Costume Drama

The first serial that Mansi bagged was Sahara One’s Kuch Apne Kuch Paraye 10 years ago. Since then,she has worked for serials such as Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli,Do Hanson Ka Joda,Jassuben Jayantilaal Joshi Ki Joint Family and Shree. At present,she has 11 serials including Kairi,Diya aur Baati Hum,Ek Doosre Se Karte Hain Pyaar Hum and Byah Hamari Bahu Ka on air. That apart,she does all of JD Majethia and Rajshri Productions shows. The latest assignment,however,is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming TV serial,Saraswatichandra.

Mansi and Manoj aren’t the only costume jewellery designers in the television industry. Ekta Gupta too has been designing imitation jewellery for TV shows since 2002,her first being Kabhi Aaye Na Judaai. Krishna Reddy,of Sweta Art and Sweta Jewellers,Mumbai,has been providing jewellery to many shows on and off. “Costume jewellery is one of the most sought-after professions today,” says Gupta. “It isn’t easy. We work on very close deadlines,sometimes even just a day,” she adds.

The boom in the costume jewellery industry also means that the designers need to constantly innovate. “I always study my characters,their traits and mannerisms,before I design for them,” says Mansi,who charges from Rs 5,000-50,000 for her designs. Gupta works on a lower budget and her designs cost around Rs 5,400 for earrings,and between Rs 1,000 – Rs 5,000 for ornaments for mythological characters. “Like others,I rent jewellery most of the time. Sometimes when they want to keep them for a longer period,I sell them,” she says. The ornaments are returned to the workshops after use. The designers recycle the materials to suit the needs of other serials.

While Mumbai,the hub of the television industry,is a major market for imitation jewellery,the source markets are spread across the country. Mansi and Manoj have workshops in Kolkata,Jaipur,Rajkot and Chennai. “Since serials are based in different parts of the country,the demand for jewellery,too,varies accordingly. For instance,the character Sandhya from Diya aur Baati Hum wears typical Rajasthani jewellery. We get that made from Jaipur. An upcoming serial Kabool Hai will have Muslim characters,hence,the jewellery will be made in Kashmir,” says Mansi.

Gupta works out of her workshop in Mumbai and specialises in mythological and historical serials. “I design the complete look of a mythological character. Right from the mukut (crown) to the toe ring,I design each piece for the characters.” Ekta has done serials such as Ekta Kapoor’s Mahabharata,Prithviraj Chauhan and Dwarkadheesh,Jai Shri Krishna. She is currently working on Devon Ke Dev Mahadev. Gupta has 25 other serials in her kitty including Sasural Genda Phool and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai.

In the last two decades,the trend of saas-bahu dramas has given a boost to the 1,000-odd imitation jewellery manufacturers in Rajkot — the primary and biggest market for these pieces. Small wonder that Kushal Mehta of Mahavir Imitation Jewellery,one of the oldest imitation jewellery stores of India based in Rajkot,is thankful to the television industry. “Ever since television soap operas started doing well,our wholesale business has increased. Every week,we have vendors from Mumbai purchasing various kinds of jewellery.”

Jewellery for shows such as Balika Vadhu and Uttaran are bought here.