Tsunami Costabir takes us behind the scenes to scrutinise the captivating looks of period film ‘Ponniyin Selvan: 1’.
‘Ponniyin Selvan: 1’ by filmmaker Mani Ratnam is a magnum opus. The film’s details, majestic sets and costumes tell the story of the Chola era in the most picturesque way possible.
A team of historians and a lot of research done by filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s production house Madras Talkies went into setting the tone for the costumes, hairstyles and jewellery. Each aspect was heavily worked on individually as well as in unison to achieve an authentic yet beautiful look.
Bejewelled!
Known as the ‘golden era’, the jewellery worn by the women in the cast, especially Queen Nandini, sets the tone of richness as well as pays a perfect ode to the craftsmanship of the 150-year-old brand Kishandas & Co. – the jewellery designers for the movie.
Given that the evidence from the 10th century is minimal, they had to use written material, statues, motifs and temple sculptures from the 12th century, guided by historians and researchers, to create a ‘make-believe’ world from the 10th – 12th century.
“Burma had trade routes from the Chola kingdom, giving them access to rubies. And the Golconda area is where diamonds were found, so the jewellery was studded with rubies and uncut diamonds. We also used our cinematographic licence to use emeralds in the jewellery; given that they had trade routes, it’s possible that ambassadors came with exquisite gifts for the royals,” says Pratiksha Prashant, Creative Director, Kishandas & Co.
Behold, The Women!
“The Chola dynasty is known as the ‘golden era’. To showcase its culture, we wanted to make the costumes as authentic as possible using Kanchipuram’s zari silk with beautiful borders but minimal surface ornamentation and embroidery. At our costume recce, we met a lot of weavers whose families have been in the fabric business for generations,” says Eka Lakhani, renowned costume designer.
“Most of the statues of women barely had fabric covering their torsos, so we constructed bustiers and corseted tops draped with translucent material to give them a statuesque look.
“Vaanathi, played by Sobhita Dhulipala, is a flirty, innocent character who had a lot of movement and dance scenes, so she was given a lot of soft drapes and clothing that accentuated her waist, adorned with thin waist belts.”
Male Gazing
“We used dark colours like black, burgundy and indigo blue for the men to depict their ferocity, strength and aggressiveness.
The Chola Empire had a tiger emblem, so the rings, neckpieces and armour for men depicted that signature emblem.”
Twinning Done Right!
“One of the most iconic looks from the set was the face-off scene where Kundavai, played by Trisha Krishnan and Nandini, played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, have a bitter-sweet moment. They both had to look equally beautiful, so to create that balance, a lot of work went into choosing their costumes, hairstyles and jewellery.”
Stills from the movie are absolutely unreal, with a lot of detail and work going into every single character. With its beautiful cast, spectacular director and dedicated team of professionals who worked so hard to keep the authenticity of the period and make a beautiful film, we’re sure ‘Ponniyin Selvan: 1’ will go down in the annals of iconic films!