Material dreams

When Lovleen Bains got into the movie business, it definitely was not a part of her life's script. A copy-writer back in 1982, she happen...

When Lovleen Bains got into the movie business, it definitely was not a part of her life8217;s script. A copy-writer back in 1982, she happened to accompany her husband, a cameraman, on to the sets of Merchant amp; Ivory8217;s Heat and Dust and Ismail Merchant asked her to stay back and assist with the costumes. Something which she enjoyed so much that she chucked her writing pad for the sketchbook and today, is a designer to reckon with. In fact she is now in Toronto for the Canadian equivalent of the Oscars where she has been nominated for her work in Such a Long Journey.Having logged on more than 15 years in the film industry, it has been a long journey for Lovleen 8212; one which has taken her through the world and across centuries 8212; for she has stitched herself a well-cut reputation for specialising in period costumes.

After Heat and Dust, which was set in the 1920s and 1980s, Lovleen got a chance to assist on Utsav, that brilliant film set in 8th century India where she worked with director Girish Karnad andactors like Rekha and Shashi Kapoor. While the credit for its costumes is not all hers, the lavish jewellery in the film was done entirely by her. Next, the filmwallahs Merchant amp; Ivory thrust Muhafiz in her hands the poignant story of an Urdu poet whose best was past him. The film was essentially about the gradual decay of life 8212; something which had to reflect in the clothes as well. So, to give the newly stitched costumes a patina of age, Lovleen had them sunned for weeks to get the bleached, used look. A process which clothes for Such a Long Journey also underwent where, to evoke the feeling of a not so-well-to-do Parsi family, she used special wire brushes for fraying collars and cuffs. Lovleen went on to bag the National Award for Muhafiz in 1994.

It is this attention to minutiae that has carved her a world-wide reputation. And her most flamboyant work one which ate up hours of study at the Oriental Research Institute in Pune was Kamasutra. Lovleen was the one who designed those bold, brash,high-riding cholis that had hearts of millions of men pumping blood over time. They made such an impact in the fashion world that Rohit Bal had no qualms borrowing8217; them for one of his shows simply because they created a stir whenever they were seen.

But behind this glory goes a lot of work at the brass-tacks level, says Lovleen. quot;In this field you have to realise that nothing is less or more important. There has to be dignity of labour because sometimes you even have to polish shoes, as they too are a part of costumes.quot; And the reason why Lovleen is so low profile in India, though she is known to international film-makers, is because she prefers to work the Hollywood way. Not cut from the same cloth as most Bollywood designers, she likes to design the look of the whole film rather than dress a single star 8212; as is the practice here.

quot;Good costume designing is all about keep the director8217;s vision in mind because film is basically a director8217;s medium. You have to discuss the look with the camera man, theproperty master, the set designer, because you can8217;t have your heroine wearing a green dress if the sofa she has to sit on is also green.quot;

This attitude has added a lot of feathers to her designer cap. Her oeuvre includes Nick Meyer8217;s The Deceivers and Jefferson in Paris 8212; for which she worked along with someone else 8212; and Markus Imhoof8217;s Flames of Paradise. Of late she has also designed for some Indian films like Jahan Tum Le Chalo and Sarfarosh and has done costumes for television serials like Gaatha, Wuthering Heights and Commando. She has also done plays like Royal Hunt Of The Sun, Saalgirah and Mahatma v/s Gandhi. She says, quot;Basically I love designing. The only criterion to choose work is that I am given the freedom to do authentic and quality work. The typical Bollywood khichdi just won8217;t do.quot;