~Padmavati Updates Thread #2 - Page 7

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Vintage crafts, priceless heirloom and nuggets of history have always fascinated designer Harpreet Narula. While travelling within the country or abroad, he invariably studies its past and then creates his own vocabulary which is as much in sync with the present as it is with the past like in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming film Padmavati.

As soon as Harpreet, sporting a salted beard, settles down at Chutney Bar+Tandoor restaurant of The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa, we start our conversation on how his fondness for history developed as he studied economics in Delhi University's Hindu College. "The whole fascination for history started when I discovered the joys of old textiles lying in my home at Ludhiana. I remember beautiful antique chairs in our house were once being discarded during renovation. I realised that they were far more beautiful than what was available in market. Handmade things whether textiles, furniture, art or architecture look more beautiful when they age. Objects have a story to tell; look at pathways they look simple but I am curious to know stories of people who walked on them.

Interestingly, Harpreet, who along with his wife Rimple work for their label which shares their nomenclature, feels that the word fashion designer sounds inappropriate to the kind of work they do. "I am a person who makes beautiful clothes, which have bit of history, express my state of mind, travel details and design sense. I have been studying and collecting textiles for 15 years and am passionate about the Suzani textiles from Central Asia as jamawars from Kashmir.

Is this the reason why Bhansali signed him? "It was due to the kind of historical take we give to our work that we were called by the Bhansali team, he says while taking a bite of ajwaini jhinga.

Initially, it was an acid test. "First three months was the cleansing period. We are designers of today's times, who are updated about the latest on Instagram and the blogging world. Whether it is us or his musicians, Bhansali first brings you to pure zone', his terminology. All the clichs of today's modern design have to be eventually washed out; it is like setting the mood board. Once you are in his zone, then the question arises how you are going to contribute. Two hundred people working in the same direction means you have to be on same page. He gave us beautifully written script of 200 pages. When we read, it dawned on us why Bhansali says certain things in a certain way.

Aiming for authenticity

Early on, Harpreet realised that to go to right track he has to de-link with the present. "Today's bride has to see weight and functionality of her outfit. Girls want to look sexy, they don't want weight in their garments. We had to eliminate such influences as making clothes look authentic was our priority.

Fortunately, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor did not throw starry tantrums on sets. "They are superstars but don't lead lives of superstars. When an actor is on the sets, we get more inspired to do right kind of work. They want us to dress the character and not what goes with their personality.

On how did he interpret Rani Padmavati, Harpreet says, "Apart from Amar Chitra Katha and Chandamama during my growing up years, I read old snippets, heard poetries in a cultural event which were interesting but I didn't know this project was coming my way. For the film, I spent a lot of time at Udaipur where we found reference material for textiles. Udaipur and Chittorgarh have similar textiles.

Describing Deepika as a sporty girl, the Delhi-based designer reveals in some clothes she was distinctly uncomfortable. "They were high on weight yet she didn't complain. We have created cotton ghagra with zardozi and varq ka kam (gold and silver foiling).

Harpreet holds that the queen has to look of certain stature. "She is looking like a goddess queen. Padmavati in fiction has always been an Indian woman who had lot of innate qualities, how she did not succumb to pressures from Allauddin Khalji and maintained her dignity, says Harpreet, as he dips into roghan josh.

On her real life beau, who is playing the antagonist, Harpreet prophesies that Ranveer will become an iconic villain like Mogambo in Mr. India. "People will remember his performance and get-up. His clothes are beastly. When we started shooting he was not Ranveer anymore. He was getting into the Khalji mould. We enhanced his aggressiveness as he was a nomadic invader, who desires every object of beauty. We gave him outfits and jewellery which highlight his masculinity. And also created detailed armoury keeping his warrior look in mind.

Understanding royalty

Rather than rich silk, Harpreet says, he wanted to concentrate on gota and mulmul because Rajasthan has always been a hot terrain. "People usually wear expensive embroidery on heavy fabrics such as silk, velvet. They desist from using cotton as it is seen as everyday wear. We wanted to dispel this notion. So here we are using unbleached muslin clothing and dyeing it with vegetable and organic dyes. Then getting hand block printing done from Chittorgarh and Udaipur. Fabric had to be delicate and fluid. We have used leheriya tie and dye technique in printing. We have done kachchi patti ka kaam. Majority of work is from Rajasthan but we also have to understand that royalty had been getting customised outfits from other places.

Describing Shahid as a strong positive character in the film, Harpreet says: "As Rawal Ratan Singh, we wanted him to look righteous, respectful to women. A king who thinks about the good of his people. Therefore clothes had to go in tandem with narrative. All kurtas, chogas and angarakhas were designed like that. Look is clean. Embellishment is internal, earthy yet there is a feeling of mysteriousness . In Bhansali's films, you see something and then there are layers of emotions underneath it.

Just then our sole fish arrives and he cannot stop himself from commenting: "In Punjab they say one should only eat sole and avoid the rest.

On whether he would recreate look of the film in his future shows on ramp, Harpreet gives clear hints. "Every designer takes a part of Bhansali with him. He taught us to see so many ways of looking at the same thing. We are not sure whether we want to sell a collection straight from the film but there are certain elements which have become close to my heart and would always reflect on my work in some way or the other, Harpreet signs off.