When a new visual version of Kalyani – the chartbuster that has surpassed over 90 million streams on Spotify since its 2025 release – dropped recently, fans were eager to finally put a face to the character they had long imagined. Featuring Shreya Ghoshal’s vocals and starring Saniya Iyappan, the music video (trending no.1 on YouTube) soon grabbed attention for its striking visual identity, even earning praise from Snoop Dogg on Instagram. Behind those carefully-layered costumes is stylist Gousia Galib Khan, who spent months building a character that many awaited to see in attire that could seamlessly move between Kerala’s cultural roots, Bollywood glamour and contemporary aesthetics.
Once she entered the project, it became even more exciting when she realised that award-winning playback singer Shreya Ghoshal would be lending her voice to the character. “Shreya Ghoshal was a surprise factor – once I knew that, it became a huge responsibility. And Kalyani had to feel rooted and modern at the same time,” she says.
Working alongside director Ben, Khan explored nearly a hundred sketches before arriving at the final look, noting every detail was intentional. “The flowing skirt represented movement, while the corset introduced a contemporary silhouette. When someone looks at Kalyani [the character], I want their eyes to first notice the jewellery, then the corset and finally the skirt. Every layer was planned,” she explains. Instead of opting for conventional Kerala jewellery, she chose temple-inspired Kundan pieces to give her a fresh identity.
The audience’s expectation of how Kalyani looked with the hit track was a challenge for Khan. But her Kalyani is gentle yet resilient, feminine yet powerful. That balance of opposites defines her interpretation of the character. “She is soft-spoken, but when the time comes, she gives it back, like that fight in the music video. I wanted to bring together strength, beauty, femininity and masculinity,” she says. Those contrasts are reflected across the video’s three costumes – from a distinctly South Indian-inspired opening look to a rain sequence influenced by Bollywood and a vibrant dance costume designed to echo the grandeur often associated with Ghoshal’s musical world. “The rain look was inspired by Bollywood’s Tip Tip Barsa Pani,” she adds.
However, costumes had to do more than simply look beautiful. They also needed to work with demanding choreography. “No matter how beautiful an outfit is, if the artiste can’t dance comfortably in it, it’s a failure,” she says. Hence, soft fabrics, carefully designed linings, and movement-friendly silhouettes became as important as aesthetics during the design process to complement the dance.
Interestingly, her favourite part of styling extended beyond the lead character to the coordinated costumes of the background dancers that she believes added to the overall sense of completion. “Subtle details such as baby’s breath flowers and jewellery helped create a cohesive visual palette,” she says.
Although originally from Andhra Pradesh, Khan says living in Bengaluru has profoundly influenced her creative language as she often found herself immersed in Karnataka’s artistic traditions. She also points to Karnataka’s heritage jewellery and rich textile traditions as recurring references in Kalyani.
Once solely part of the makeup industry, styling has now found its own foothold in the fashion industry as a profession. Adding on to the importance of styling, she says, “Now the audience remembers what they see first. If styling doesn’t support the story, the whole project suffers. When everything aligns, the character stays with people long after the music ends,” she points out.
For Khan, social media has transformed the profession by shining a spotlight on technicians who once remained behind the scenes. “Social media has this power to literally shock you. We were fortunate that Snoop Dogg shared it, which is huge. It shows that if you’re good at what you do and you’re consistent, social media will eventually find you,” she says.