Poojitha Thatikonda talks about styling for Nithya Menen in ‘Skylab’
Hyderabad: Bell-bottoms, pleated pants and baby-doll outfits give a distinctive look of social class during the ’70s. For a period drama like ‘Skylab’, there’s a great deal of research and study that went into it. Whether it is period drama or a biopic, every story has to be dealt with utmost care as far as […]
Hyderabad: Bell-bottoms, pleated pants and baby-doll outfits give a distinctive look of social class during the ’70s. For a period drama like ‘Skylab’, there’s a great deal of research and study that went into it. Whether it is period drama or a biopic, every story has to be dealt with utmost care as far as designing costumes is concerned, says Poojitha Thatikonda.
“To bring out the desired look for Nithya Menen in the film, we first brought out a look book. Nithya plays a journalist named Gowri in the film. We’ve designed the character very dressy. I had to take references from Queen Elizabeth 1970 Vogue look. If you see them, it has bold prints; some outfits have mono colours of blue and pink. Since she hails from an aristocratic family, Gowri is called ‘Dora Kuthuru’ by everyone and she would know the fashionable and trend of those times,” Poojitha says.
Proper care was taken to bring an authentic look for character Dr Anand, played by Satyadev, and for Rahul Ramakrishna’s role as Subedar Ramarao. “Satyadev plays a doctor coming from a city who wants to set up a clinic in the village Banda Lingampally. We used mercerised cotton fabric for Anand while Ramarao is dressed up in polished cotton. While principal characters sported a unique look, the entire village was given another texture,” shares Poojitha.
Intricate and time-consuming
Designing costumes for films is a time-consuming job and often proves difficult considering the intricate work one needs to do. “Covid came as a jolt just before ‘Skylab’ could take off. It took a lot of time to design each character with detailed sketches. As the movie is out now, we’re planning to release the making video,” says Poojitha.
Any artiste working in this department should have thorough knowledge about styling, art and aesthetics, besides knowing about costumes for different periods. Coordination with the art department and the cinematographer on the sets is crucial for a designer. “Cinematographer Aditya Javvadi would constantly check if we’re deviating from the track. He would be in the middle ground cautioning us if we go off the track,” says this alumna of NIFT, Hyderabad.
Poojitha says it is always the best bet to take real references rather than relying on films to work on costume designs. “We had to provide a lot of options to director Vishvak Khanderao. Researching on the looks was a huge task. Visiting photo archives and consulting historians, of course, to have an idea of those times and people’s taste in clothing and trends,” says the designer.
Even though the ‘Skylab’ story happened in the ’70s, any titbits and pieces from the early ’80s are also relatable. “So, we had to collect vintage jewellery and other fashion accessories for the film. We procured khadi clothing from weavers and other clusters – all fabrics that are used in the film are sustainable and bio-based. Everything is made from the scratch without using readymade fabrics; that’s where our skill is tested. Another challenging aspect is the work shouldn’t resemble any film – that’s how one has to set the standards,” says the artiste, who is soon planning to launch her independent fashion label.
Poojitha, who earlier worked for Gowtam Tinnanuri’s film ‘Malli Raava’, Aishwarya Rajesh’s ‘Mismatch’ and Poorna’s ‘Sundari’, says she is currently working on an upcoming biopic titled ‘Arjun Chakravarthy’, which is based on a Nalgonda-based Kabaddi player.
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