Getting candid with K’town designer Jayalakshmi

A movie is always identified by its star cast and the name of its director and producer. Seldom we acknowledge and eulogise the contribution of the crew members working behind the camera to create a film. Costume designers play a very significant role in doing justice to a character and work in tandem with the director to concoct every scene in a movie.  Chennai based costume designer Jayalakshmi has, in a short span, climbed the designer's ladder. Working across different camps in K'town she has only become a personal favourite of many but also a close confidante of actors like Vishal and Regina Cassandra. Having grasped every nuance of costume designing, she has no qualms in trying out new designs and looks. Jayalakshmi has designed for actor Vishal for the movie Sandakozhi 2, G V Prakash for movies 4G and Ayangaran, actor Arjun for the movie Irumbuthirai, Siddharth, Sundeep Kishen, Gautham Karthik to name a few.  

The avid designer started her journey in 2012 and she already has the distinction of having worked with several well known celebrities and renowned actors in the Tamil film Industry. In a candid conversation Jayalakshmi avers, “My first movie was Vidiyum Munn and I had designed the costume for everyone in the movie. I have done more than 30 movies and more than 150 ad films. I have never done any course on fashion technology but I had passion for it. I would pick myself and start running. I had a strong background in advertising with a high sense of aesthetics and people appreciated my sense of dressing and style. This is how I got my first film.”   

Jayalakshmi has a great affection for pets and is a fervid globetrotter. “I like to do projects which require a lot of exploring. I have travelled frequently to Thailand for the movies Irutu Arayil Muratu Kuthu and its remake in Telugu, Mr Chandramouli and Gajnikanth. I explored Rajasthan for the movie Idhu Vedhalam Sollum Kadhai”, she recalls.

The young stylist is currently working with Prabhu Deva for the movie Theal and four other movies for Varalaxmi Sarathkumar. While Danny and Chasing are in shooting stage, 2 more untitled projects are in preproduction stages.

Asking how she manages her work life balance she says, “I am someone who always takes a break after a project is over”.

Jayalakshmi is also working for Arvind Swamy starrer movie Pulanaivu and designing for Aishwarya Rajesh in the movie called Bhoomika. Her Telugu movie Kannadi was released recently and her movie starring Santhanam , A1, is releasing this month. Jayalakshmi has also done the costume designing for Regina Cassandra for four of her movies and is the costume consultant for Sa Re Ga Ma production house.

Her ad film for Prince Jewellery was designated as the most popular ad film. She says, “It's a feel good factor when people watch it in theatres and appreciate it. I am also a costume consultant for television serials”.