Heeramandi costume designer Rimple Narula on working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Known for their bridal wear, the designers heaped praises on the director who is known for his splendid vision for detail and opulent costumes. “Bhansali ji always made us a part of the shoots whenever we could travel from Delhi to Mumbai. He wants you to be a part of the entire journey. The final look was everyone’s vision pulled together,” said Rimple, who has also designed for Bhansali’s Padmaavat starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, and Ranveer Singh.

As Heeramandi airs on Netflix, Rimple shared that it was no less than a dream to design for the ensemble cast including Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Richa Chadha. “It is a dream come true for us considering the adulation and applause that we have been receiving from across the world. It was a delight to work with Sonakshi for the first time,” shared Rimple, adding that it was equally lovely to work with “dear friends” Richa, Aditi, and Sharmin Segal.

Heeramandi features opulent costumes on the actors (Source: PR Handout)

As the show, revolving around the lives of courtesans in Lahore’s Heeramandi, is set in the 1920s, the designers took inspiration from many archival pieces including references from “what our ancestors wore”. “I remember my grandmother, who was from Gujranwala (now a city in Pakistan), wearing an elegant handwoven dupatta,” reminisced Rimple, who sourced fabrics from Varanasi, Agra, and Lucknow.

The characters in the show are seen wearing lehenga, Anarkali sets, and ghararas, while the men played by Fardeen Khan and Shekhar Suman, among others are seen in kurta pajamas, sherwanis, and bandhgalas, with some British influence.

“We made some 300-320 outfits. The idea was to make them grand but comfortable too so that the actors could freely move, especially in the songs,” mentioned Rimple.