Shandaar — Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s upcoming film — is being talked about as much for the super-stylish look of its lead pair as their fun chemistry. And the stylist responsible for their chic looks is Archana Walavalkar. With the film’s story set around a wedding and Alia and Shahid’s characters playing insomniacs, Archana knew their looks had to stand out from the wedding bling all around them. In a chat with us, Archana gave us the lowdown on how she created Shahid and Alia’s looks:
Her favourite looks
When asked to pick her favourite looks for Shahid and Alia from the whole film, Archana tells us, “Shahid’s introduction scene has him in a simple white shirt and charcoal jeans with biker boots. It’s a combination one can’t go wrong with and he’s looking hot! As for Alia, the climax scene — which is her sister’s wedding — was very challenging. It’s a Punjabi-Sindhi wedding so one would expect bling. Throughout the film she’s in casuals but here she had to dress up, keeping her careless style too. So I gave her a lehenga sari and since velvet is big on the ramp at the moment, we used that. It’s in a sage colour with subtle bling. We used metal work on it. I’ve given her micro flowers in her hair.”
Shahid’s style
“Shahid plays a Punjabi Jat who lives in London and is a wedding planner. So we had to keep a balance of the Punjabi plus UK look,” explains Archana. So she gave him a kada along with leather jackets, mul fabric shirts and monochromes for his off-duty look. “At work, his look has British elements, in the fabrics and checkered pants,” she adds.
Archana had a chance to go through Shahid’s personal wardrobe while working on the film and says it’s unbelievable that his personal style hasn’t been explored on screen so far. “Shahid is very involved in his looks, he will always ask the stylist for suggestions and share his inputs,” she says.
Alia’s look — and that bikini!
Archana has styled for Alia since her B’wood debut, so the actress trusts her completely. “All the characters are dressed for Alia’s sister’s grand wedding but she had to look like a misfit. So you will see her in oversized jumpers, shorts, boots. She’s carefree and has some quirks, which we had to bring out,” says Archana of the Shandaar brief for Alia. Of course, what got most people talking was the sizzling pink bikini that the actress has donned for a beach scene. “Karan (Johar) was travelling at that time, but he’s so passionate about clothes that we were constantly in touch over WhatsApp about what Alia’s bikini should look like. Even on the final day I had 4-5 options for her, but Karan was confident she would look stunning in pink. So we finally opted for a bandeau bikini and we retained all the bracelets that she wears throughout the film and never takes off, simple thread-like jewelry. Her hair was left careless and sexy. Much like Alia’s style in real life!”
