The second installment of Ponniyin Selvan is running successfully in the theatres and the love it is receiving is immense. Directed by Mani Ratnam, PS2 or Ponniyin Selvan 2 is a sequel to the hit Ponniyin Selvan: 1 based on the novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy. Apart from the breathtaking visuals, glorious background score and the stellar cast of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala and several other veteran actors, what garnered equal attention were the film’s costumes. From the vibrant Kanjeevaram drapes to immaculate temple jewelry and vintage hairdos to sturdy armours, every depiction breathed life into the era of the Cholas.
And if you were mesmerized by the surreal drapes, the kemp jewellery the old-school updo, thank Eka Lakhani. The mastermind behind both PS1 and PS2 on-screen as well as promotional looks, the stylist extraordinaire did a commendable job in reporting us all back to relive in the ancient times. Peepingmoon.com got in touch with Eka to understand what went behind curating the costumes, the challenges she faced and more!
Excerpts from the interview:
Q. With little to no reference for curating historical/mythological royal looks, how did you manage to put together such masterpieces on the screen? How long did it take you to finalize these looks for the characters?
There was no visual reference for the era that we were trying to depict but we did have a lot of illustrations from the famous Maniam illustrator, and Mani Sir’s vision. We had a lot of descriptions by Kalki in the novel, describing each character and Mani Sir had a lot of adjectives, if one character is more passionate, one is filled with more rage, and one is more calm and demure. So these were the things that became the visual reference point for me. Keeping all of this in mind we denoted colours for each character and what kind of drapes we should use- should it be more structured, more flowy? That’s what we did and we put together the looks and did take a long time. We had a lot of a number of look tests and trials and fittings with each factor to decide which silhouettes are working on them, what colours are working on them, what hairstyles we are going with. The fixing of the hairstyles, the wigs, then adorning the hair and body with jewellery, the armors and its intricate detailing. All of this took a lot of time. So it was like a process each day till we found our characters.
Q. Would we get to see an evolution in PS2 costumes from that of PS1 as the story progresses?
In terms of costume, PS2 is an extension of PS1. The characters are just moving on to the next phase of the story. Whereas costumes are concerned, it isn’t dramatically new or different, it’s what is required to take the narrative forward. If the scene requires the actor to be more adorned in jewellery or be more demure or fragile, we dressed them up or down according to the need of the scene.
Q. Was there any costume fiasco on the set? If yes, how did you manage to take care of it?
There was not particularly one fiasco on the set. We were faced with challenges every single day. We were working with real jewellery and leather in terms of the armors. There was a lot of stress on the weight of the jewelry, armor as well as the drapes. A lot of the hairstyles are against gravity and we required a lot of pins to keep them in place. So then how do you hide these pins, what jewellery would you use there? So there were new challenges like these every single day. Plus we were shooting just after the first lockdown was over and we had a lot of tests going on, we worked in PPE kits, the extras and junior artists used to come in by 3-4 AM, and we used to use their nasal swabs and once they tested negative we used to start getting them ready. Just on a daily basis, the chaos was to dress the number of people on the set. On the day of the coronation ceremony in the film, my team strength was 120 people minimum. We had to dress so many people that we had a whole team do this and I have never had a team of this strength. We didn't sleep for over 24 hours to make our needs meet but it was a successful day and it looks lovely on the screen.
Q. Costume designing or personal styling. Which is better and why?
For me, I have been enjoying personal styling right now. I have opened out to styling only in the past year and a half. But costume designing is always going to be my first love. I always am a costume designer because my love for films is way bigger than my love for fashion. I feel really happy that through my role as a costume designer, I can help the director take the narrative forward by means of costume and it makes me feel very good that I can contribute to the bigger picture. And for that reason, costume designing would always be more important and more special to me.
Q. You have won the best costume designer award for PS1, fingers crossed for PS2?
Yes, I have my fingers crossed for PS2 as well. Though it is an extension of PS1 it was an equal amount of hard work and love that I and my team have put into the costumes. And not just for me but for my whole team I hope the work is recognized and loved even more.
