Chennai: For nearly two decades, cancer patients and bald residents of Chennai have visited B. Natesan (57) for wigs. Made and sold for grand Tamil movie productions 40 years ago, Natesan now keeps the shop open for cancer patients who come to him to look and feel good about themselves.
Just off the Kodambakkam high road, the tiny shop was started 60 years ago by Natesan’s father M. Durairaj. A teenage Natesan watched his father’s business grow and started making wigs when he was 18 years old.
“Even 25 to 30 years ago I used to remain busy with either making wigs or fixing wigs on MGR, Sivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth among others. But now actors prefer natural hair,” said Natesan.
Actors also fix their hair or go for grafting as a result requirement for wigs has gone down in movies, he said. He gets offers for wigs from TV serials and dramas. Every month, five to six cancer patients turn up at his shop for wigs.
“Adyar Cancer Institute refers my shop to patients. For the past 15 years, over 1,000 cancer patients have visited my shop,” he said. Apart from cancer patients, tumour patients and people who have gone bald also frequent his shop.
Inside the shop, there are dusty mannequins, some wearing wigs and some left bald. At first glance, it looks like Natesan doesn’t have much to offer. But it takes one customer for him to swing into action, digging out boxes concealed from view and pulling out long luscious strands of hair and a few curly haired wigs.
The dusty mannequin suddenly came to life as he put on the wigs to show the customer the effect it would have on a girl. R. Venkatesh is impressed. Employed in a logistics company in the city, he was shopping for a Dubai-based co-worker, who is opening a beauty parlour. “Indian hair is always in demand overseas as it is of fine quality. Also, black coloured hair is not found anywhere else. I have come to this shop for the first time and there are pretty good wigs,” he said. “Wigs 20 years ago cost around Rs 35,000 and now it cost around '50,000,” Natesan said.
At present, he earns around Rs 60, 000 — Rs 70,000 per month he said adding that business is not as good as it used to be.
