Getting inked just turned funtastic

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Anushka in Matru ki Bijli ka Mandola

As the first look of Aamir’s character in Dhoom 3 was revealed, many were in for a shock. He sports a large tattoo on his face to give him a menacing look. In the recently released film, Matru ki Bijli ka Mandola, Anushka Sharma sports a whacky tattoo on her lower back that says, Dekho Magar Pyaar Se.

Tattoos are all about an individual’s attitude towards life and reflects their personality. While angels, butterflies, tribal motifs, stars, dragons, hearts, mantras and religious symbols have always been in vogue, we check out with city tattoo artists and enthusiasts, about some cool and ‘out of the box’ tattoos that they have created or inked.
“I have two tattoos on my body, one is slightly below the nape of my neck. It reads, Kripya apni buri nazar apne paas rakhe. It is visible only when I wear halters and backless stuff. Usually when girls wear such things, many people, including aunties and leacherous guys, start staring and commenting. So, I decided to go for it,” smiles Anushree Malhotra, a software engineer with a MNC. Her six-month-old tattoo has been garnering much attention. “This wedding season, when I wore a halter-neck blouse with a saree, I almost created a riot,” she giggles.
Tattoo artists sometimes get unique requests, that leaves them flummoxed. “Sometime back, a guy approached me saying he wanted a tattoo of Lord Buddha on his biceps, as it would give him inner peace. I design my tattoos first, show them to a client and then engrave it. When I had almost finished designing, the guy changed his mind and said he wanted a beer bottle engraved instead. He added, ‘I have been drinking beer since I was a teenager and I think I share a greater connect with it’,” laughs Max, a tattoo artist, who runs the studio, Inkinn, in Defence Colony and Rajouri Garden.
While getting names of your partners, pets or yourself is passé, how about a symbolic indication of your profession! “Although I have done my postgraduation in advertising and public relations, I have decided to make a profession out of my hobby. I am a freelance wedding, travel and documentary photographer. Camera is the epicenter of my life. So I sport a tattoo at the nape of my neck that has the shutter of a camera,” smiles Vijay Tonk.
And finally if it is about getting inked, how about reflecting your ideology in life. “I sport a tattoo in my right tricep, that says, Singh is King. I believe in living life king size and that is what I felt I should get tattooed,” adds Ramandeep Gujral
For many willing to take chances and go in for something whacky, funny or outrageous, there are others who prefer safer options. “I have always felt a tattoo needs to be taken seriously, as they become a part of one’s existence and thus, should embody some genuine meaning. But I have received some outrageous requests as well. A girl wanted to get ‘Buri nazar waale tera muh kaala’ on her back a few years back and recently, a lady got ants crawling inked on her chest,” says Lokesh Verma, owner, Devil’z Tattoos.