Bombay Velvet / Weighed down

Anushka Sharma in a green and gold sequined gown in applique flames

Anushka Sharma, who plays a jazz singer of the ‘60s in Bombay Velvet, had to wear elaborate costumes for the period film and that included heavyweight gowns, some to the tune of 35 kilos!
For the opening song sequence when she makes her first appearance as a star, she was dressed in a green and gold sequined gown in applique flames. Designed by costume designer Niharika Bhasin Khan, it took the actress two and a half hours to dress and two assistants to carry it for her.
“Thankfully she had to wear the gown only for a day or two and did not have to dance in it. The train of the gown was really long as it had to cover the stage, which was the trend in those days” says Niharika Khan who designed the costume after considering a whole amalgamation of things like the colour palette, the era and the fashion of those times.
“Anushka will be seen in eight or nine beautiful gowns in the film. And most of them are really cumbersome because of the grandeur of the outfit. I could not put in Swarovskis as they were not available during that period so we had to enhance them with sequins. Generally Anushka likes to dress herself, but in this case, she had to be put into the gown by an assistant. And she had two people carrying the train as she walked. We would often joke on the set that because of her outfits she could not have personal conversations while changing,” laughed the designer.