COSTUME designing happened by chance for Ameira Punvani. Her life changed after she was spotted by filmmaker Shaad Ali at an exhibition in Delhi. The designer, who was nominated at the Filmfare Award’s Best Costume category for Guru in 2011, and for Rustom in 2017, has worked in films such as Bunty Aur Babli, Guru, Chalte Chalte, Fukrey and Why Cheat India and she’s not likely to shy away from challenges. A big foodie, the Lucknow-based designer speaks with Indulge about how it was to work on Robbie Grewal’s upcoming film, Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW). Excerpts:
What made you say yes to Romeo, Akbar and Walter?
When I read the script, I was blown over. There was so much scope for me to work on. The script was interesting, and layered, and I read it over and over again. John Abraham plays the role of Romeo, Akbar and Walter and they all have different styles and looks. I had to make the characters credible, as it’s a period drama set against the backdrop of 1971 war. Also, I read the script, and realised that the colour palette had to be on the same level.
How was it working with John Abraham and Jackie Shroff?
It was a delight working with both of them. I have worked before with Jackie in the short film Teen Patti, and he is an outstanding human being. He is patient and gets involved in the character at an amazing level. The glasses he is wearing in RAW took a lot of time to finalise, but he was so patient. John’s brilliant physique made my job easier. When he is playing Walter, he wears a double-breasted suit, popular in the ’80s. The suit fitted him like a dream.
How did costume design happen for you?
I became a costume designer by accident. I was hosting an exhibition of my label Shunya and Monster in Delhi, when Shaad Ali asked me to design for his film Bunty Aur Babli. I had no clue that it was a Yash Raj Films’ production. There has been no looking back since.
What kind of research was involved?
As the film is about a different era altogether, and the trends of that decade were quite iconic, it involved a lot of research. I took a lot of inputs from my dad — in fact, the double-breasted suit is an ode to him. I called up a lot of people, and updated myself.
Which of your films would you consider to be the most challenging?
Guru was my first very big film, and in it, Abhishek Bachchan had to look like a 50-year-old, too. We were shooting in a village, and my tailor and I added extra layers to the suit, with the help of a bed sheet. RAW too wasn’t very easy. We shot at 97 locations in Gujarat, and we were constantly on the move. It becomes very challenging when you are shooting in a village with limited resources.
What other projects are you working on?
I’m styling for the movie Section 375, starring Richa Chadda and Akshaye Khanna.