No one’s getting ruffled about lace ruffles or tearing up at the sight of their favourite heroines in garish, unflattering gowns. There’s nary a nylon stocking, glove, plastic hat or beribboned pigtail to be seen on screen. Transparent pointy cups that leave nothing to imagination and micro-minis that barely hide thunder thighs no longer leave audiences hot under the collar. Malayalam cinema has all but put in storage pattu-pavadas and davanis, once the signature style of every village belle, every heroine for that matter..... Fashion faux pas seems to be a thing of the past in Mollywood, with costume design finally coming of age and catching up with reality. Even as Malayalam cinema tailors itself for the new generation, costumes, style and fit move centre-stage.
“The natural look is in,” says top costumier Sameera Saneesh. In her latest film, Nee-na , directed by Lal Jose, for example, she has chosen a rather “manly” colour palette – greys, black, blues and purples – and patterns such as gingham and plaids and fabrics such as wool and leather for the lead character, Neena (Deepti Sati), who is boyish in nature. There’s not even a floral print to be seen on Neena, let alone earrings, bangles or necklaces. Men’s fashion too in recent movies such as Bhaskar The Rascal , 100 Days Of Love , Mili , Fireman , Lailaa O Lailaa and the likes has found the right fit. Instead of all and sundry wearing gaudy, shirts and equally garish pants, it’s become customised to suit the characters to a stitch. “Directors these days tell us that they want simplistic but colourful and stylish costumes that will strike a chord with the viewers, particularly the youth, without it overpowering the narrative or jarring the visuals,” explains Sameera.
Sakhi Elsa, costume designer of movies such as Vellimoonga and Artist , agrees. “Malayalam cinema had been realistic during the Padamarajan-Bharathan era and the 80s and early 90s when narratives about the common man flourished. It appears to have lost its plot somewhere in between, in all respects, especially with regards to costume design. What we’re seeing nowadays is that costume design has become more stylised. It is now all about looking good, fashionable and stylish. And that’s not only for the heroine but the hero and the supporting characters too. It could be because the audience nowadays wants and demands beautiful frames and well-groomed characters. The new generation of viewers likes to identify with the common man, cotton saris, creased shirts, flip flops, et. al.” says young Sakhi.
Director Amal Neerad, one of those who are particular about the costumes that their characters wear on screen, confirms it. “What we are aiming for is believability,” he says. “These days it’s very difficult to pull the wool over the eyes of movie-goers who are worldly-wise enough to know when they are being scammed.” That’s why for Iyobinte Pusthakam , he says, he took a lot of pain to recreate the fashion that was prevalent in the colonial times, taking inspiration from photographs of the period. Padmapriya’s saris, the material, the cut of the blouse and its draping was inspired the styles of the Indian royalty, particularly fashion icons such as the late Maharani Gayatri Devi. “The costumes add depth to the story and amp up the believability quotient,” he explains.
Costumiers are quick to point out that it depends on individual tastes, particularly that of directors, cameramen, and the films themselves.
