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Behind the seams

Photos: S.S. Kumar

Style and sensibility Nalini Sriram

She makes Kollywood stars look oh-so-gorgeous. But her personal style is understated. “The fact is you are constantly overdoing it for others. So, you try to simplify things as much as possible for yourself,” chuckles costume designer Nalini Sriram, straightening her unfussy kurta over her jeans.

From “Roja” in the early Nineties to Kollywood’s latest “Ayan”, Nalini has lent ingenious touches to the look of several screen characters. “It’s a behind-the-scenes job, but with clothes, you create the first impression!” she says. A postgraduate in Literature, Nalini switched streams by chance. “The ground was broken by my CA-MBA husband who suddenly took to film production. I used to hang out on the sets and pitch in whenever necessary. ‘Roja’ marked my full-fledged entry.”

Though good friend Mani Ratnam helped her get a sure-footing in showbiz with “Roja,” “Bombay” and “Thiruda Thiruda,” she had to navigate her path through trial and error. “Mine was a typical old-style, hands-on learning trip,” she says.

Whether the stars play dirty in the sun or kick up their heels in the snow, Nalini has given them clothes, not contraptions. “You are constantly looking at reference and resource,” she smiles. “As a costume designer, I’m committing someone else’s money to my work. So, I need to have a realistic vision of the final product and interpret that painstakingly. Visual perception can’t be divorced from practicality. Sadly, the turnaround time is too little for us. There are many invisible skills involved — such as staying even tempered, and the ability to think on your feet. If the budget doesn’t allow extravagance, I must offer cost-effective options in a jiffy. And if it does, I have to justify the budget. You’re in dream land, but your feet can never leave the ground. You can’t carry the burden if you don’t enjoy your work.”

The woman behind the screen styles of Suriya (“Khakha Khakha”, “Ghajini”, “Vaaranam Aayiram”, “Ayan”), Vijay (“Pokkiri”, “Kuruvi”, “Azhagiya Tamizh Magan”, “Villu”), Nayantara (“Satyam”, “Yaaradi Nee Mohini”) and Trisha (“Something Something”, “Aaru”, “Gilli”, the upcoming “Vinnai Thandi Varuvaaya””) among many others, says: “A costume designer can never remain insulated from the rest of the crew. It’s a collaborative effort. Because, film making is about variables. Things can go haywire. From day to night, Salem to Switzerland, the time and location can change. So, you have to think all seasons and reasons! Certain directors, cameramen and art directors have a great sense and anticipation about the variables and their aesthetic sense beats yours. While shooting for ‘Gilli’, camera ace K.V. Anand pitched in for the song ‘Appadi podu’. On seeing the sets, he suggested I give Trisha a pink-and-mauve attire. I was puzzled. I took the swatches and met him under the street lights in Mylapore at 9 p.m. We finalised the shades and, to my surprise, the outcome was great. I’ve used that combination quite often since,” adds Nalini, who has also worked in some scenes for Shankar’s blockbuster “Sivaji”.

Being able to transform someone into someone else is a huge task. Getting a totally metro Manisha Koirala to look like a small town girl (think “Bombay”, “Mudhalvan”) or a stylish Aishwarya Rai to appear like a simple pavadai-davani girl (think “Kandukondain Kandukondain”) involves an “eye for detail”. But, she gets a kick out of it. “When I see a totally transformed Simbu in the promos of ‘Vinnai Thandi Varuvaaya’,” it gives me a high. Gautam Menon is clear about his parameters. He gave a crisp two-line summation of the look he desired for Simbu. For ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’, though, he brought photographs from his family albums to draw references.”

Talk about the frenetic pace of work that involves shopping for clothes, sourcing fabric, designing and set-hopping, and Nalini smiles: “Yes, work constantly overloads my brain. Thankfully, my family is easy with my schedules. Now, my son, too, is in films (a techie-turned-assistant director with Selvaraghavan). We speak the same jargon at home. This year is a landmark year for me since I turn 50. I’ve made a resolve to give myself more time and space. I want to rediscover simple joys such as reading, listening to music and connecting with friends. I got into Facebook recently. Never thought turning 50 would be so much fun.”

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