All that glitters

And yet, costumes comprise a sizable chunk of a film8217;s budget. According to director Rakesh Roshan, he spends at least Rs seven to eight lakh on star costumes. But at the end of the day, this money comes to nought.

Most directors pack up these lavish costumes in trunks and leave them to rot. quot;We leave them for the mice to eat them up,quot; says Rajiv Rai, producer-director of hit films Tridev and Mohra. Though this is a tongue-in-cheek comment, it8217;s tragic to think of moths getting at Madhuri8217;s Ek Do teen 8230; costume or Raveena8217;s Tu Cheez.. harem pants. These costumes may have made the stars, but they did not make it into the closets of history.

Rai found Dev Anand8217;s Johnny Mera Naam costumes in his producer 8211; father8217;s old trunks. And though he is a nostalgia buff, even he isn8217;t trying to preserve them. quot;We try and recycle them for the extras, because there isn8217;t much that can be done to them other than that,quot; says he. A point that Rakesh Roshan agrees with. quot;We sometimes need to show rich crowds in party scenes; the star costumes of previous films are then reused.quot; Occasionally, stars re-use their costumes in another film. quot;Anil Kapoor liked one of my coats on the sets of Khel and used it in the Chitthi likhni hai song. It8217;s all part of the game,quot; says Rakesh Roshan.

But more often than not, once the film is over, the producer is left holding the coat. quot;I have truck loads of costumes left with me,quot; says Parvesh Mehra, quot;I wish there was a relief fund.quot;

Three years ago, the industry decided to join hands and provide some relief. Organised by Movie magazine, star costumes were auctioned for charity. And the star item was Madhuri Dixit8217;s much-talked of Dhak Dhak outfit from the film Beta. quot;Madhuri8217;s dress fetched Rs 80,000 but there were a lot of other things on auction besides her outfit,quot; says Jitu Kothari of Movie. Amitabh8217;s coin-studded coat from Toofan, his priest outfit from Amar Akbar Anthony, Juhi8217;s ghagra choli from the Tu Tu Tu Tara song, Jackie8217;s Versace shirt from Aaina were among the other star costumes on the block. Rishi Kapoor8217;s dafli and Pooja Bhatt8217;s hat were also part of the auction.

But despite a star-studded event, the auction did not go a long way in helping producers recover their investment. Explains Rai, quot;There8217;s no market for star clothes here they are too loud for the elite and the common man does not have that kind of money.quot;

But there are some producers who view costumes as an investment in itself. The vangaurd of this belief is Muzaffer Ali whose name connotes images of beautiful embroidery, period costumes and opulent fabrics. Rekha8217;s outfits in the film Umrao Jaan were breathtaking. And got the sort of press generally reserved for the stars. quot;A lot of effort went into their making.

We have preserved the outfits in our workshop in Lucknow, and are thinking of exhibiting them sometime,quot; says his son, Shaad. He adds that his father wants to keep them as antique pieces in their workshop in Lucknow. The costumes of Umrao Jaan will now join ranks with those from Mughal-e-Azam and Anarkali that have been preserved by Mumbai8217;s Maganlal Dresswala. This small store in JVPD scheme has supplied costumes for historical and mythological films since the 1950s. This store has also provided costumes for almost all the mythological serials on television, including B R Chopra8217;s Mahabharat.

It is, however, planning an auction soon of a few costumes from the old Mughal romances. And although it has not been slotted for a particular day as yet, the store thinks there are enough nostalgia buffs to fetch a good price for the old laces and frills. It is rumoured that none other than Madame Rekha is interested in acquiring a slice of history. And when Umrao Jaan slips into an Anarkali8217;s angarkha, the love story of fine fabrics will take a giant leap into the present.