with it collectively. All of us have become more aware of ourselves and of our requirements.
Me : True, initially we were all caught unawares… Ok, next…You are a celebrity on your own rights today, but what has your journey been like to get here?
KM : Well..I don’t consider myself a Celebrity (laughs).. It’s just that I’ve been doing it for so long, it’s been more than 3 decades, so I just feel that a lot of people know me because I’ve been around in the Industry for so long and all my contemporaries, all my friends – all of us are trying to clean up the mess which all of us responsible for, in a way. We’re doing a lot of training, there’s a LOT of support within the Industry and it’s been a lot of fun till now…
Me : Yes, it’s truly been a long time… So, most of the time, the viewers don’t realize that the celebrities they see on screen are a product of a whole team’s untiring effort, do you sometimes yearn for more recognition or accolades for your work?
KM : It’s always nice when your work is appreciated as in, it’s not only celebrities, of course, if you’re doing a Celebrities’ hair and your work gets recognized, then you feel ..Nice, it’s a great feeling!
Otherwise, if you put a smile on someone’s face, be it a Celebrity or a regular housewife, anybody.. it feels really great and I don’t personally do any of the work that gets recognition. But it’s nice, God is kind…we get a lot of attention, and a lot of love from all of our guests, all our clients. I just hope and pray that it continues, and I’ll do everything in my capacity just to make my clients feel good and look good!
Accolades or recognition are more due to social media, now a lot more people know when you’re doing something, even a simple haircut. Suppose, it’s somebody who’s an Influencer, really popular on Social Media, and if they talk about it, even a simple haircut can really really look good.
I don’t let it go to my head, it’s a joint effort so I don’t want to take complete credit for it. It’s a mix of everything, so I don’t really want more recognition but it’s always nice when your work is appreciated…
Me : Yes, so it is… Now for the next one…How do you decide which hairstyle or look suits which personality?
KM : Actually, the hairstyle is decided by the person sitting on the chair. It’s a mix of a little bit of conversation with them, little about about their personality. How they are gonna take care of their hair… It’s nice when somebody puts their trust in you, tells you that you can do what you want. But it’s always nice – that’s the way I like it – I always see what my client is comfortable with, and how practical is it for them to change their haircut or colour or whatever, based on that we decide all of it.
Me : Totally interactive process, I must say… Next question…Are you satisfied with where you are today or do you think you haven’t reached the top? Where would that be?
KM : I’m very happy where I am..Now, after the lockdown, it’s like I’m starting a new journey, as we’ve temporarily shut 3 Salons, which were in Hotels. We’re streamlining everything and I’m working on something which is going to be like Home Services.. We’re looking at avenues where we can maximise our talent, we can also be more sustainable and all the positive changes I want to bring about in my line of work, I can do all that now.
There’s no race as such. I don’t want to reach any place, it’s all good, I’m not craving to be on Top or anything…
Me : So you’re pretty sorted out, on a lighter vein…In life, what makes you smile and what scares you the most?
KM : Small things make me happy, make me smile, make me laugh. Happy people make me happy, make me smile. What scares me is the Fear Psychosis that is spreading – everybody’s getting scared of little little things. I just feel a little less free, I want to breathe easy, breathe without the mask! I want to see smiley, happy people all around. waiting for things to get normal, so that I can meet my entire team and spread more happiness and spread more smiles!!
Me : Wow! That’s so refreshing!! The next one…Can you tell me one funny story from your life?
KM : Funny maybe not but fun yes – I wanted to study psychology, my life has given me opportunities of both being a therapist and a stylist – I just listen, I don’t give any unsolicited advice. But it’s really nice when my guests are sitting and we have a lot of fun and I make them feel good by looking good. These are not funny stories but fun! My life is full of fun!!
Me : That’s such a positive way to look at life…Next…As an entrepreneur, what words of advice would you like to give to people who are about to start their own venture?
KM : As an Entrepreneur, I’d like to tell them to learn to save money. Hairdressers have this tendency to live paycheck to paycheck, because you get a lot of tips and stuff. So, you should save for the rainy day…just be very very careful. Like this pandemic has taught us some very hard lessons. Just look at every aspect of hairdressing.
Whether you’re an independent hairdresser or you’re working with somebody, you have to know how to make the most of your time and how to charge. Do a little Management course along with your Hairdressing course, be true to your profession. It’s one of the best professions…very, very satisfying.
Me : That’s such a great insight! Next one now…What, if any, are your biggest regrets in life?
KM : I don’t have any regrets, I feel everyday is a learning experience. I feel I can do whatever I want. There’s still time to study. I want to pursue my studies, after I turn 50, though I’m not sure I’d still want to then. But I definitely want to study some more.
Academically, I feel, because there’s been a gap of 30 years, if I want to learn something I’ll have to go back to school. Not School as such, but to learn something in a formal way. So, all my Hairdressing Trainings are pretty formal but they are also a lot of fun. So yeah, there are no regrets, I feel I can learn even after I turn 80! I’m looking forward to life!!
Me : Very positive Kanta! Now the last question I have for you is which character/s in the recent past has been the most challenging for you to style?
KM : Well, nothing has really been very challenging as I have done a lot of contemporary work. For all the films that I have styled and whatever work we’ve done, it’s all a group effort. the Stylist, the Director, the Actor everybody’s inputs are taken into consideration according to the role they are playing, so it becomes very comfortable and easy. In fact, I’ve been very lucky that I haven’t got anything that’s been really tough to achieve.
When you are doing any period drama or anything which requires prosthetic makeup, that would be challenging. That is something which I don’t do. That’s not my line of expertise, so I stick to my strengths. So far so good, and if I come across something that I can’t do, then there are a whole lot of people from my team and other experts, who I just consult.
When we were styling Neena-ji’s look, where she’s an 80 year old woman and her hair has to be really grey. So her makeup people, while trying her makeup, made it look easy, she really looked the part. Also, more than the facial makeup and the hairstyle, is the way the character acts. That makes it less challenging. So far it’s been less challenging, I haven’t done anything that requires a lot of prosthetic work, so I’m looking forward to something exciting! Challenges are always exciting!!
Me : Oh yes! They are exciting!! That sums it up for now… Thank you so very much for your time Kanta, all the very best for all your future endeavors! Take Care!!
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Nicely asked thingss
Thank you Preksha!