Were iconic Sex And The City stylist Patricia Field to work on a Bollywood musical, she likely would have faced tremendous pressure from its director to dress her stars in wafer-thin chiffon saris and crystal bustiers. But that's Bollywood for you, and if there's one area that Bollywood has invariably fallen short in, it has to be the costume department. Often leading actors, producers and directors — with their questionable personal style quotient — dictate the "look" of their film.
But the latest Sonam Kapoor release Aisha, a modern Bollywood adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, is a departure of sorts. This Clueless-meets-Gossip Girl rom-com has upped the style game and shows a fabulously-dressed trio of stars sporting vintage Chanel frocks, Lady Dior bags and Ferragamo shoes. Chief stylists Pernia Qureshi (for women) and Kunal Rawal (for men) are proud to say Aisha is one of the few Bollywood films that gives equal importance to its styling as much as the script.
"Fashion is an important element in the film and fortunately Aisha has moved away from chiffon saris and tight tops that were so popular in Bollywood films for the past decade," says Rawal.
"The producers are now slowly beginning to understand the importance of hiring a professional stylist."
Lending even more legitimacy to the film's styling, fashion houses such as Christian Dior and Salvatore Ferragamo collaborated closely with Aisha — a Bollywood first.
"The Lady Dior bag is the ‘it bag' in the film and it's the first time that we have been involved in a film so extensively," Kalyani Chawla, the Vice President of Marketing and Communication at Dior, India tells tabloid!
Eclectic wardrobe
"They have even shot a segment in which the girls are seen stepping into our Dior boutique as the shop manager waits for them," she adds. But it's not just the high-end brands that get a plug in the film, maintains stylist Qureshi.
"We had a sizeable budget to travel around the world and scout for an eclectic wardrobe for Aisha. I have picked stuff which costs thousands of dollars and stuff from flea markets too. If there's vintage Chanel and Ayesha Depala, there's also Zara and Aldo. Thankfully, I had a budget to achieve the overall look," says Qureshi.
Sonam Kapoor, who plays the modern-day Emma, alongside sidekicks Amrita Puri and Lisa Hayden, has over 100 costume changes. But she's not complaining.
"It was like teens playing dress-up because I got to wear some gorgeous clothes and bags. Pernia's and my sensibilities are very similar so there were hardly any dramas on the sets and believe me, I was tempted to take home some dresses that I wore," says Kapoor. "Aisha's personality is as much about her spirit as her clothes."
Meanwhile, Anil Kapoor — the co-producer of Aisha — says he threw his weight behind the styling costs, admitting that the film's budget was decided after taking into consideration the cost of styling.
"I wanted the styling for Aisha to be done correctly rather than haphazardly. I remember telling my friend that in some of the films I acted in, I designed the clothes myself. A stylist was hired only if it was a period drama. Nowadays producers who control the finances are beginning to give it a lot of thought," says Kapoor.
But he adds that having two daughters Sonam and Rhea who are clued into fashion always helps. While Sonam is the leading lady, Rhea was the hands-on producer.
"I kept my distance and preferred them to take over. The only place where I cautioned them is that product placement of any kind should be done subtly and aesthetically," says Kapoor.
The stylists were equally alert about this. "I don't want to take names, but there have been films which were primarily about fashion but they have all gone so wrong when it came to its fashion element. That film was all about plugging Indian designers in a not-so-subtle way," says Rawal. The film that springs to mind when style and Bollywood is mentioned is the critically-acclaimed, but sartorially-challenged film Fashion.
The Madhur Bhandarkar drama, which showed the seamier side of the fashion industry, may have won all the awards but was panned universally for its poor styling. But 24-year-old Qureshi, who has styled for fashion magazines, including Harper's Bazaar India, says the sartorial situation in Bollywood is not as bleak as it sounds.
"There are some directors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali who realise that styling affects the overall look of a film. Even a hair-clip in his film like Devdas or a handkerchief is well thought of. So all is not lost," says Qureshi.
Five minutes with Ayesha Depala
Dubai's famed sartorial export Ayesha Depala has made a splash in Bollywood by designing creations for Aisha. tabloid! caught up with Depala:
Can you run us through the experience of styling Sonam Kapoor in Aisha?
I first met Sonam Kapoor at the Dubai International Film Festival a couple years ago. She saw some of my work and loved it. Later, I heard from her sister Rhea Kapoor, who discussed the idea of dressing Sonam for Aisha. After I read the script, the film's stylist Pernia explained what was required from me for Aisha. After that, we sent them some ready-to-wear looks.
What was the brief given to you before you took on the styling project?
Aisha is a complete fashionista. She is a girl from Delhi who loves her clothes and has a penchant for makeovers and match-making. She's a girl who loves her bows and her polka dots.
What made you decide to take on Aisha as your debut vehicle?
Styling for Sonam as Aisha was an easy yes for more reasons than one. I personally love her style and think she works very well with Ayesha Depala. The film had all the right ingredients — a great story, a great cast, a fabulous stylist and a strong production name.
Can you tell us more about your creations for Aisha?
You will see one of our classic nude dresses (above) which is soft and layered in the poster campaign and there are also a few blouses and dresses that are in soft colours such as blush, creams and nudes.
Aisha in a nutshell:
Directed by Rajshree Ojha, Aisha is the Bollywood adaption of Jane Austen's match-making classic Emma. She has swapped England for Delhi and roped in Abhay Deol as Arjun, a modern-day Mr Knightley.
