After rejecting 30 designers, Sanjay Leela Bhansali finally gets two on board

We were the first to break the news that filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali had rejected 30 designers vying for a spot in his grand period drama, Padmavati. And now, we are bringing to you a sneak peek about the costumes from the movie’s finalised costume designers Rimple and Harpreet Narula.

“We had worked with many royalties in the past. Also, several of our previous collections had been inspired by some of the greatest kings and queens from the country, like Baroda, Jaipur, Kishangarh, etc. Bhansaliji must have taken notice of some of the works and that’s how, we feel, we got a call from him,” says Harpreet.

So, how challenging was it for them to live up to SLB’s level of perfection? The designer duo say, “He has helped us delve deeper into our craft. For the first three months, he just took us through the script, and gave us freedom to do our research.”

Elaborating about their research, they share, “We have been very interested in clothing technologies and the effects they had on royal families. It’s a neglected field of study. But when a film is based on the 14th or 15th century, it gets difficult for a designer to get the technique, textile, pattern, work, etc. sourced or replicated. So we visited many royal families and got them to open their paities to give us a glimpse.”

The designers add, “The movie will show three different cultures. Audiences will see a completely different culture in Rani Padmini as a Sinhalese Princess where she will be dressed in ethnic wear that reflects the neighbouring state’s traditions, then her transformation as the Queen of Chittor and the wife of King Rawal Ratan Singh of Chittor, then of course the Islamic invasion in Alauddin Khilji.”