Anju designs for Deepika/Ranveer/Priyanka

Designer Anju Modi mesmerised fashion lovers with her costumes for Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's latest Ram-Leela. Now she is ready to work with the same team again as she prepares for Sanjay's next Bajirao Mastani. This time she has an added responsibility " she will work on Ranveer Singh's look as well. Anju says, "This time the look is a contrast to Ram-Leela, it is much more traditional, more Maharashtrian; however, the only similarity is, just like Ram Leela here too there's a lot of research involved.

I visited Ajanta-Ellora to study the traditional jewellery because I believe research is the most integral part of historical movies. There isn't much known about Mas-tani's look, so I can take some creative liberties there. I had to imagine what she would have been like and create that image in my mind.

Also, the look has to appeal to today's audience. So I have to maintain that balance between authenticity and making the look attractive."Anju is glad that her attempt at changing Deepika's western image was successful in Ram Leela. She tells us, "Before the film, Deepika was known for mostly her western outfits. It was the first time that she was wearing ghaghra-cholis throughout a film. A lot of credit goes to her also for carrying it off so beautifully. Angelina Jolie as stunning as she is, you probably can't expect her to carry off a ghaghra-choli that well!"

So do actors offer their inputs too about how they would like their costumes and jewellery to be? "I had extensive discussions with both Deepika and Priyanka before designing their look in Ram-Leela. They told me what they are comfortable wearing and what kind of jewelleries suit them. But ultimately I decide according to what would suit the theme and situation. You can tell a tailor what to do but with a designer you need to give certain creative freedom. But I try to incorporate actors' inputs in situations when they ask me for some specific cut or colour," she says.

Anju also adds that when it comes to film costumes, technicians have a huge role in how the overall look turns out. She says, "I can make the best of costumes but the cinematographer has to capture it well, in all its grandeur. That's where I trust Sanjay; he personally looks into all these aspects. We are waiting for the actors to return from abroad to finalise the details."

Currently, Anju is focusing on the upcoming couture week, "The couture week is the agenda at the moment. I have been preparing since the past few weeks. After that, I can centre my focus on the film."