|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interestingly, the NSD graduate who swears by the power of theatre confesses that cinema didn’t happen by chance. It was a conscious decision and inside the hallowed portals of the NSD there was no dividing line between cinema and theatre. Rather the training involved a brief stint at FTII, Pune, where she got a chance to work with directors like Pankaj Prashar. So, how did she, a gold medallist in acting who still can’t resist the desire to don the pancake (watch movies Aloo Chat, Love Aaj Kal), gravitate towards costume designing? She reminisces how theatre thespian Ebrahim Alkazi noticed that she had an eye for it and egged her on. Thus what began as an assistant’s assignment for bigwigs like Roshan Alkazi, Amal Allana and Robin Das, soon grew into a full-time occupation. The first big chance came when noted theatre personality M.K Raina offered her Andha Yug. After Shekhar Kapur’s much acclaimed film Bandit Queen that also fetched her National Award for costume designing, there has been no looking back. She has designed costumes for films like Earth, Water. She, however, refuses to endorse the divide between art and commercial cinema. Instead, she chooses to call movies like The Blue Umbrella meaningful cinema. That this significant cinema has more recently included superstars like Saif and Kareena is, however, a different matter. She has no qualms in admitting that star tantrums are indeed very much a part of the Bollywood reality. Mercifully, she had no costumes being flung back at her. Even when her visualisation of Saif’s character in Omkara was dramatically different from what the star had perceived. And then in Love Aaj Kal making him wear the turban the right way, too, posed no impediments, whatsoever. Remarks Dolly, "Once stars understand that you know your business, they just fall in line". So much so that Kareena agreed to the "no makeup small town girl" appearance in Omkara without a whimper. "Costume designing", Dolly says, "still remains a largely ignored aspect of movies. Often the symbolic significance and oodles of creativity involved in creating costumes for each character goes right over people’s heads." But then she finds comfort in the critical appreciation of persons whose opinion she values. The fact that directors like Deepa Mehta, Vishal Bhardwaj come back to her time and again only reinforces that people who matter understand the mettle of her work. "Her job", she elaborates, not simple. It requires getting under the skin of character and then giving the actor that new skin". The best part about New Gen actors, she shares, is that they are highly intelligent with a mind of their own and cannot be fooled. "Shahid Kapur, my baccha, for instance wants to know every single detail." Painstaking detail, by the way, is Dolly’s other name. So she says a big no to directors and producers who expect her to pick up the stuff off the shelf. For before she arrives at the right look, Dolly sleeps and lives costumes. Wears them too! Seriously, does a costume designer have to live up to a particular persona? Her sense of dressing up is impeccable and unique and she believes that ultimately work is one’s barometer. Still she quips, "Dressing up well won’t hurt either." Only dressing up others can take you places. Well this feisty lady has already been up there, sailed in foreign waters with movies like Bobby Bedi’s Stiff Upper Lips, picked up honours like National Sangeet Natak Akademy Award, Filmfare award, Chaman Lal award. Yet she promises, "My best is yet to come". So if you have not already been bowled over by her keen aesthetic sense that imbues a new life to characters, watch out for more surprises from her costume kitty.
|
||
|
|
||
Dolly
Ahluwalia Tewari, India’s talented and one of the most original
costume designers in the film industry, tasted success with her very
first film The Burning Season that fetched her a nomination for
the Prix Genie awards. Today the designer has many more reasons to
preen. For she has just finished "dressing up" none other
than matinee idol Amitabh Bachchan in Soojit Sircar’s forthcoming
film Shoe Bite. She is agog with excitement, brimming with
anecdotes about the legendary actor. She gushes: "Goodness, I had
goose pimples prior to my first interface with him." Now she
vouches for his professionalism and humane qualities.