Designers8217; day out

Today, film plots demand much more 8212; men parade as women, women become men, songs are events and shootsmust visit foreign locales. Take the case of Hindustani or Saat Rang Ke Sapne 8212; the numerous costume changes and the fast switch-over of locales had so many outfits appearing on screen that often the dress dominated the star. Such flash-dash wardrobes insist on designers with pizzaz. Says Vikram Phadnis, quot;A darzi cannot create a design, he can only execute.quot; He8217;s right. No tailor could8217;ve pulled off what he did in Zor. Former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen had to look like a goofy cub reporter who, in the pan of a camera became a sultry siren. quot;Gone are the days when a designer simply made clothes for a star and went home after a day8217;s work,quot; says Sulakshanna. Her job assumed 24-hour proportions with Govinda8217;s Aunty No 1. Which is why she commands the same respect as say, a cinematographer. But their new-found status is justified, she insists. quot;Flashy, glitzy, over-the-top outfits that cabaret dancers wore, are now a regular feature of a Bollywood heroine8217;s wardrobe. To get that look again and again is hardwork and keeps us glued to our designing board,quot; adds Sulakshanna. Which is why designers literally have the last word when it comes to what the stars wear. quot;Even a big star like Madhuri Dixit never interferes with her designers8217; say,quot; points out Sulakshanna.

Feroze Shakir, Govinda8217;s regular designer too is full of praises for his clotheshorse. quot;If another star wore the clothes he can carry off, he8217;d be written off by now, but not Govinda. That8217;s why he8217;s a designer8217;s dream, you can experiment endlessly with him,quot; says Feroze.

From the designer8217;s point of view who you dress is far more important than what you design. quot;If I were to to design for both Kajol and Sushmita for a scene in the disco, I would give Kajol a mini while Sushmita would probably wear a cat-suit. And if they were to exchange clothes 8212; the result would be nothing short of a disaster,quot; he laughs.

The other disaster that designers fear is the star8217;s ego. quot;Every actor is insecure deep down. And another star8217;s popular clothes coupled withthe designers bitching amongst themselves can take its toll on creativity,quot; says Naresh Rohera, who has designed for most of the leading male stars. quot;All the designers are so busy running down each other that the scene in the industry is akin to the political scenario in Delhi. Each designer has to be Laloo personified, to survive,quot; he says. But survive they will in the sunlight. As Lulla, who has been around for over a decade, puts it, quot;As a career, it gives you job satisfaction. Cash takes a lot of time to flow but there is the fame.quot;