KOCHI: One image that captivated film buffs when the posters of Ratish Ambat’s Kammarasambavam got out was the unique look Dileep sported in the movie. The actor’s thick-rimmed shades, rucksack and dark green uniform attire did quite a lot establishing his character and the period in which the drama was set, the pre-Independence era.
Now, as film buffs wax eloquently about how convincing his character looked, award-winning costume
designer Sameera Saneesh thinks her job is done. As challenging as the task was for her, Sameera, and a lot of costume designers like her, think the job is not anymore about glitz or glam, but more about creating relatable characters. With realistic cinemas and period dramas taking the centre stage, costume designing is one job that has undergone a major evolution.
Kumar Edappal, another award-winning designer with an experience of over two decades, says a lot has changed in the costume designing sector, thanks to the advancement of technology. “When I started my career, costumes for the artists were mainly about bold and garish colour palettes and prints. That time, it was important because we were shooting in films, an organic media. With the advent of digital technology and cameras like Red and ARRI, things changed. This has reflected in the colours we use. Today, it is all about being subtle and realistic. The pallets are subtle and jarring prints are out,” says Kumar.
Sameera agrees. She says costumes and trend get updated every six months, recollecting how her popular picks for Mythili in a song for Salt and Pepper would look out of place today. “Even in the recent Maayanadhi or Thondimuthalum Drisakshiyum, the costumes had to blend in with the mood of the film,” says Sameera. She adds that high-fashion is totally out of the league in Malayalam movies.
Sameera, who has worked in over 100 movies, feels observation is very important. “One needs to be
constantly alert about changes in attires and accessories. Changes can be subtle, for instance, it would look odd if we ask a village character to wear a hawai chappal today, for even people in the very rustic of villages wear sandals today. Such changes might be very subtle, but play a very important role in carving out the character, “ says Sameera.
She also quotes how she was faced with a similar dilemma during the making of Udhaharanam Sujatha. “Manju Warrier played a maid in the movie and our first instinct would be to dress her up in worn out light-coloured saris. But, the story is set in Thiruvananthapuram and my research proved that most women who work as maids dress up in bright and good clothes there.Stereotypes won’t work in situations like this,” she adds.
Research
Mollywood is all set to welcome a slew of period dramas and this is one genre that can set the costume designers on a mad rush. Sameera says Kammarasambavam was a strenuous yet challenging task for her.“The story is set in 1940s and a lot of research goes into creating clothes that were popular at that time. One needs to refer photographs, literature and works that detail the lifestyle during that era. The research is then followed up with sourcing material. No shops in Kerala had what I needed for Kammarasambavam. I travel a lot for purchasing and we need to have the energy and patience to spend days for a single material. Not just material, ornaments and other accessories too should match the look,” she adds.
Kumar Edappal too details the time and work that went in for creating costumes in Ennu Ninte Moitheen. “The real challenge is finding costumes when the character is shown in different ages. We need to follow the evolution of costumes here. It may be just a single scene but the effort, nonetheless, is same,” says Kumar. He also remembers the backbreaking days he spent for T V Chandran’s Dani, a period film, that had Mammootty in the lead.
Sustainable fashion
Costume designer Rajeev Peethambaran, who did the costumes for Pokkiri Simon, has taken to sustainable fashion while dressing up artists. He says: “Costume designers use a lot of clothes and materials, many of which are discarded soon. That’s when I felt the idea of eco-friendly and sustainable fashion needs to be introduced. The clothes I made for Prayaga Martin in Pokkiri Simon was very eco-friendly. Same with the accessories, all of them were made of organic products, sourced from Rajasthan and other parts of the country,” says Rajeev.