PIPLI: The upcoming film of Anushka and Varun Dhawan under Yash Raj's banner, Sui Dhaga, has an Odisha connect. No, it isn't the shoot location, star cast or crew that has got anything to do with the State. This film inspired by the government's Make-In India initiative has used the applique art work of Pipli for one of its logos. Not just that, Yash Raj Films has recently launched a video shot in Pipli that speaks about the village and its art for the film's promotion.
This logo was stitched by city-based designer Sharda Mahapatra and her team members, including Rashmi Magraj, Kamilinipradhan, Pooja Baroi, Basanthi Swain and Biswanath Maharana. The promotional video features designer Sharda. Varun and Anushka had lent their voices to the video. At one point, Anushka says, "The applique art is like making a painting with needle and thread."
But, will the movie feature the artisans from Odisha? "The film will showcase artisans. From where and what is something you will have to wait and see the film to know more," said Manan Mehta, Vice President Marketing of Yash Raj Films.
The film's logo has art work of 15 varieties from across the country. "The idea of marketing the film with this unique approach was conceived even before the film started its shoot. We decided to take it upon ourselves to not just act like marketeers of content but also marketeers of this culture of India. The idea came from one of the initial marketing brainstorming sessions," added Manan.
Anushka's passion for stitching
The bubbly actress has gone de-glam for the film. In the trailer, she has been shown wearing an ordinary saree, bangles and bindi like a rural housewife. But, has she tried her hands at stitching too? "I have known Anushka for some time now since Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. I remember how she used to knit sweaters on the sets. It is her passion. When I read out the script of Sui Dhaga to her for the first time, I told her that Mamta (Anushka's character in the film) is an embroider. I told her that she would have to attend a workshop on embroidery. She readily accepted the proposal. She said she knew embroidery but would attend the workshop to polish her skills," said the film's producer, Maneesh Sharma, who had also produced SRK's Fan recently.
"We were surprised to see Anushka's skills. She didn't need much of the workshops. Varun, however, did go through all process of attending the workshops and learning it from Noor Bhai, our tailor. He spent weeks to own the craft and look very convincing as a tailor in the film. During the shoot, Varun ended up stitching a lot of stuff for many people," revealed Maneesh.
The out-of-the-box idea
"The inception of the story happened sub-consciously on Sharat (the director) and my part over a course of two years. We came across the idea of making a film on artisans once. But, we moved on. Much later, one fine day Sharat had this epiphany and he called me. He said: Friend, I have got a story and its name is Sui Dhaga," said Maneesh.