Most south Indian men are identified by it and the likes of Anil Kapoor swear by it. The moustache is no longer the sign of old age or the trademark of the defunct nawabs. It's gone on to become a trend in itself. But, not all men can carry it off. So, before you decide to grow one, we tell you whether you'll be able to carry it off or not:

* If you're the type who can't stand the thought (and feel) of soup / coffee drenching your kingsize mousch, we suggest you don't grow one at all, or at least not a Veerappan style moustache.

* You can team a moustache with a beard, but be prepared for the itchiness that ensues. Even SRK, after Chak De, swore never to sign up for a film that would require him to grow a beard, for the same reason.

* If your hair growth isn't quick enough, you'll be sporting an apology of a moustache that's going to be uneven and possibly thin. You might as well get rid of it.

* You think handlebars look great on Hulk Hogan? Well, they might not on you. You need to be extremely well-built and should exude oodles of confidence to be able to pull off the look. Having said that, we think that they look atrocious on everyone and are reminiscent of the caveman.

* If you want to look older, sporting a mousch (or beard) might just do the trick for you. But, if you are desperately trying to hold on to your youth, we suggest you stay away from a mousch. And if you do sport one, at least don't dye it an obscene orange with mehendi. Hair colour is a better option, but make sure you do the pre-colour test because you're going to be applying colour on a sensitive area.

* If you're super dark, we suggest you get rid of facial hair, you'll only look darker. We wish we could convince Chiranjivi and Rajnikanth too. 

* If you are aiming for the Sherkhan look, please remember that you will have to apply a little wax or gel at the corners to get the gangster look.

sheena.thomas@mid-day.com