Loyola College visual communications graduate Anu Vardhan found her calling almost by accident, given her propensity for design and colours. Padi Shekkhar Babu used to travel to Mumbai and Bangalore to zero in on the desired choice of clothes. Twenty-five-year-old Shruthi Kannath thought nothing of a shopping spree that lasted from evening to midnight to help put together a perfect ensemble. Anu, Babu and Shruthi represent that growing and flourishing tribe of film stylists, often unheralded and unsung, but whose deft touch and nimble fingers govern an actor’s look and persona on the big screen.
Think. The leather jacket, bullwhip and fedora were as much a part of Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones character as were his cockiness, humour and linguistic skills. The beedi-smoking, angst-ridden coolie of Deewar looked just right in his denim shirt, a piece of rope slung carelessly about him and on his arm that lucky talisman ‘Billa no. 786’. Closer home, the nattily dressed don ‘Baasha’ stood out in stark contrast to the simply dressed auto driver ‘Manikkam’. Just goes to show that all that posturing, mannerisms and gesticulations would have fallen apart without the supporting ensemble put together by the style brigade. Propelled by the latter’s ministrations, film stars have time and again gone about acquiring a new ‘image’.
Earlier, Bollywood claimed hegemony over style, a barometer of trends over the years. Not so true now with the south film industry matching Bollyood step for step or should we say style for style.
Full of zest, Shruthi is the newest kid on the block. An NIFT graduate, who after a stint with an export company and writing on fashion, chose to become a stylist. Right now Shruthi is agog about her new movie under SPB Charan’s banner with Taarthick as director and Dinesh and Aishwarya Rajesh as lead pair. Says Shruti: “We are attempting a complete makeover for Dinesh and Aishwarya. Both relative newcomers, their earlier films had them playing rustic characters. But Charan’s film should change all that as Dinesh gets fitted in leather jackets, printed tees and ankle-length boots while Aishwarya gets to trade her saree look for short dresses and leather pants.”
It’s almost a given that Shruthi will be the stylist for Jeeva’s forthcoming film, given that for Jeeva, Shruti is the go-to person for all styling needs. Jeeva dresses well, but Shruthi helped him raise the bar. For a recent show abroad that had Jeeva in the judge’s seat, she gave him a completely new look, with the actor fitted with a waistcoat, a white shirt with detailing, denims and black shoes. Says Shruthi, “It’s fun to work with Jeeva who after wearing a dress will ask me if it makes him look like a chef or a crazy person.”
Another newbie is freelance fashion designer-stylist and NIFT graduate Shanmuga Priya who believes fashion is second only to music in reach and importance. Her makeover for Dhansika in Ya Ya was much appreciated by the latter who till then had to wear clothes keeping with her village girl characters. In Ya Ya, she says, “Dhansika was able to play herself, a young city girl and I focused on keeping it casual, mostly Western, all very lively and colourful. Being a tall girl, Dhansika was able to carry it off beautifully.” Styling for Cheran’s soon-to be released JK Enum Nanbanin Vaazhkkai, Shanmuga designed a ‘concept’ shirt which had the director heaping praise.
“I needed a certain kind of styling done for a shirt, the specialty being that it could be worn on seven days of the week but look different each time. I asked many designers but none came up to my expectations except Shanmuga,” says an admiring Cheran.
On the other side of the spectrum is stylist Anu Vardhan, who has built an enviable reputation working on plum projects including Billa, directed by her husband Vishnu Vardhan and starring Ajith and Nayantara. Perhaps never before had the good looking Thala appeared so stylised, with a complete change in dress and deportment. As for Nayantara, she was a revelation. Nobody ever suspected that she could carry off Western wear with such aplomb. Recalls Anu: “For Ajith, who for the most part plays a don in the movie, it was blazers in sombre black, grey and white, colours that reflected the grim mood of the movie with the same tone continuing in Nayantara’s clothing. It was easy to make these two look good. Nayantara with her well-toned figure carried off the clothes with elan.” In Ajith’s newest movie Arambam, however, the subtle gives way to colourfully casual with the by-now much spoken about salt and pepper hairstyle retained with a tiny change.
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Of course, all this was a far cry when she first started out as a principal costume designer for the Santosh Sivan-directed Asoka. Recalls Anu, “For the period film, we did a lot of pre-production work. All the fabric was dyed in Chennai and sent to Manish Malhotra in Mumbai for designing. We clothed Kareena in earth colours, painting a lot of tattoos on her and Shah Rukh.”
Geeta Solraj is another designer who has on her client list some very popular film personalities. Her venture ‘Crimson House of Style’ was her passport to fame. She remembers how she gave a image makeover to A R Rahman recently. Essentially a jeans and shirt person, the London-returned stylist had the maestro dressed in suits and white shirts, all clean lines with no jazz with the only exception being the addition of a vest and a scarf. Another look was that of a rock star complete with mike and gelled hair. “We were in complete awe of him. As he hummed under his breath, we got our best shots. Singing, we realised, relaxes him,” reveals Geeta. But perhaps her proudest moment was when she got self-confessed tomboy Sameera Reddy to play bride.
Sameera could not hide her surprise when she realised what a fetching picture she made in a wedding gown that had 60 metres of fabric with a trail to boot. The veil ended up as a hair accessory. Geeta confesses her forte is trousseaus with requests pouring in from all over south India. Similarly, the stylist has effected makeovers for stars like Priya Anand, Radhika Sarathkumar, Sudha Ranganathan and Harris Jayaraj.
Twenty-something Vasuki Bhaskar might boast an illustrious film lineage (composer Ilairaja is her uncle), but she is where she is today by dint of her own merit. Having gotten a break in films by designing for Bharati Raja’s Kangalal Kaidhu Sei, Vasuki’s career has since gone great guns. One of her best works to date is for director Bala’s Avan Ivan starring Vishal and Arya. Both Vishal and Arya have always come across as trendy and stylish, with Arya mostly playing a bumbling lover boy and Vishal an action hero. Hence, styling for the rather coarse and boisterous step-brother characters that they play in the movie was going to be a challenge.
Add to that a squint and slightly effeminate behavior for Vishal and Vasuki had her work cut out. Printed and checked shirts, colourful tees, banians, lungis and trousers, all ridiculously mismatched, was the order of the day. Vishal’s character was also rewarded with kohl in his eyes and an earring.
Then again, Ajith’s look in Mankatha became the talk of the town. A salt-and-pepper look was experimented upon Thala which got the thumbs-up from both the director and Ajith. The Kollywood stylist has also broadened her horizons spectacularly by styling for singer Akon and for the American movie Anything for You.
In Malayalam films, less has always meant more. But style consciousness has begun to seep through. Contributing to this in a very big way is Kochi-based fashion designer Sameera Saneesh. Of the many image makeovers she has attempted for stars, the one that stands out is that for Mythili in the smash hit Salt n Pepper, a look that is in complete contrast to the one in her debut film Paleri Manikyam where she played a village belle. For the first time, audiences saw the pretty actress dressed in bright colours, flowing skirts, trendy tops with matching jewellery, classy make-up and hairdo. Again, when the 27-year-old designer dressed Jaya Prada in pastel pashminas in Prayanam, she seemed to be speaking for all the elderly women characters, those who had no recourse but to fall back upon the slightly unkempt starched cotton saree. No wonder then that the soft-spoken designer is on the most-wanted list of all directors.
There’s also quite a quibble in the community about the roles played by costume designers and stylists, with some insisting that the latter’s role carries more weight and some pitching for the former, and some playing it safe with the hybrid designer-stylist. Possibly, their roles overlap.
Forty-seven-year-old Padi Sekkhar Babu, a costume stylist who has been working with Telugu superstar Akkineni Nagarjuna for the last 27 years, has seen it all. Having worked with him for the first time in the 1985 film Vikram, Babu points out that Nag was the first in Tollywood to use a pair of denims. Says Babu: “He is very particular about his clothing. When planning his clothes, I give him 50 shades to choose from.” In fact, Nagarjuna has always been regarded as a style icon.
That is why it came as a complete surprise when he metamorphosed into the 19th century saint in his most recent film, Shirdi Sai. Gone were all the colour coordinated casuals and accessories, to be replaced by a long flowing robe, a dhoti tied around the waist and a piece of cloth tied to his head and a whitish beard. The fact that Nag was able to pull off playing the saint brings a smile to Babu’s face.
On the style meter, hair scores high. The easiest way to bring about an image change is to alter the hairstyle. Want to distinguish one twin from another? Give one a cowlick! Want to make a character appear younger? Short hair to the rescue! And nobody knows this better than celebrity hairstylist Vikram Mohan. Says he: “Over the last 10 years, hair in movies has evolved dramatically. Although male stars have completely taken to the trend of using hair as an important element to creating a character, most actresses still prefer to keep their hair long.” Of all the hairstyles he has attempted, one look that is still remembered is the look/s that he created for Surya in the blockbuster Ghajini. Recalls Vikram: “The two looks were a collaborated effort. Surya and I zeroed in on a stylised look for the part before the head injury and then a look that showcased the crack on his head.” In fact, having set the trend, hair has become an integral part of all Surya’s movies.
While credit for makeovers go to stylists, some of it could also be passed on to the director for ultimately it is his vision that decides how the film pans out. Stylists have to work closely with directors as well as cinematographers as the latter know best how colours translate on to the screen. While some directors are known to give complete freedom to stylists, some prefer to discuss minutest of details. Vasuki is beholden to director Venkat Prabhu who gave her carte blanche when it came to styling. That led to the celebrated salt and pepper look of Ajith in Mankatha. The stickler-for-perfection reputation that precedes director Bala was true when it came to styling. He sat her down and explained how he wanted each character to look.
Kannada film stylist Deepa Prashanth says stylists and directors need to work in tandem. “Fashion is not a one-day or even a one-month affair. We sit with the director right from when scripting begins so as to design costumes scene by scene. From among 100, the best are selected.” In complete agreement is fellow stylist Sania who got her break with actor Ganesh’s Hudugata. She ensures that she gets a copy of the script in order to make better costumes. Says she: “I can’t have a party dress for an actor who is attending a funeral. The crew thought that I was interfering, but I did not budge. Once they understood that styling helped the story, directors began to discuss scripts with me.” Says Malayalam film stylist Sameera: “Everything depends on your equation with the director. If we are on the same page, things are easier. That’s why my films with Ashiq Abu and Renjith work,” says the designer who recently styled a 70s and 80s look for Abu’s Idukki Gold.
There’s always pressure on stars to look good, on screen or off. And that’s when stylists come into play. Just the other day, a leading south heroine got herself a personal stylist and it made headlines. Geeta welcomes the idea of a personal stylist who she says would be aware of the stars’ preferences. Vasuki feels it is an indicator of change–the way actors look at themselves. Pipes in Shruthi, “In Bollywood, it is common. But in the south, it’s not caught on as it’s expensive to retain a personal stylist.”
On another level, it is tough to convince stars to go for a new look. Vijay cannot see beyond Armani while Jeeva prefers Calvin Klein, Zara and H&M. Geeta says they mostly prefer the tried-and-tested look, unwilling to experiment. Dhanush, for instance, is content to attend most film dos in a dhoti, reveals Shanmugha.
Working behind the scenes, literally, as they do and the contribution they make to the film’s total appeal, stylists never seem to get their share of recognition. While some like Vasuki feel that they are treated on par with the art department whose work too goes unnoticed, others like Geeta feel they are sidelined with hardly any budget in the production pie. Time is their biggest enemy with crew expecting them to deliver at a moment’s notice. Moreover, it is a tough task to hold one’s own in a male-dominated industry. But slowly and surely they are finding their place under the sun. The recent awards for styling constituted by a TV channel, proves just that as well. It’s about time too. But for these style wizards our movie heroes might appear, well, ordinary.
With inputs from Rahul Pisharody (Hyderabad), Neelima Menon (Chennai) and Sharadhaa (Bangalore)