Social media is abuzz about the carefree vibe of Aditya Chopra’s Befikre. Once upon a time, Aditya wrote Simran of London and now he has come up with Shaira of Paris. If Simran was holding the rebellious European influence somewhere deep inside the Punjabi exterior, Shaira is flaunting her Parisian charm without any inhibition. In between, Yash Raj Films has come a long way from the trusted costume designer Shashikant Shellar to Natalie Yuksel, the noted fashion stylist from Paris to design the look of Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor for Befikre .
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Talking over phone from Paris, Natalie says her brief was to make it Parisian by bringing in French references. “I saw these characters very differently. Vaani’s character Shaira is very carefree and boundary pushing. She experiments with her wardrobe, wears revealing outfits and is sexy in a kind of very unexpected way. She wears tight shorts and ties base ball T-shirt around the waist. But as the character grows, she becomes lot more Indian and feminine and wears dresses.”
The trailer shows that Shaira is markedly different from whatever we have seen from the Yash Raj stable. “While reading the script, it became evident that she is a girl who loves pushing the boundaries. I wanted her hair to be dip dyed to create a radical hair-style With ring in every finger, I wanted the element of individuality in her dressing. I wanted her to be sexy but in a non typical way. I didn’t want her to be in short dresses and be conscious about it. Instead I wanted to create a sporty vibe.”
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In contrast, Natalie says, Ranveer Singh’s character Dharam comes from Delhi and he slowly takes to Parisian dressing and by the end he is very sure of his clothing. The silhouettes become sharp, making him look very hot. As Paris is about basics, Natalie says the colour scheme has a lot of navy blues and blacks, whites, greens and greys.
Putting Parisian fashion in perspective, Natalie, who has worked for almost every international fashion label, “It is about very good quality pieces, basics which one would keep for many years. Something which lasts for years, something that outgrows trends. It is about taking the classics and twisting them with a piece of current trend that will integrate with the wardrobe. It is not a culture where one would consume many things all the time. In that sense it is very different from London, which experiments a lot in terms of clothing.”
It also suggests the mood of the film, where two different personalities seem to come together. “Vaani is totally French and that was very important part of my brief. She dresses in a French way. Dharam has a natural element of style and towards the end you will see a big style transformation in him. It is an amalgamation of different sensibilities,” says Natalie revealing the cabaret towards the end has elements of Bollywood and 1930s French fashion.
Did she watch Hindi films? “I was in India twice for the preparation of the film. I did watch a few after being hired. But Adi wanted me to have a fresh pair of eyes. He didn’t want my vision to be coloured by references of the past. So I just used the script to discover how clothing will define characters which involved creating mood boards with Adi explaining the motivations of the characters. He didn’t want somebody to caricaturise how a girl in Paris dresses up. Being on the ground all the time, European fashion is part of my everyday reality. I didn’t have to imagine it.”
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Talking about challenges in the process, Natalie says, “I was from the different country which meant everything had to be done in a short period of time. Most of the things were sourced and styled and some pieces were specifically made for actors. But as much I like to be juicy with you, the reality is I was very free and open and Adi really listened to me and it was wonderful. There was always dialogue on the sets. I was never at loggerheads with the actors either. They trusted me and the process. Every time I asked Ranveer what do you think about an outfit, he said he would like to believe in what I think.”
Personally, it has been a creative shift for Natalie from being a fashion stylist to be on a Bollywood film set. “My job is to tell stories through images. I see myself as a storyteller. I work towards character creation but in films it is a long process and take six-seven months of my life. It is lot more work on a bigger scale but it is very exciting.”
Natalie says, she always wanted to come to India. “I always wanted to come to India and this project enabled me to do so. I grew up in London where there is a massive Indian community there. The intricate detailing in Indian fashion always fascinated me.” Natalie has been a girl on the move. She graduated from London College of Fashion and then moved to Paris for work. “ I came here to learn French and there was no plan but one thing led to another. That’s how life turns out. I was not looking for a Bollywood project. The DOP suggested my name and it just came knocking at the door. I don’t categorise myself in one way. It is necessary to be open to different things to work on different projects.” Now, it is sounding like a Bollywood script!
