Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior won big at the 68th National Film Awards. The film won an award in the category Best Feature Film (Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment), Ajay Devgn shared the Best Actor Award for a Feature Film with Suriya whereas the Best Costume Designer award went to Nachiket Barve and Mahesh Sherla. 

In an exclusive interview with PeepingMoon.com, Nachiket spoke about receiving a National award for his first Hindi feature film as a costume designer. Talking to us, the ace fashion designer shared the process behind curating looks for characters like Tanaji Malusare, Savitribai Malusare, Udaybhan Rathore and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. 

Recommended Read: 68th National Film Awards: Ajay Devgn and Suriya share Best Actor awards for Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior and Soorarai Pottru

Excerpts from the interview:

You won a National Award for your first Hindi film as a costume designer....

It was a big surprise to me as I didn’t even know the 68th National Awards were being announced that day. Director of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, Om Raut, called me out of the blue to congratulate me. Tears, blood and sweat of a lot of people were involved. Not just mine but of thousands of people. There are so many assistant designers, pagdi walas, saree drapers. It took an army to create all the looks. It is their pursuit of excellence. The creative direction comes from me but they were the real hands who made it happen. With this National Award, our efforts got a stamp of validation.  

Can you take us through the process of curating each character’s look?

The whole film focuses on three clans. One is the Marathas, one is the Rajputs and one is the Mughals. For Tanaji Malusare (Ajay)'s character, I wanted to keep it real. I didn’t want to him to look filmy and wanted to make the audience believe that he lived in those clothes. Every outfit was woven and made using natural dyes. I wanted to keep it minimal yet strong. He was a man of action not ceremonial. 

For Savitribai (Kajol), since she was his wife, I again wanted to keep the authenticity and realism alive. We got sarees made by people who have been weaving them for over 100 years. The jewellery was recreated from the moulds used in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's era. We traced the jeweller who had those moulds in Kolhapur and made them use those moulds for the film. 

Despite being a Rajput, Udaybhan (Saif) had Mughal connections. So, it had to have a mix of influences. We had to make the character look stylish too. When we were working on the looks, Saif took me home to show the belongings of the Pataudis and asked whether they can be used. Eventually, we ended up spotting a ring from the collection which was used in the film. It is important to work with a dedicated and supportive cast and a director with a vision. Om Raut is a genius. He gave me the utmost freedom to do it my way.  

When we discuss the characters, we cannot forget Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (Sharad Kelkar). We have grown up reading about him and he is a revered person. The challenge was to make him look strong yet ceremonial. We used textiles from all over the country. Aurangzeb, played phenomenally by Luke Kenny, had a typical Mughal image and people assumed he had every jewel in his crown. To give it a real touch, we drew inspiration from the silk route. He saw special jewellery for him in emerald. We wanted to make people feel like they were sitting in a darbar and not a theatre. 

We have known Ajay, Kajol, Saif, Sharad and others as actors for years and the challenge was to draw the audience into the world of Tanaji and make them believe that they are characters and forget their aura as actors. Costume plays a key role in storytelling. It took 2 years for me to research and I went to most of the museums across the country.   

Kajol's character Savitribai isn't a popular face. Did she give in her input to bring the character alive on the big screen?

Kajol is a wonderful and focused actress. When we met, I explained my thought process and she just let me be. She was excited to wear Navvari sarees. The last time she wore it was at her own wedding. She was excited to get into that look and took care of every small detail, including wearing a flower. We gave her only shewanti flowers as it was commonly available in Maharashtra at that time. I didn’t want to put in roses and exotic flowers. Every day she applied kumkum and not bindi. 

Did you take any creative liberty while designing the looks?

I don’t think you need to take creative liberty and forgo authenticity. You have to make sure it looks good on the screen. It can be authentic yet cinematic. Innovation comes at a functional stage. When you are doing such a high-action, high-technique film, the actors should be comfortable doing action sequences in the costumes given to them. I don’t think you have to forsake authenticity to make it look cinematically beautiful. I like the concept of minimal luxury. 

What’s easier- designing for fashion shows or films?

This is an interesting question. Designing for a fashion show and for a client is more like an open brief. It is up to you. For a film, the requirement is different. It is a mix of the script’s requirement, the director’s vision, the actor and my creative input. Both are exciting in their own way and I am fortunate to get a chance to do both together. A while ago, I was working on a client's pre-wedding festivities while designing looks for Adipurush.

You are working on Adipurush too. How did you curate the costumes for that world?

It is too early to talk about Adipurush and we can do that once the first visuals are out. For any creative person, it is important to keep evolving and growing. Just because Tanhaji got appreciation, I don’t want to be stuck in that zone. Apart from Adipurush, I have done another period drama and some contemporary films which will be out soon. You need to speak to the genre and make that world as believable as possible. Now, Hindi cinema finding global recognition and we are a force to reckon with. Such films are getting recognition for costume design despite not being very filmy, I think it is a massive step in the right direction. 

Do you agree that costume designers in India do not get the credit they deserve?

We have a rich cinematic history. The fact that there is interest in information is a step in the right direction.  When there is a period film, people do analyse the costumes. People are getting drawn into what goes behind a movie and are not just watching it on a superficial level. For me, Bhanu Athaiya was a legend. If you look at Gandhi, it was simple, beautifully done and real.  That’s when we got massive recognition on a global stage.