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Handloom at the movies

Subha J Rao MARCH 29, 2019 17:45 IST

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From ’s Chettinad checks in to ’s khadi in , why costume designers are going back to roots South of the Vindhyas Just a couple of days after Viswasamreleased in January, Anu Vardhan was fielding calls from fans who wanted the vibrant checked handloom silk-cotton that Nayanthara wore in the family drama. She couldn’t place orders fast enough with weavers in Kancheepuram and Periyapalayam to recreate the six yards in combinations of fuchsia and purple. “The same people who I had trouble convincing to make Chettinad checks earlier [they claimed the saris wouldn’t sell] were now getting orders from big stores. That’s the impact of what you see in movies,” says the stylist/designer. Then, in February, ’s Kanne Kalaimaane brought the spotlight back on handloom. , who played a Saurashtrian hailing from a family of weavers, was turned out in elegant saris sourced from Co-optex, the Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society. It was a conscious choice, says the director, who grew up among weavers. “I wanted to encourage handloom, and I thought this was a great way to do it. Did you know a person has to move his feet and hands 18,000 times to weave a garment? I wanted to showcase the result of that hard work, which is why the camera focusses on name tags — who wove it, how many hours it took,” he says.

Anu Vardhan Six-yard statement Handlooms aren’t new in — we’ve seen gorgeous cottons and silks on , Balachander and heroines. But in the last two years, the choice seems to be more mindful. At a time when sustainability is the buzzword, it is perhaps a reflection of the bigger trend we are seeing in fashion, one led by social media campaigns like the #100sareepact, revival of weaving traditions, and sustainable fashion sessions at Lakmé Fashion Week. “There has been a general revival of handloom culture, with initiatives by the Crafts Council of ,” says Poornima Ramasamy. “Celebrities across industries, from to Jyotika and Nayanthara, are wearing a lot of handloom, and in the corporate world too, women are wearing saris. So real life is influencing the reel.” The National Award-winning designer has been pushing handloom’s case for a while now. Jyotika’s chosen stylist, she outfitted the entire cast of Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru (2017) in organic cotton dyed to suit the tone of the . It helps that she used to work with weavers in the Coimbatore and Erode belt before entering . “Handloom cotton looks lovely on screen. It has a depth and texture unlike any other fabric,” says Ramasamy, who also shops at Tüla, a social enterprise in Adyar, , that works with cotton farmers. Her most recent outing with Jyotika was in Kaatrin Mozhi, and she is now waiting to see how Vidya Balan’s look, in her début Tamil film, Ajith-starrer , is received.

Poornima Ramasamy Conscious change Needless to say, the character’s role in the film influences the costume designer’s choice. “In Viswasam, Nayanthara played a doctor from , who comes down to conduct medical camps. I felt she must be a socially-conscious person,” says Vardhan, who began looking at handloom because she feels strongly about sustainable, environmentally-conscious fashion. “When [director] narrated the story, he talked about the joint family culture and that brought to mind my early days in Pudukkottai, when my grandmother dressed in Chettinad checks. So I chose colours and saris that connected with my roots.” The 2018 -Samantha starrer, Irumbu Thirai, was as loved for the fact that it did not force-feed audiences a romance angle, as for Samantha’s (who played a psychiatrist) impeccable linen and cotton weaves. “Earlier, these fabrics were reserved for older characters. But cotton has a certain appeal,” says -based designer/stylist Neeraja Kona, who shops mainly in , for its easy access to block printers, and in villages near her home town of Bapatla, .

Indrakshi Pattanaik Then there was Hemanika, the dancer (played by ) from Gautham Vasudev Menon’s (2015). Her stunning look was courtesy the director’s sister, Uttara Menon. “We had time to ideate the character. I made dresses out of Kanchi cottons and used retro brocade for her dance costumes,” she says, while Gautham adds, “For Hemanika, I visualised a mild arrogance — this is a girl whose life is dance. When she was written, I wanted to model her on dancer-actress , and my cues were all that.” Local considerations

• In the film industry, Sameera Saneesh, who dresses up for her film and private appearances, is working extensively with handloom. The stylist behind the 2014 film, How Old Are You, started using cotton because it suits the local weather. Shopping trips to and Chennai help her curate the outfits (from a ₹150 cotton in 2017’s Udaharanam , to a ₹15,000 silk drape for a wedding scene). She also designed ’s handloom shirts in the recent hit, Kumbalangi Nights.

A natural fit This quiet focus on handloom is being seen across the border, too. In Telugu, Indrakshi Pattanaik’s work in Mahanati (2018), ’s biopic on actor , came in for a lot of appreciation. The -based designer did much of her sourcing from the Telangana State Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society (TSCO). “I used organic cotton and khadi for saris, and also for the background,” she says, adding that she prefers handloom because “it has a certain purity that’s endearing. ’ Manto looked gorgeous; nothing was artificial. Even in , the directors I’ve worked with, such as Ashim Ahluwalia, love the texture”. While using handloom might increase the costumes budget (often between five and 10 times), directors and producers are slowly opening up to the idea. “It also helps that the artistes cooperate. They want to wear something they know will make a positive impact, and when they showcase them, it creates a new market for natural fabrics,” says Vardhan, who is styling Nayanthara in her upcoming films with and . And yes, we will see more handlooms.

- Neeraja Kona stylist-designer In films, I’ve been using handloom extensively for two years now. I gravitate towards cotton, khadi, mul and linen. Earlier, cotton were reserved for older characters. But it has a certain appeal, and Samantha, Nayanthara and Trisha have been at the forefront of showcasing handlooms beauty in films

- Gautham Vasudev Menon filmmaker My taste in fabrics comes from the women in my family; I’ve seen them wear a lot of handloom. I’ve always wanted the women in my films to look real. And finally, it’s about the magic that happens when the director, actor, costume designer and art director are on one page, and you get a cinematographer who understands that

With inputs from Surya Praphulla Kumar