Ahhh, Movember… that time of year when men embrace the moustache to raise awareness about prostate cancer. Designed to “change the face of men’s health”, the moustache-growing is both a fundraising effort (lots of people are sponsored by friends and family to grow their moustaches, and money from their efforts goes to support cancer research and other charities) and a way to initiate discussion about men’s health. You can learn more about the cause here.
Many men sport moustaches only in Movember – but our Bollywood heroes have never required that extra motivation. With just a few days in Movember, we wanted to give a final boost and reminder about the campaign, and pay tribute to some of our favorite Bollywood moustaches.
The Cop ‘Stache – Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Aamir Khan, etc.
You can’t have a cop without a moustache. It’s just not done. We’re pretty sure it’s somewhere in the job description. Beat up baddies. Save damsels. Sport a proper ‘stache. These are just a few, but this category is a bottomless pit of examples.
Who Want To Be a Moustachaire? – Anil Kapoor
A moustache has been part of Anil Kapoor’s signature style for decades. Opting for full upper-lip-to-nose coverage, Kapoor’s moustache means business – perfect for a Bollywood/Hollywood producer and mega star.
The Revolutionary – Aamir Khan
What would a revolutionary be without a moustache? Probably still a revolutionary… though a slightly less stylish one. Aamir Khan sports long hair and an even longer moustache as Mangal Pandey, showing those stuffy Brits that India, like his facial hair, could not be controlled by outside forces.
The Rarely Seen – Aditya Chopra
Seen rarely and photographed even less rarely, one still can’t imagine Aditya Chopra without his signature moustache. Although not an actor, we think it adds a very distinct sense of character to his face.
The Serial Upper Lip Tickler – Emraan Hashmi
We just have one question – would that tickle while he was trying to
eat your face
kiss you?
The Sexiest Lady ‘Stache – Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji has repeatedly proven herself to be one of the most fearless actresses in the business. While many leading ladies are busy dressing up for their item numbers (which Rani also does stunningly, we must add), Ms. Mukerji was dressing up her face in this sexy bit of lady scruff, hitting wickets and sporting whiskers.
The Emperor’s New Moustache – Hrithik Roshan
What is hunky, shirtless, and looks good fighting an elephant? It can only be Emperor Akbar, preparing to woo Jodhaa with a bit of upper lip finery no 16th century babe could resist.
The Company-Stache – Vivek Oberoi
How do you turn a baby faced freshie into a believable bad ass? You make him convert his attractive scruff into a manly full upper lip, mature behind the barrel of any gun. We think the moustache gives Vivek a much stronger and more mature look.
The Southern Comfort – Rajnikanth
Moustaches, like high octane action sequences, are always better and more outrageous in South Indian cinema. To do proper justice to the moustaches of South Indian cinema would require another blog entirely, but here’s the legend Rajni sporting a ‘stache that could obviously beat up all the other moustaches on this page with a single whisker.
The Classic Kapoor – Raj Kapoor
There is something so wonderfully dashing about this thin, old-style moustache that men wore in those days. This internationally reknowned classic star and winner of nine Filmfare awards earns a special award in our hearts for suave upper-lip style.
BONUS: The Full Tiger – Rahul Roy
Taking it one step (or maybe one hundred steps) further in the facial hair department, Rahul Roy decides it would be awesome to morph completely into a tiger. From the 1992 classic Junoon:
Erica watching Junoon. A film so nice, we bought the DVD, twice.
Clearly we couldn’t do justice to every great moustache in Bollywood – there are just too many to choose from! What are some of your favorites?
See you next week! And remember to encourage the men in your life to be aware and get themselves healthy regular checkups. 🙂
Erica Reddy and Melanie Easton are screenwriters specializing in both commercial and offbeat scripts for Hindi films – you can get in touch with them at ericaandmelanie@gmail.com