Costume designers of Saawariya

In talks with Costume Designers of Saawariya

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's penchant for perfection in costume and fashion is nothing new. This traditional man's imagination crosses every possible rim to get the perfect look, which makes him nothing short of being a perfectionist to the core. His is a crystal clear vision with no compromise on the wants and needs that goes in making any film. In other words, he just does not allow anything to come in between him and his visualization. We caught up with the costume designers of the much awaited film Saawariya. Here's what they had to say about Saawariya and their designs…..

Rajesh Pratap Singh

Often called as the Greta Garbo of Indian fashion, Rajesh is one of the most reclusive Indian designers today. Critically acclaimed for his cut and style, Singh grants very few interviews, almost never seen at any party, nor does he walk the ramp at the end of his shows for the mandatory bow. Naturally, he was flummoxed when Sanjay Leela Bhansali requested him to design for three of the actors – Salman Khan, Zohra Sehgal and Begum Para.

"Salman is such a huge star, but so very easy and so very charismatic," Rajesh says. "Since he is 'the mysterious stranger', I've given him a slight military look. Bingo! It worked with Sanjay. As for Zohra, I am totally besotted with her. She is truly the grand dame who loves to hold court. And what a memory she has! In the movie, she is shown as an Anglo Indian woman with a colorful past, so I've given her a lot of chintz prints. Though I never met Begum Para, she's such a legend in her own right and I've heard so much about her from my father that I felt I knew her personally and then the unit also sent me plenty of photographs. She's this old Muslim lady in the movie and her look is conservative yet stylized and I had to do some research to get the correct length of the kurta and the exact drape of the dupatta just right."

Reza Shariffi.

A professional fashion designer since the last 15 years, Reza has worked on several movies like Mohabbat, Wajood, Gaja Gamini, Hindustani, Hey Ram, Kaho Na Pyar Hai, Filhaal, Deewaanapan, Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein and many more. He has also won a National Award for Devdas where he had designed for all male characters except Shah Rukh Khan and had done some of Madhuri Dixit's costumes.

"I had liked Bhansali's work in Khamoshi- The Musical. When Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was released, I wished I could work with him and someone up there heard me, and Devdas happened! When Sanjay announced Saawariya, I wished again and my wish was fulfilled, yet again!" laughs Reza. Working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali is both tough as well as easy. Tough, because he is very clear in his mind as to what he wants and does not compromise, easy because neither do I!" Reza had to design mainly for the lead, Ranbir Kapoor. "His costumes were mainly khakis, whites, and maroons. Authenticity is what I was told to bring out, so I have used a lot of vintage fabrics like velvets, a lot of layering, more tone on tone; but everything is muted, nothing screams. These are normal day-to-day clothes but put together differently. I also had to design Muslim, Anglo Indian, Colonial British and some Hindu costumes in the hues of blue and green and it was a refreshing change to make authentic clothes from a bygone era."

Anuradha Vakil

She is one of India's most unlikely fashion designers. Armed with a Masters' in Business Administration (MBA) from Michigan, U.S., and experience in a corporate house, she moved on to combine all that she is and all that she had imbibed, driven by her passion for Indian textile crafts. For the past 12 years, her entire body of work, epitomized in the eponymous label produced by her design company, Noor, which has striven to ensure its survival by making it relevant to contemporary fashion. "Initially there was hesitation," she admits, when Sanjay Leela Bhansali called her for a meeting. "Largely because, I did not see my work fitting into the genre of commercial films. My work in fashion is deeply rooted in crafts and you do not see that often in mainstream cinema. But, I was acutely aware that Sanjay is a visionary. Having admired his work always, my instinct told me to trust this artist par-excellence. I went for the first meeting… and was bowled over completely!"

Anuradha has designed for the two female actors Sonam and Rani Mukherjee. "The color palette was derived from the look of the movie and the silhouettes came from Sanjay's and my common love for kathak and appreciation of Islamic arts and culture. I have used a lot of antique fabrics and weaves like appliqu, ikat and kalabootan embroidery. A lot of thought and effort went into creating Gulab's (Rani) look. She's a woman who loves attention, likes to be noticed… and her clothes had to reflect just that."

Anuradha shares a piquant situation whilst designing. "I had this antique white, red, black odhna and Sanjay loved it on sight and said he would use it in a major song sequence. Then his production team called me and told that that since it's been used in a boat song, I must have a duplicate ready, in case the original gets wet! How on earth do I get a duplicate of an antique piece?" she exclaims in mock horror. It took her all of four months and all her contacts to source out a "similar, if not exact' odhna!

"As a fashion designer, you are used to having complete creative control," she says. "You can indulge all your whims and can afford to get carried away. But, for a movie, you have to create within certain boundaries. You need to do what is appropriate for the characters, the movie and be in sync with the director's vision. In fact, all throughout this journey, I chose to see Sanjay Leela Bhansali as the master painter and myself as an apprentice who only mixes the colors!"