After making a mark in weaving, vegetable dyeing, block printing and old traditional embroidery, Anju Modi now enters Bollywood with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Ram-Leela.
Here we bring to you details about how she created specific looks for Deepika and Priyanka in the film.
First Look: 'Lahu Munh Lag Gaya', Deepika is spotted playing Holi in a two-tone lehenga ensemble instead of a normal white one.
Inspiration for the look- The idea of only wearing plain white while playing holi was put aside since it is a tad common. Deepika being the lead had to stand out from the other dancers who were going to be in a multicolor ensemble; it was then that Anju decided to give Deepika a mix of red and black with a dash of white in it, adding to the contemporary feel of the look. Also the layered lehenga made it interesting, since something was seen and something was left unseen, while Deepika twirled to the beats of Lahu Munh Lag Gaya.
Initially, the gulaal was decided to be red but since it camouflaged with Deepika's outfit, the hues were changed by Sanjay to contrasting blues and vibrant pinks.
Hairstyle- Deepika's look for the song being simple yet naughty and sexy called for a simple open hairdo. It was however later changed to hair folded up in a relaxed bun with the help of a Gujarati judda pin.
Color palette- Contrasting black and whites were teamed with bright reds.
Third look: Priyanka's wardrobe in the item song is of crisp white and a very chic dhoti.
Inspiration- Even though Priyanka plays the role of a tawaeef, singing in a kota, she is still in a very peaceful, tramp and Sufi mode where she feels the pain of Ram and Leela and supports them while the society tries to separate them.
So according to the meaning of the song, Priyanka had to be sexy but at the same time coming from a space where she could convey that pain. That's when the dhoti lungi look got figured out and was created in simple self-woven cotton white with a little bit of parrot green embroidery here and there. The challenge was to make a typical dhoti look sexy.
Hairstyle- Tresses cascading down the shoulders.
Color palette- Crisp white with touches of red, gold and green.
Second Look: Deepika's costume in the first poster of Ram-Leela apparently weighs 30 kgs and has a ghera of 50 metres
Inspiration for the look- Sanjay wanted to place Deepika on the load of guns donning an enormously long and flair lehenga, completely unreal in terms of ghera's. The look was about creating two larger than life personalities. So to get the spread-over-the-guns-look, the color palette was chosen to be green for the lehenga while the red blouse featured metal work with intricate embroidery.
Hairstyle- The hair was kept simply natural and flowing.
Color palette- Green and red being a classic combination, were used.
Accessories- Accessories included petite earrings, a bracelet and nose ring.