Period dramas are the perfect way to escape reality for a few hours. They highlight fascinating narratives that range from romantic relationships to battles, offering hours of entertainment and daydreaming. There has been an incredible resurgence of this genre, from Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Devdas to Alia Bhatt in Kalank.
A major reason why the period pieces continue to captivate audiences is the aesthetics of the film. For each character to create, sculpt, and communicate their personalities to further the plot, fashion is essential.
Here is our selection of Bollywood costume dramas that you really must see if you want tonnes of vintage fashion inspiration, a captivating story, and thrilling cliffhangers.
Jodhaa Akbar showcases Mughal emperor Akbar, played by Hrithik Roshan, and Rajput princess, Jodhaa Bai’s story. In order to extend his empire, Akbar agrees to marry a young, fiery Jodhaa. The costumes and cosmetics are equally magical, and they help us appreciate the lifestyle of the 16th century. Neeta Lulla, a costume designer, spent a year and a half researching the garments folks wore during the Mughal Empire. She travelled to Jaipur to learn about the popular fabrics during that period. She designed garments conceptually, using yellow, orange, and red for the Rajputs and gold, brown, and beige for the Mughals. Ashutosh Gowarikar has done an excellent job of weaving the past and present with subtle intricacies and aesthetics. The screen is filled with the lavish clothing and displays of the royal courts, as expertly captured by Gowariker.
Deepika Padukone plays Rani Padmavati, who is happily married to Maharawal Ratan Singh (portrayed by Shahid Kapoor), in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama “Padmaavat,” one of the most expensive Bollywood films. Sultan Alauddin Khilji, played by Ranveer Singh, hears of Padmavati’s beauty and develops an obsessive love for the Queen of Mewar. The fabrics used are old textiles that were collected over time. The base textiles were then ornamented with traditional embroideries including mukke ka kaam, pakko bharat, salma-sitara, silk floss thread work using traditional embroidery stitches in various karkhanas spread across Jaipur and Lucknow; and rendered onto the elaborate odhnas and ghaghras.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi is based on the life of Rani Lakshmi Bai, a leading figure of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and her resistance to the British Rule. The first part features her decked in pastel tones. When she gets married, you will see her wearing jewel colours that resonate happiness. and when she loses her husband and her child, the colours get toned down. The fourth part sees her as a warrior, and for that, we’ve used dark and strong colours like emerald green, deep blood red, jet black and deep blue. The result was an amalgamation of the nauvari sarees in cottons and silks, along with angarkhas and achkans to showcase her bold personality and the ferocious warrior that she was.
Melodrama produced by Karan Johar features an ensemble cast including Madhuri Dixit, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Sanjay Dutt . The movie takes place near Lahore,before the pre partition period. The lives of the six characters get entangled during their quest for love, but are separated by the dichotomous backgrounds. Manish Malhotra has used cotton, vegetable dyes, chikankari, mul mul and net incorporated Kashmiri threadwork old-world thread embroidery reminiscent of Persia. There’s a lot of Chantilly lace and crochet, too. You’ll see a lot of ghararas, shararas and the lamba poncha salwar worn with full-sleeved kurtas. Then there are lehenga choli sets as well as saris. For men, they have used sherwanis with threadwork.
