This is his fourth film with Kangana Ranaut and his bonding with the National Award winner has grown with the passage of each movie. Reza Shariffi, who has worked in 70 Hindi films as a costume designer, has been so methodical and skilled at his job that filmmakers are left with no option but to repeat him. This explains the reason why he has again been roped in by director Aanand L. Rai for his sequel Tanu Weds Manu Returns . And Reza has not disappointed as he has prepared not one or two masterpieces but multiple garments in unique colour and intricate design patterns and jewelleries to suit the effervescent actor, who is playing a double role.
“There are two characters – Tanu and Kusum. In the sequel Tanu’s character has been repeated. So I had to think of a woman who has been married for the past four years and has a certain level of maturity. As far as I am concerned the character had to be recreated. Since the film has been shot in the famous landmarks of Lucknow, I made sure to incorporate a bit of the famous chikankari in her colourful attire. Furthermore, I used garments from other States of the country because Tanu’s character is quite varied. So I used different kinds of fabrics and jewelleries from different places like from a remote region of Ladakh which I then reassembled for Kangana.”
Also he had in his mind that Tanu, who was a strong headed rebellious character from a small town of Uttar Pradesh in Tanu Weds Manu , was now a married woman. The wardrobe Reza has conceived for Tanu combines bohemian chic with traditional Indian drapes.
For the second character of Kangana, Reza had a challenge as he had to design appropriate clothes befitting a sportsperson, without underplaying her femininity.
“I have created a colourful palette for Kusum better known as Datto. As she participates in track and field and triple jump I had to make garments suitable to her character. For her I have created floral dresses the kind collegiate wear. Then I used salwar kameez worn with sports jacket and muffler. Salwar kameez was deliberate as the second character, which has been introduced for the first time, is a Haryanvi. But I made sure that she did not look tomboy.”
For every film or rather actor, the astute designer uses different colours, textures and costumes to make the character look suitable. So when he had to design for the glamorous Isha Koppikar in Shabri he had a reason to deglamourise her. “Isha was a chakkiwali from Bombay’s slum areas in that film.” So he made a torn and sewn sari for her.
As character and not the reputation of the actor is the yardstick for the designer, he made Madhuri Dixit look beautiful in “Dola re Dola” in Devdas in an elaborately-embroidered sari and exquisitely-detailed jewellery.
“Madhuri also made me create saris for her wedding,” reveals the designer. Indeed, it was heartening for the designer, who has been silently doing his work, in a meticulous manner though, in film after film.
“It was not reel but real life and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of dressing up Madhuri for her wedding.”
Even though Reza has been in working in the dream factories of the Hindi film industry for the past two decades, he has never felt that he has had enough; that his talent was not being utilised efficaciously.
“I simply love the job of creating costumes for larger-than-life characters, who if the film works at the box office, become a trendsetter.”
Reza has seen to it that his work differs from the likes of Manish Malhotra, who is much sought after by the who’s who of Bollywood, and Neeta Lulla. “Everyone has his or her style. But I am more focussed on the character. This way I make sure that there is no overlapping.”
