Designer Nachiket Barve seems to be the most at ease among threads and weaves, as he let Indian craftsmanship seep into his cinematic visions. With a recent National Award for costume design in the historical epic Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, one can only imagine his attention to detail and unwavering passion for his craft. The artistic journey that began with his eponymous label in 2010 has soared and attained resounding success, and today, he is approached to chronicle the best of historical tales, letting costumes narrate a story of a bygone era. Excerpts:
Let's begin with the big National Award win. Were you expecting it?
I had no idea the national awards were being announced that day, and I got a call from Om Raut. He had called to congratulate me, and I said, “For what?” and he was like, “You've got the national award!” So it was a very pleasant surprise. It is a very high honour to be given that kind of recognition for a film like this, which takes so much blood, sweat, and tears.
How did Tanhaji come your way?
Tanhaji is my first Hindi film but I had done two Marathi films like Katyar Kaljat Ghusali and Ani Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar before this which also came as a surprise. There is no formal training there, the two Marathi films I did - both got a ton of recognition and are cult classics. Director Om Raut called me and asked if I wanted to do a film with him and I said sure why not. You are correct that a film like this takes a lot of responsibility because you are dealing with historical characters who carry a lot of reverence in people's minds and they are put on such high pedestals. Especially with a character like Shivaji Maharaj which has been adapted so many times over the years in theatre and films. But there is no photographic evidence so it is an interpretation already. You have to take a step back and understand the history and then translate it to cinematic beauty.
Period productions are particularly the most difficult - because there's the era to keep in mind, the larger-than-life characters to keep in mind.
There is a common misconception that period films must be OTT, grand, or highly exaggerated—they can be, but I believe that my job as a film costume designer is to transform these well-known actors into believable characters. Om had a vision in mind for this film, and it was a very specific brief. It had been almost two years of research and I had been to museums across the length and breadth of the country: the Craft Museum in Delhi, SalarJung in Hyderabad. Even though the Victoria and Albert Museum in London is not open to the public, it does house original Mughal textiles—textiles worn by people during that time period. Also, when making an action film, there should be a functional aspect in addition to the cinematic beauty. There is harnessing. The shoes must be authentic while also being comfortable for the actors to run in. There are all of these extra details, as well as things that should help you along the way.
I wanted to use a palette that was historically accurate, so we used a lot of natural dyes. We experimented a lot with mineral colours and flower colours like indigo and gerua—the colours that should have been prevalent at that point in time.
Go on…
Even in terms of the jewellery that Kajol wore, we found a jeweller in Kolhapur whose family used to work with Shivaji Maharaj's family. There were things they had in their treasure that were 400 years old. We recreated pure gold jewellery using that. Armour was done using leather craftspeople who have centuries of experience and traditional artistry. So there are three broad clans—there are the Rajputs, the Marathas, and the Mughals. All of them have a different sartorial history and culture. The Maratha empire was really widespread, so I looked at textiles like Chanderi, Maheshwari, and even Dharwad in Karnataka for Kajol's sarees. We got old sarees revived. You cannot go to the market and buy these things, you know. Aurangzeb was a very austere man, so we looked at textiles along the silk route for him - textiles from central Asia, UP, and even parts of Bengal.
What reaction did you get from Ajay Devgn, Kajol, and Saif Ali Khan to your vision?
The whole star cast—let's start with Ajay Devgn. He is a man of few words, but he is very intelligent, perceptive, and intuitive as well. He made a couple of suggestions at times—like altering the fit to make it look good on camera. Kajol is part Maharashtrian and she has only worn a nauvari saree at her own wedding. So she was so excited to wear all this stuff and tell this story. Saif Ali Khan was also so forthcoming. He took me to his house to show his ancestral jewellery and then he picked a ring which we had worn as a personal touch to the character. That was brilliant.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu wears your design in the iconic Oo Antava song. She looks stunning, and it's a far cry from what you did in Tanhaji.
I enjoy juggling several balls in the air. Whether it's the brief for Oo Antava, which came from the film's stylist, they wanted a certain kind of look and it was up to me to interpret it in a certain colour or texture, or Tanhaji, which is a completely different world; or what I do for fashion, which is for contemporary women today. Each one is correct in its own way.
You're also done costumes for Adipurush by Om Raut. What other projects do you have planned?
I have completed my work on Adipurush. I've also completed work on a multilingual film called Har Har Mahadev, which will be released on Diwali. I've also worked on a few characters in another contemporary Hindi film. The exciting thing about period films is that there is a lot more research involved, as well as the fact that everything has to be created from scratch. You can't just dash to the mall and buy something. As a result, it becomes both challenging and exciting.
After such big-budget projects as Tanhaji and Adipurush, would you be able to design for a light, slice-of-life film?
I'm open to anything. A film set in the 1960s, for example, would have a different kind of period, but that is different. A contemporary story could be about a subculture or a group of people in a specific location or time. Each of us has a code of conduct, which dictates how we dress. Every day, we all dress up in costumes. We choose clothes that capture our essence, current fashion, and the context. So none of our options are autonomous; they all fit into some sort of framework. One can understand that framework and set a trend. The key is to collaborate with filmmakers who believe that costume design plays an important role in their storytelling process and can propel the film forward.
Every designer has their own take on fashion…
For me, fashion is how people choose to express themselves through their clothes at a certain point in time. When we all collectively feel like this is right or at this moment, it becomes fashion. But for me, what is important, along with fashion, is style. Great style is timeless. Style is an expression of who you are that you choose to convey, and it can change or mould over time. If you look at the greatest style icons over time, they all have a style that is consistent and feels true. That is very important. The costume is a way to move the story visually forward. The job of fashion is also to create joy. In a world where there is so much stress and trouble, but if we can bring joy to people's lives and help them create memories by wearing those special clothes and feeling like their best versions, that is enough.
We are a very inclusive brand; we cater up to 6XL; everybody is welcome. I never say, “Oh you can't sit with us or you are not welcome.” Whoever you are, we are happy to dress you. Because I work with a lot of Indian work, it also brings attention and appreciation of our heritage to a newer generation of audience. A film like this ignites interest and appreciation and thereby also employs the craftsmen, which is also important. When you are talking about 1000+ costumes being made, they are also something that is created through this.
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