It all began with ‘Can we do this realistically?’. Etching each character with a realistic approach, renowned celebrity costume and fashion stylist Anaita Shroff Adajania immersed herself into the world of Gehraiyaan’s characters portrayed by actors Deepika Padukone, Ananya Panday, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Dhairya Karwa. Ahead of the film’s release, Anaita spoke to News18 about the stylish looks donned by the characters, setting trends and why clothes should never be a distraction but should only help the narrative.
Directed by Shakun Batra, each character resonated with Anaita on so many levels. “When Shakun narrated the story, I could identify with it completely and knew how to create these characters. And when I spoke to him, I asked him if we can do this realistically and not make it hyper real like a lot of the films we see,” shares Anaita,” adding, “When you see Gehraiyaan, I don’t want you to think of the actors. I only want you to think of the character. Which is why dressing a character for me in this film was so immersive. It’s like when I saw them, I never thought it is Deepika, I thought she is Alisha. I believe you should forget who they [actors] are, let the character of the film be of more importance.”
Just like their personalities, each character has a distinguished taste in style, which Anaita has beautifully brought to life on screen. Speaking in depth about the characters Alisha, Tia, Zain and Karan, Anaita says, “The whole idea was to keep it more visceral. When you look at Alisha’s character, played by Deepika, she is someone who comes from a humble background who is dealing with day-to-day struggles of working hard and teaching yoga. So, the idea was to show how people who are athletic and in touch with their body dress off duty as well. You must have noticed that a lot of her style is based in athleisure.”
She further adds, “Deepika was just stunning because we used her in a very raw way. There is very little makeup used, even her hair was made to look as if she does it herself. She [Alisha] isn’t someone who spends money to look good or goes to a salon to get a blow dry. You will never see her dressed up because that’s just not who she is. Deepika’s character is more of a minimalistic dresser but not devoid of personal style.”
Ananya’s character Tia, her style on the other hand, leans towards a more restrained and reserved taste. “Tia’s look is more polished and there’s a more global feel to it. Her character is based on someone who likes to buy American brands and has worn them her entire life. That’s her vibe. She has the right watch, the right bag but it is not because she wants to show them off, it is because that’s her lifestyle, a life she was born into. To her, fashion is not important, but she definitely has a restrained and reserved taste,” shares Anaita.
As for the men in the film, the mood board is dapper yet casual, corporate yet easy going. “With Siddhant Chaturvedi, it was a big breakthrough to discover his character Zain. He is someone who has learnt to enjoy the things in life but at the same time his personality is very chilled, very easy, he gets along with everyone. I wanted to have that ease to come across into his style,” expresses Anaita, adding, “As for Dhairya, I build little stories in my head about his character Karan. I gave him a Rajput lineage. And the fact that he has studied at a University abroad, I have brought all those ideas into the way he dresses. So, you will find him wearing authentic block print shirts from Jaipur as well as a University T-shirt.”
A melange of tie-n-dye prints, utilitarian silhouettes, and sexy swimwear, Anaita has highlighted a combination of mixed colours such as blush with chocolate, and lilac and grey among others in the silhouettes. Known for setting trends with her eclectic styling in various films like Cocktail, Love Aaj Kal, Dhoom and Tamasha, when asked if film costumes set trends or do trends find its way into films, Anaita says, “The clothes should never be a distraction it should only help the narrative. As a costume stylist I never do a film in the hope of setting trends. That’s not my job, I am not a fashion designer. But having said, I am happy that a lot of the work that I have done has influenced trends. I remember when I did Dhoom, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would see people in Bombay wearing leather jackets.”
As the film is all set to release on Amazon Prime Video on February 11, Anaita believes that it’s the hard work of every department that makes a film what it is. “The set, the clothes, the cinematography, all have to look good together otherwise nothing magical can come out of it. And with Gehraiyaan that’s exactly what happened, every department put their best effort forward,” adds Anaita.
