My household had a set rule for the kids. I had to be a doctor, engineer or a Government official. I didn’t want to be anything of that sort. It took some time for my parents to accept the fact that I didn’t want to do anything traditional. Mom was very supportive. Dad took a little bit of time, but eventually came onboard. I was a rebel as a child. It was either my way or the highway, because I knew exactly what I wanted to do. As kids, you also don’t possess the diplomatic skills to convince your parents. So I just decided that I’m going to run away. Eventually, things were sorted.
When did it occur to you that you wanted to pursue fashion as a profession?
I always believe that artistry or people who are artistic are more or less born with it. It develops based on the conditions you put the child in. There are a lot of people and a lot of kids who are very artistic but they don’t get the right conditions. It never develops in them. In my case, my father is an artist. If I’m being honest, most Bengalis are. But my dad is a painter. My mother is also a painter. They weren’t professionals but they had an inkling about art. I was around artists while growing up and it made me understand that this is something that I enjoy doing. I fixated on designing because it interested me. Also, as someone who is gay, I can tell you gay men generally have more artistic genes than straight men. But it got complicated when it came to choosing art as a profession. But my artistic sense was inborn or came from genetics.
Yes. Another interesting thing is I was enrolled at an art school but I never ended up going. But my parents would give me money to go to the school, which I would spend on buying comics or Filmfare magazine. I have to tell you Filmfare is deeply rooted with my being and where I am today.
Now that you’ve been in this industry for some time, do you have a list of things that you keep in mind while designing costumes?
I’m generally not a disciplined person in life. I’m a hippie and a vagabond in my personal life. But I’m extremely disciplined in my work. I can be weird in my personal life but I maintain an extremely strict discipline when it comes to my work. This is something I recommend as well. I’m also very honest with my craft. I’m a straightforward person and do not want to compromise with my authenticity. Our business is very volatile and all over the place. There’s no security. To have the mental strength to hang on to this job takes everything within me at times. There’s some kind of failure every week. You may pitch for work and not get it. But hanging on is the best solution. You’d have to master that. But I wouldn’t even suggest toxic positivity. I don’t want to be delusional. But having faith in the almighty and yourself is important.
What’s your process like?
My priority is the character. I may style someone like Deepika Padukone but my priority would be to make sure her character shines. Sometimes, actors come with huge personalities. They already have a certain amount of style that the audience relates to. It becomes a bit of a challenge to break that and create a character out of that person. But I find that extremely exciting. So if you give me a very glamorous person and you tell me that there is a character which is non-glamorous, I will be the first one to jump up and create a look.
There’s a riot of colors in your styling…
It’s interesting you’re saying this. I have a big personality and I’m okay with it. I am a big pink-haired gay designer. A lot of times, my work is judged through my personality as well. What I do with a character in a film would not be the same look I’d curate for myself. I met a director recently who thought I was too glam to be the costume designer for his film. My friend showed him my work in Tumhari Sulu and all the other films that I’ve done. This is one thing I constantly battle against. My persona can intimidate people. But I try to understand the style of the movie or the character. My own personality never comes into play when it comes to character.
Since you opened up about being judged, is it difficult to find your footing in the industry for your sexual orientation?
I won’t say the difficulty comes from being gay. I am very sure there are a lot of designers who are gay. What becomes a problem is the judgment of the look. I am a flamboyant person in nature with a big personality. There are many people like me, who underplay that to fit in. I am somebody who knows he does not need to cut down on his personal sense of style to fit in.
Who were your fashion icons while you were growing up?
I used to love Aparna Sen. I found her very beautiful. I also loved Urmila Matondkar’s style.
So who are your fashion icons now?
Manish still tops the list. I also love Deepika (Padukone) and Kareena (Kapoor Khan) as fashionable stars. But every stylist goes to the same brands and picks up similar clothes nowadays. As a result, it’s very sad that nobody seems individualistic. The newer generation of girls are trying to copy Kylie Jenner. I would love for Khushi Kapoor to go goth maybe. I would want someone like her to be completely outrageous with fashion because she has the body and the face. It doesn’t always have to fit in a box or look conventionally pretty. Being individualistic and creating a statement is the need of the hour.
Everybody knows that Malaika (Arora) is my mentor and muse. But I love her because she was and till date is one of the very few people who would never follow others. Her first-ever brief to me was to not make her wear anything that she has seen before.
Does she take styling tips from you now?
So which of her costumes that you made are your favourite?
The sad part about my work with Malaika is that a lot of it is undocumented. I have worked with Malaika very early in my career. Social media was not that big back then. We didn’t have the means to share many pictures. But of course, her costumes in Anarkali disco chali or Munni badnaam hui are still remembered.
Do you incorporate suggestions from actors while styling a character?
Absolutely. I’m open to all kinds of ideas. The idea can come from the actor. It can come from my tailor. I don’t care, as long as the idea makes sense. What I don’t understand is that a lot of times, the ideas don’t make sense for the character. It can’t be something random. I’m absolutely open to exchanging ideas with the actors. I worked with Akshay (Kumar) in Gabbar Is Back. A lot of ideas came from him. Also, he’ll wear anything you give him, as long as he’s comfortable. He was once made to wear uncomfortable pants. So, he asked us for branded pants. I told him, ‘Sir, you’re playing a poor professor who can’t afford branded pants.’ He started laughing…
I love Akshay. I think Akshay is one of the few male actors who has had an individual style. He experiments a lot. He has also worn clothes that were outrageous for the times. He created a bit of a stir and a style statement.
