Every actor turns towards a stylist these days — right from an audio launch event to film publicity — artistes need professional help when they want to step out in style.
Stylists cater to clients with different budgets and since not all newbies can afford the best names, they are in constant look out for people who can dress them up elegantly in reasonable money. Sreemukhi Mekala, a budding stylist is targeting small and middle range movies. Her fashion mantra is simplicity and comfort. Though she had never studied designing, she is a fine arts major and has developed a natural flair for everything beautiful from her family. “I was told that I make a good artist and they sent me to Shanti Niketan after high school. I studied at Vishwa Bharati University. It is a four-year course and took up history of art painting and sculpture. It changed me so much as a person. Shanti Niketan is different, you have so much time and space, you feel isolated but you grow because you are surrounded by artistes. It changes you. After my experience there, I could appreciate and understand colours and life better.”
While it is true, that her family encouraged her to pursue her interest, she took a year break and deferred admission in a PG college to explore possibilities for her career in India. Sreemukhi wants to be associated with film making, some designing, community art and curating too and open a gallery some day. How did she move towards costumes? She avers, “These are the things I am interested in. Fabrics is something I always was fascinated and I love to put these two things together,” she says.
Nakshatram is her first project and she bagged it as one of her friends was associated with the movie. They were doing a photo shoot for Regina Cassandra and didn’t have anyone to style her. It was then she stepped in and she tried five or six looks on the artiste. Krishna Vamsi, the director liked her sense of styling and wanted a formal meeting. She quips, “I took my sketches and went next day, he did not see anything and asked me a lot of questions. He asked me some sketches and I made them, he would ask for some changes and finally one day told me to do work on Regina’s costumes. I began working and on the third day at Ramoji Film City, I fell down and fractured my leg and was on bed rest for three months. By the time I started to walk, most of the film had been shot…but I did the songs.”
In her short time in the industry, Sreemukhi has understood the stars and their needs. She adds, “These days everyone want to look stylish. It is one thing to be a good actor and another thing to be recognised as a stylish actor. Stylists have an important role to play in a celebrity’s life. A celebrity goes out and people upload their photos and comment on them. These days airport looks are gaining importance too. If you are spotted at the airport, you get clicked and written about..so you can’t get sloppy.”
Lot of people say that once you get to work in films, it becomes an addiction. It is getting true in Sreemukhi’s case. Right now she is styling for Anupama Parameswaran and Megha Akash in director Kishore Tirumala-Ram’s film. She signs off, “The more money you spend the better looking fabric you get. I’ll be setting up my studio soon. I had toured Telangana and met many weavers. I want to make very contemporary and sleek global clothes using only handloom fabrics. I want them to be classy with a bit of vintage touch.”
