Tarang Arora, creative director of Amrapali, chortles as he tells us how he has been quizzed several times about Kattapa’s predicament. “Occupational hazard,” he says. For someone who has been a part of SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus and the frenzy that followed it, Arora seems to be calm when we meet him at the Amrapali store in Khan Market in Delhi.
The occasion was preview of the jewellery pieces created for Baahubali 2, a movie that broke all records—both in terms of box office collection and the awe quotient. We can safely say that jewellery—all 1,500 of them handcrafted by Amprapali—played a good part in it. Displayed at both levels of the store, the silver, gold-plated jewellery commands a second look. Actually, a bit more than that.
It lures for a try-on. For several minutes, you might feel like Devasena (or Sivagami), as you would be standing in front of the mirror, adorning those enormous neckpieces and earrings that were, only till a few months ago, a part of the biggest money-grosser of our times. “If you look closely,” Arora breaks the spell for us, “every piece is created keeping the characters in mind.”
This is why you see colossal, solid-goldesque jewellery on Sivagami, for the pieces were meant for a maharani people were in awe of. Daintier pieces were seen on Devsena in the first half, when she was a warrior princess. The jewellery gets more elaborate with coloured stones and meenakari as she becomes a part of the Mahishmati clan.
Men’s jewellery were no-nonsense, tough-looking. In every frame, the jewellery was modified to maintain the essence of a character, making it visually impactful. “We had a massive task ahead of us of creating 1,500 pieces with intricate work in just
730 days,” Arora says.
Only a brand as accomplished as Amrapali, with a fleet of skilled artisans, could have pulled this feat off. But then, this was not the first time that the 39-year-old, Jaipur-based jewellery house has created a look for a film, apart from being the chosen jeweller for royalties and celebrities. They did it for Troy as well as tribal jewellery for Baahubali. The jewellery is now available at their stores across India and on tribebyamrapali.com.