CHENNAI:The bustling streets of Parry’s Corner, stacked with tiny shops selling evening snacks,hardware items, jewellery, and fabric materials, is one of the go-to places for Chennai-based cosplay artiste Suriya Banu. Almost three years ago, when she discovered the availability of more materials for making the costumes and props involved in cosplay events, along with the help of fashion designer Roshini, it gave her the impetus to try out innovative creations.
Similarly, for Mumbai-based cosplay artiste and illustrator Medha Srivastava, travelling to different places and looking for local materials while viewing the world with an aesthetic lens opened up the doors to experiments.
When the two artists who make use of regional resources and represent India on global platforms gathered together for a workshop a month ahead of Chennai’s first-ever Comic-Con on Saturday at Watson’s, T Nagar, it led to an insightful lecture into the art of cosplaying.
Igniting interest
Books, series, and movies have a unique way of inspiring us. Suriya was eager to explore the anime world after watching episodes of Dragon Ball Z, Toonami, and Naruto that streamed on Cartoon Network. Meanwhile, Medha, who discovered her interest in the field of art at the age of three, was intrigued by comics like Tinkle, Chacha Chaudhary, and Amar Chitra Katha.
Medha says, “I started working in gaming companies after my studies. I was very sceptical about cosplay until I went to one of the Comic-Cons. It was a different world altogether. Since cosplay is an amalgamation of a lot of things, my love for gaming added more value to it. Art made me get into gaming and from gaming I moved to cosplay.” Medha became the first female artiste from India to win an international award in cosplay in Shanghai.
When Suriya started in 2014, she notes that there was a negative connotation to the word cosplay itself but now that has changed. “Especially during the pandemic, people could explore anime, gaming, and a lot of other options when they were at home. Even the community has changed over the years. Earlier, the community used to meet and exchange hard drives with anime. Nowadays, people want to go to conventions and experience being a part of a fandom,” she shares.
Breaking down barriers
From Lelouch Vi Britannia (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion) to Lady Thor, Suriya has tried her best to come up with creative outfits. She says, “When I started, it was more of how I can repurpose a costume. I had no experience in tailoring. The costumes that I had referred to were more detailed than I thought they would be. That’s why it was necessary to break it down. I used to search for the already existing shirts or outfits that could be repurposed.”
After viewing a lot of online videos, Suriya updated herself with more ideas for making outfits. She adds, “For prop making, I used to use only papier mache. On YouTube videos, I saw people from other countries making use of foam. I had no idea where to get them from. After a bit of research, I realised that it is available in hardware stores and people use it for AC insulations and majorly for electrical works.”
For anyone who is starting in cosplay, Suriya advises making use of pre-existing resources. She says, “You can buy materials and clothes from shops like Saravana Stores or T Mangharam and just repurpose them. For bulk buying, Parry’s Corner is the best location. Getting colourful wigs from the streets might be a bit of a task, but everything else is pretty much there if we search.”
While there is a challenge of getting resources as the cosplay industry is only booming now in India, Medha points out that people are slowly realising that cosplay can also be a profession as “Cosplayers are getting the right kind of recognition from the mainstream media and entertainment or gaming industries.”
She also highlights the need to look into cosplay as something that has evolved from culturally rich communities. “We need to take inspiration from different communities in the country itself because our country is very rich in art and culture. When international games like Smite draw inspiration from us and their main characters are gods like Hanuman, Ganesh, Ram, and Kali, why shouldn’t we not promote our roots?,” she asks.
Sharing her excitement for the Chennai Comic Con, Medha, who has dressed up as Akali from League of Legends to Pharah from Overwatch, says, “I am very excited that Comic-Con is happening in Chennai. My message to everyone who is attending is to start small and choose a simple character. Completing the cosplay costumes is more important than ideating bigger costumes. Choose a character that has the potential to show your skills. Collect as many reference photos as you can. The more you plan, the easier it becomes. Have the liberty to recreate your own version.”
