The man who styled many celebrities with his scissors became a sensation over the years. Yes, you guessed it right: the suave celebrity hairdresser, Aalim Hakim changed the looks of many A-listed actors and cricketers. From Ranbir Kapoor’s look in Animal to Hrithik Roshan’s look in War and Rajinikanth’s look in Jailer, it is the magic of Aalim’s hands.
Not long ago, Aalim took the internet by storm by posting pictures of Virat Kohli’s edgy look with slit eyebrows. The celebrity hairstylist garnered a lot of attention recently when he gave a vintage long-hair look to MS Dhoni. Aalim is one of the most popular and sought-after hair stylists in the glamour world.
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However, it was never a cakewalk for Aalim, who struggled a lot to reach such a reputed position. From sports personalities to celebrities, Aalim has an array of loyal customers. Let us look at his journey and the brand he created with his hard work.
Aalim was born in a family, where people followed the art of hairdressing. Hairstyling was in Aalim’s DNA as his father, the late Hakim Kairanvi, was a famous hairstylist with clients like Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Dutt, Shashi Kapoor, and many others.
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Hakim Kairanvi passed away at the age of 39, and at that time, Aalim was just 9 years old. Since Hakim was a huge brand set by his father, Aalim wished to carry forward his father’s legacy. When Aalim’s father died, there was just Rs. 13 in his bank account. In Maniesh Paul’s podcast, Aalim spoke about making his dream a brand and said:
“I wanted to carry forward my father’s name. I wanted to do start from where he stopped. He was Hakim. I wanted to add my name to him – Hakim’s Aalim, and make it a brand.”
After his father’s death, the entire family's responsibility fell on Aalim's shoulders. He had a humble beginning and even transformed his balcony into a salon, where he tried different hairstyles on his friends. At a time when there were fancy salons, Aalim struggled with limited resources.
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The ace hairstylist struggled hard to put a second-hand AC in his salon. In an interview with Brut India, Aalim talked about his initial struggle and stated:
“I used to go back my home and work, my work place was at my home, which was in the balcony of my house and there was only one small fan. So, I collected a little bit of money and bought a second hand air conditioner and at that time the second hand air conditioner was also for Rs 30,000, so my monthly installment was Rs 2,000 or Rs 3,000 for the AC. Once, I finished that EMIs, I felt like, I am a rich guy, I have got a salon, barber shop which is air conditioned barbershop. I felt very proud in 1990s"
While in college, where everyone wished to become a doctor or engineer, Aalim wanted to do something on the creative side. When he told his friends about his dream of becoming a hairdresser, a few made fun of him and said:
“You want to become a ‘hajam’? You want to shampoo people’s heads?”
When L’Oreal saw Aalim’s talent, they sponsored his education and sent him abroad to assist a few international hairdressers. When he came back, he was more technically sound and got more clients. Aalim wanted to change the mindset of the people who looked down on the job.
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In the 1990s, Aalim’s work was recognised, and many actors started coming to him. Salman Khan, Fardeen Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Suniel Shetty, and Ajay Devgn became his clients 20 years ago and still go to Aalim for hairstyling. Aalim got many celeb clients through word of mouth, and within a short duration, his popularity increased.
The ace hairdresser also styled South Indian celebrities like Rajinikanth, Prabhas, Jr. NTR, Ram Charan, Mahesh Babu, and many others.
Aalim Hakim’s excellence is undeniable as he has transformed the look of many celebs, which has made him the OG hairstylist. Talking to Brut India, Aalim revealed the humble fee he charges for a normal haircut and stated:
"My fee is very simple which everybody know How much I charge. So, it starts from Rs 1 lakh. That's the minimum.”
There are millions of hair stylists in the glamour world, but not everyone is a brand like Aalim Hakim. With his dedication, Aalim turned his unconventional job into the most glamorous one. He changed the outlook of people who thought it was the mere work of a barber and made it one of the coolest jobs.
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