Mahabharat look: Decoded
Costume designer Nidhi Yasha admits to having butterflies in her stomach as her effort of four years, Mahabharat , goes on air soon. She informs us that she and her team went through several rounds of sketching and designing before pitching the looks to the producer and channel. She says, “Perfecting every look was a long process since there are more than 100 characters. Even in terms of jewellery we did not leave any stone unturned, be it getting references from the south or referring to books from all over the world, as every author and painter has a different view of how they dressed. Each costume and piece of jewelry is custom-made. The costumes are heavily hand embroidered. We have used a lot of colours though there is no way to find out if there was some system to dye cloth during those times. We have gone with the references we found in books on the Mahabharat.”
Speaking about her favourite characters, Nidhi begins with Krishna. She reveals, “We have tried to follow the image that Krishna has to the T. We have used a lot of pearls since Krishna came from Dwarka that has close proximity to the sea. Pearls also go with the gentle image he has. The mor pankh adds to the look along with a garland of exotic flowers.
Another look that Nidhi is very excited about is that of Draupadi: “Draupadi was born out of fire, so we used fiery colours for her. She was sultry, seductive and dusky. We have jewellery that is delicate, elaborate and highlights her sensuality. It has red stones to show her fiery nature. We have used a Lotus motif to highlight her background. The hair is worn ankle length, and her long torso is a highlight.”
Nidhi says that Shakuni is a character that stands out and she is happy the look has turned out just as she had imagined right from the start. “For Shakuni, we used turquoise stone since it is popular in Afghan jewelry. Since he came from a hilly terrain, we dressed him in fur and a thicker textured fabric.”
The costumes were originally visualised by the legendary Bhanu Athaiya and then designed by Nidhi.
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