For Delhi-based couturier Anju Modi the challenge in taking up the mantle of costume designing in “Bajirao Mastani” was to make its lead actor Deepika Padukone, blessed with charming countenance, look more beautiful than she is in real life. This was the clear cut instructions from ace filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bansali, known for getting the best work from Aishwarya Rai in films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas , for the historical narrative, which has the ingredients for making it a magnum opus, something he has been planning for a decade.
For the period film, Anju, who worked with Bhansali in his earlier film Ram-Leela , had real life reference point to make Deepika look fetching. Even then Bhansali, who does not do things in half measures, narrated the script in a slow drawl explaining nuances of important scenes, song picturisation and what he wanted in term of look and feel of garments.
“Bhansali told me that since Deepika is playing Mastani, a Muslim character, her costumes need to be crafted in such a way that the Islamic culture is palpable. The Persian touch had to be ensured at all cost. She had to look different from the environment around her which had to have an imprint of Maharashtrian culture. The distinction between the two had to be kept in mind. She is in love with Bajirao, a Peshwa who holds together the Maratha empire,” says Anju after the Blenders Pride Fashion Tour where the first look of Mastaani was revealed with Deepika as the showstopper.
After marriage with her beloved, Mastani becomes a member of the Marathi Brahmin household. “Mastani is a beautiful dancer, likes to dress regally. She is a multi-faceted personality. However, in her husband’s home she has things stacked against her. She is the second wife and the culture at her husband’s home is alien to the Muslim household she grew up in. So I designed costumes in a way that Mastani looks expressive, graceful and able to uphold her dignity in adversity.”
Anju says, “In order to be true to the character and the script, understanding of the story and the protagonist are crucial elements. Otherwise, justifying such a grand film becomes difficult.”
Since the film’s focus is primarily on Deepika – a young actor more at ease in casual clothes like funky jeans and T-shirt than heavy traditional attires worn during the bygone era – Anju took her into confidence. The two had a longish conversation before Anju started the work on the actor’s net embroidered anarkali, cotton crinkled kurta, Banarasi brocade dupatta. The comfort factor helped as the two worked together in Ram-Leela .
“It was important to speak to Deepika as she had to look the part. She had to be comfortable. Improvisation always works and the more input you get, the better it is.”
Though she had a blueprint before her, Anju also did her own research, which entailed travelling, reading and studying new work. “Villages of Maharashtra gave me new ideas on how to have local influence on costumes and draw inspiration from rare paintings of Raja Ravi Varma. I also revisited Ajanta and Ellora, Indore, Hyderabad and to museums to capture the essence of that period.”
To highlight the Persian culture, Anju says she has used floral motifs as used in the Iranian era. “The colour patterns are very interesting. First we used red colour but later realised that it was overshadowing the sets. So we had to replace it with another colour. All colours were obtained from vegetable dyes. We have used indigenous fabric like khadi, chanderi, malmal. There is Nizami jewellery to complement the dresses.”
Also, Anju had to bear in mind that while creating a royal look for Deepika each garment had to be flexible in case she had to enact a fight sequence or dance with full body movements. So the garment had to be light and to highlight Mastani’s Muslim heritage, jewellery reminiscent of Hyderabadi Nizam has been used. However, heaviness comes in the chainmail armour which has been made to give her the warrior look.
To reflect the demure characteristics of Kashibai (played by Priyanka Chopra), a simple Maharashtrian woman and first wife of Bajirao she has used a lot of traditional Marathi jewellery – the nathni and archetypal ornaments.
“The work I have done in this film is the result of decades of work I have done with weavers and craftsmen in villages. Kashibai used to wear naulakha sari. Nobody wears this kind of sari now. So I had to look for villagers who specialise in making nine-yard sari.”
