“I’m a stylist and not a fashion designer” – Anahita Shroff

She is a person who can rightly be called as someone who is ‘tailor-made’ for Bollywood. She is none other than Bollywood’s very own Anahita Shroff Adajania, Read More">under whose baton Bollywood simply loves to get dressed up and styled! It will be an understatement of the highest order if we say that her creations simplyRead More

She is a person who can rightly be called as someone who is 'tailor-made' for Bollywood. She is none other than Bollywood's very own Anahita Shroff Adajania, under whose baton Bollywood simply loves to get dressed up and styled! It will be an understatement of the highest order if we say that her creations simply add value to the silver screen! Bollywood Hungama caught up with the lady, who has an impressive line up of films in her kitty. Topping the list is none other than the super fantasy and super fantastic Drona that has the whole world talking about! Over to you... Anahita Shroff

Anahita, to start with, what made you choose Drona and how did you bag the film?
I didn't 'bag' the film so to say. The fact is that Goldie Behl chose me to do this film. Goldie took me through the intriguing story of Drona and I simply loved the treatment he had intended for the film. Overall, Drona was an adventure that is truly memorable and will remain so forever.

It's really nice to know that Drona has been inspired by the traditional Indian bridegroom and medieval warriors, contrary to what most Western superheroes wear. Whose idea was it to keep it this way?
I drew my inspiration from the story of Drona itself. The brief of the film's characters was given to me by Goldie and it is from this that I drew the inspiration for the different characters of Drona. The thought process and the creativity that has gone into it, was done keeping in mind the concept of an Indian superhero with Indian values and heritage. Having said that, I would also like to add here that, we have also fused certain Japanese influences for Abhishek.

What was the brief given by Goldie regarding Abhishek's character in the film?
In this film, since Abhishek symbolizes someone who has purity alongwith strength, we have used white with metal embellishments. His look has this strong Indian foundation, even though it is inspired from the Japanese comics.

Story has it that Abhishek who plays Aditya later adorns the title role of 'Drona'. So, how different is 'Aditya' from 'Drona' in terms of costumes?
While 'Aditya' is a common man, the other (Drona) is a superhero. In that sense, they both had to be different from each other. Hence, their costumes too were designed to suit their respective roles.

Is it true that the headgear used by Abhishek in the film has been inspired by the Rajasthani women?
In the film, Abhishek wears an antique gold bead on a leather string around his forehead. And I got this inspiration from the Rajasthani women whom I had seen with beads on their heads. Besides the antique gold bead, I have also used a beaten gold and a silver ring to add effect to Abhishek's costumes. All the other accessories used in the film are functional and pivotal. So, one has to watch out for those!

What was the brief given by Goldie regarding the Priyanka and Kay Kay’s characters if the film? Priyanka has been given a warrior-like feel by using flowing fabrics that dramatizes her action sequences, Read More">although we have used hard accessories to lend the ‘required look’ to portray the tough side of her character. The look ofRead More

What was the brief given by Goldie regarding the Priyanka and Kay Kay's characters if the film?
Priyanka has been given a warrior-like feel by using flowing fabrics that dramatizes her action sequences, although we have used hard accessories to lend the 'required look' to portray the tough side of her character. The look of the character played by Kay Kay is more theatrical and hence, we gave him a reptilian edge in terms of his capes and contacts. His look needed to be someone from the outer-world. And trust me when I say that he looks simply awesome in this film. One has to watch this film to believe it.

How was it dressing up Priyanka Chopra, who also happens to be one of the few girls in Bollywood, who's blessed with an impeccable dressing sense?
Priyanka is simply a joy to work with. She is totally an easygoing, experimental and a thorough professional to the core.

Talks are also strife that Priyanka's costumes are a bit similar to what Aishwarya wore in Dhoom 2. If not, then, how different are these two?
I can't think of anything further apart.

How has been your equation with the designers Gaurav Gupta and Gavin Miguel? Did they give any inputs while doing the costumes?
If I had to answer this question in one word, I would definitely say 'Fabulous'. While Gaurav exhibited his brilliant expertise in doing Abhishek's costumes, I used Gavin Miguel for Priyanka's. Both of them are extremely creative designers. As far as Gaurav is concerned, it becomes totally needless to say that he was brilliant in whatever he did. And after I briefed him on the kind of look and the functionality of the design that I wanted for the character of Drona, he not just delivered the same, but also added his own brilliance to the look. Both of them did give very creative inputs that have been incorporated in the film. Overall, it was a memorable experience working with Gaurav and Gavin.

Tell us about your most satisfying film till date, followed by the films that are close to you? It has to be Dhoom 2 for the overall experience and its amazing results. Besides this, Read More">I really enjoyed doing Being Cyrus because the ‘thought process’ here was totally different. I actually bought old clothes from peopleRead More

Tell us about your most satisfying film till date, followed by the films that are close to you?
It has to be Dhoom 2 for the overall experience and its amazing results. Besides this, I really enjoyed doing Being Cyrus because the 'thought process' here was totally different. I actually bought old clothes from people for this film!

The recent times have seen fashion designers turning into film directors. Are you planning to follow suit?
I'm a stylist and not a fashion designer as many think of me as! My basic job profile is that I hire various designers or source off the rack, accessorize myself, and also identify the technicians for the kind of hair and look I feel will work for the character. I am responsible for the 'overall look' of the character and not just merely the clothes. And as far as me turning into a film director, I have absolutely no interest whatsoever.

Lastly, what are the future projects that you are doing?
At this moment, I am busy doing Imtiaz Ali's next film for Saif.

Can you please shed some light on Kay Kay Menon’s character, a person whose costumes’ cost has taken the air out of Bollywood? That’s a total fallacy. Maybe it’s got to do with the Visual FX involved with Kay Kay’s character, but the costumes were not madly expensive at all. In one of your interviews, Read More">Read More

Can you please shed some light on Kay Kay Menon's character, a person whose costumes' cost has taken the air out of Bollywood?
That's a total fallacy. Maybe it's got to do with the Visual FX involved with Kay Kay's character, but the costumes were not madly expensive at all.

In one of your interviews, you had said that the appearance of Kay Kay's character in Drona will make audiences 'uncomfortable' What is it that about his 'appearance' that will bring discomfort of the audience?
One has to watch the film to find out the answer!

How do you justify the fact that he is the most costliest villain in Bollywood?
He's not 'the most costliest' villain in terms of costumes, though I like the sound of that.

What kind of research went in designing each of the characters in Drona?
It's the same kind of research that goes for and behind every character that I do. Except in Drona, because, here, I could totally use my imagination and draw on various influences.