‘Go wash your face and come’: Khushbu says Kamal Haasan left her stunned once by asking to remove all makeup

Actress and politician Khushbu Sundar has recalled how actors in their twenties had no dedicated hair or makeup artists on film sets, and how they often managed everything themselves. She also shared an unforgettable incident involving Kamal Haasan on the sets of the 1990 Tamil classic ‘Michael Madana Kama Rajan’. Khushbu narrated the story during a workshop organised as part of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

Khushbu played the character Shalini in the film. She remembers arriving on set looking “like a queen” — hair neatly styled, curls set perfectly, bold eye shadow and full makeup. What she did not expect was the hero Kamal Haasan’s reaction.

“As soon as Kamal saw me on set, he said, ‘There’s a washroom at the back. Go wash your face and come.’”

Khushbu said