When costume designer Neha Bajaj first heard about Toxic, she knew almost nothing about the film. It was 2023, the project was still in its early stages and the script was being developed. Already having worked on Guns & Gulaabs and The Family Man, the costume designer only knew that Yash was at the helm and Rajeev Ravi would be behind the camera.
Then came a video call with director Geetu Mohandas. “She described it as a ‘NASA project’ which was hush-hush. All she could say was there would be a circus, badass women and a mafia world,” Bajaj recalls.
The lack of information gave freedom to the designer to develop her own narrative. Her first step was researching real-life women from the world of organised crime, including figures such as Stephanie St. Clair, known as the Harlem Queen. “There were a lot of women in the mafia world who held on to their femininity unabashedly. The way she dressed, you wouldn’t believe how easily she could even kill the men around. Her swag was not be taken for being soft,” she says.
The research extended beyond clothes to mannerisms and smaller details – their mannerisms, clothing and attitude became references for the women of Toxic. “When I started researching, a lot of these real women, a lot of smaller details – the way they hold their cigarettes, the way they walk, the way they sometimes even wear outlandish clothes, because they want to make an impact – all of those elements came into my visual world,” she notes.
Hence, even before the women actors came on board, Bajaj had already begun developing mood boards and detailed character briefs. This ensured that the film’s many female characters did not overlap visually and in creating a world where costume was never merely decoration.
“It was important for us to have their spaces delineated, so that there was no confusion,” she says, further noting, “It was key to have right fabrics for each silhouette and each actor.”
“Nadia, (Kiara Advani) is a circus performer, so glamour comes naturally to her,” points out Bajaj. Celebrity designer Manish Malhotra also contributed to Nadia’s visual world. A key outfit was her first circus performance look, which Bajaj describes as important in establishing her character and impact on Raya.
Nayanthara’s Ganga, meanwhile, needed a sharper visual language. As Raya’s grounding force, his sister, she was dressed in structured silhouettes with a utility-driven approach. “She’s strong without saying as much, but you know that her presence is unwavering,” Bajaj says.
As the daughter of a powerful mob boss, Rebecca’s (Tara Sutaria) wardrobe leaned into grunge, with several vintage accessories sourced from London. Whereas Huma Qureshi’s Elizabeth was designed to be flamboyant. Mellisa’s (Rukmini Vasanth) look was different from the women of the earlier period, with a more stable quality. “She was open to experimenting,” says Bajaj.
Building the world
The period setting added another layer to her work. The film moves from the 1940s and ’50s into the late ’60s and ’70s, requiring extensive world-building. “Building Toxic’s world was important,” she says. That meant dressing hundreds of background performers. A jazz club sequence featured around 350 to 400 artistes, while a Goa parade involved nearly 700 junior artistes. “It’s those people and the way they dress which builds the world,” Bajaj explains, adding, “Toxic is a visually-charged film. Even details – pointed collars and bell-bottoms – were used to establish the era.”
The process also involved extensive sourcing from across India and abroad – fabrics, leather, vintage hats, gloves and accessories. However, the film’s visual identity came from clear collaboration. Working with Mohandas was particularly significant, she shares, adding, “It’s my first time working with a woman director. It makes so much of a difference in a department like mine – because a woman sees and showcases fabrics, textures, and silhouettes so different than a man.” And on delivering the visual appeal of female characters, she adds, Mohandas’ vision was central to her approach. “Geetu was crystal clear in the way she wanted to create these women,” she adds.
Then there was Yash, whose portrayal of Raya was another highlight for Bajaj. “He’s the most grounded superstar if you can ever put these two terms together,” she says. Her co-designer Saniya Sardhariya predominantly worked on Yash’s looks, and because she has worked with him for a long time, they worked in tandem.
For Bajaj, the experience was also personal in another way. With family ties to Bengaluru, she was excited to return to the city for the project. “It’s the love of my life. I am married a man from Bengaluru, so family is from here,” she smiles.