Reza Shariffi who designed Kangana Ranaut’s outfits in 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns' shares his experience with us.
What was the brief given to you for Kangana’s look in the film?
The brief was to highlight the milestones in Tanuja Trivedi’s life: her wedding, her married life in London, her marital troubles and then her return to India. Each experience adds to her personality but does not alter her core. So her dressing has a pronounced quirk, her choices highlight her self-awareness. As I also designed for the original film, I was in sync with the growth of her character.
How did you make sure both her characters look completely different?
When I started off, I took Tanu and Kusum (Datto) as two distinct individuals. The edginess of Tanu’s wardrobe is as obvious as it was in the prequel. She wears bold, ethnic printed wrap dhotis and lightly embroidered kurtis, sourced from across India. In London, she wears saris combined with long jackets, moccasins or lace-up shoes and stylised handbags.
Kusum’s outfits are synced with what she is doing on screen. As a sportsperson, she wears tracksuits and jackets and almost no jewellery, both on and off field. She has sweaters on most of the time. To highlight her feminine side, I have used light colours and printed fabrics.
What was Kangana’s personal favourite outfit?
I think she loved the climax outfit the most.
How do you feel her style has evolved over the years?
This is my fourth project with Kangana. I feel she has not necessarily changed her style, but just refined and fine-tuned it to suit her core needs. She is a universal stunner. When it comes to film costumes, she has grown to understand the reasoning of the characters she plays. And that is what makes her performances memorable.
