by admin | Aug 1, 2017 | In My View, Show Case
Who can forget the abandon with which an ethereally beautiful Rosie throws caution and taboos asunder to sing Kaanton se Khinchke ye aanchal in one of the most critically acclaimed yet popular film in Indian Celluloid history? Possibly none. The film was Guide and still remains etched in the minds of cine-goers globally.
Rosie was beautifully played by Waheeda Rehman ,one of the most talented and refined actresses of the Indian cinema. She is also one of the most beautiful and loved faces of Indian celluloid. She has wooed audience with her laudable performances in not only Hindi, but in Tamil, Bengali & Telegu also. She has been eulogised by many as the most beautiful actress,, but what had attracted me to her most was the intelligence and the poise that came across. She was a thinking, cerebra
l actress who left her mark in some of the most unforgettable films in Indian Film history.
Born in a Tamil & Urdu speaking family, Waheeda first burst in the Hindi film industry as the mysterious Kamini in the film called CID opposite Dev Anand & directed by Guru Dutt. Followed which were impressive and unforgettable films like ‘Pyaasa’, ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’, ‘Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’, ‘Chaudhvin Ka Chand’, ‘Kala Bazar’, ‘Guide’ and ‘Abhijaan’ under Satyajit Ray to name a few.
She is petite but not delicate. She may not look like a goddess but has an infectious charm and oodles of elegance. The glint in her eyes, the tinkle in her laughter, the mischievous surrender of her smile make her the perfect and undefeated child-woman. There is a touch of mystery in her which made the feted Guru Dutt consider her to be his Muse.
Her dancing abilities came into sharp focus in the film Guide and it is said that many had actually warned her against taking up the role of an adultress. But undeterred Waheeda gave almost the soul-in-her-eyes and a lifetime performance in the movie.
Waheeda Rehman oozes charm. You may love her, you may hate her, but you can never ignore her. She is the free spirited woman who is not scared to love. She loves being a woman with all its pleasures and pathos. Waheeda Rehman is a thinking-man’s actress. She is street smart, but she is also intensely feminine, who never forgets the flowers in her hair or her bangles.
She is the woman who surpasses the boundaries of age and times. Waheeda Rehman is eternally beautiful in her own right and is our constant inspiration.
by admin | Jul 17, 2017 | In My View
Early morning, the rustle of the starched saree would wake me up… there would be this faint aroma of Marh ( the residual rice boiled water, often used to starch cotton clothes) and I would instinctively know that Ma was going about her daily chores.
Ma would be ready to leave just after I left, having sorted the house. But never did I see that being a deterrent for her not wearing a saree; more importantly a Taant er saree. In fact, my most abiding memory is that of wiping my face in her aanchol. It was only the precarious monsoons which would call for “synthetic” sarees, as their generation would call it. I believe most of our earliest memories of our mothers would be that of Taant er saree or Dhonekhali – stiffly starched, with a variation in borders with small motifs in the body.
The Bengal Handloom sarees actually have been perennial favourite. The fall of the fabric, the subtlety of the patterns, and the translucent intensity of the colours have made them much loved and sought after all over the country, so much so that when people would be visiting Kolkata, they would be sure to carry a list to take back some. Actually the Taant er sarees are perfect for our tropical climate; they are light and become softer with use.
Growing up in the quintessential Bengali household, I was struck by this textile wonder –the modest piece of Bengal Handloom. My mother, aunts, older cousins and women from our extended family, all wearing a variety of Taant actually made me fall in love with the sarees very early in my life. I realised that the Bengal Taant is very versatile. You can dress up,… dress down; wear it to work or a wedding. I noticed that it just needed the correct accessories – Wear silver, pearls, junk or stick to traditional gold; it all goes beautifully with the Taant.
The Handloom saree went through a series of lows in the past few decades. It became a common myth that the handloom sarees were impractical and high maintenance. – low in performance and high in maintenance. Power looms and synthetic fibers reigned so much that Losing patrons by hundreds, the weavers started suffering. They started compromising on quality to keep their livelihood and made do with the same patterns for years, thereby stopping all experimental works.
When I started weaving tales of these six yards, I was always certain that I will work with handlooms and thus I, in my limited capacity have worked with Taant, visiting the weavers personally all the time. It had been a collaborative effort, where I have sat with them for hours, trained and guided them on new techniques, devised newer designs and they in turn have taught me the nuances of various fabrics, weaving patterns, spoken about the long lost designs . I, in my humble efforts, have always tried giving them their due respect and paying them fairly.
I have tried reviving many patterns and designs which were lost or hard to find like the duure saree (all over stripes), the Chatai paar and the Nokshi Paar (borders with patterns and motifs). I have also tried experimenting with the thread counts making the fall of the saree better. In fact, lot of people say that I have given the Bengali Tnaat a quirky make-over.
In fact I have also experimented with colours in the Nextiles line of sarees making them quite a popular, go-to sarees with my younger clients. Sarees, which are versatile and can be draped and accessorised in various ways.
Tell us about your favourite Nextile handloom/ Taant saree and what you teamed it with…
by admin | Feb 6, 2017 | film costumes
This is a crime thriller, revolving around six human vices. The characters are from all walks of life. Suchismita’s costumes very appropriately bring out the characters the actors represent – from housewife to a police detective.
Director – Ayan Chakraborty
Cast – Chiranjit Chakraborty, Rudraneil Ghosh, Indraneil Sengupta, Rajatave Dutta, Sudipta Chakraborty, Koneenica Banerjee, Rajesh Sharma, Sohini Sarkar
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by admin | Feb 6, 2017 | film costumes
It is a biopic of Kadambari Devi, sister- in- law of Rabindranath Tagore and wife of his elder brother Jyotirindranath. It is a period drama set in the late 19th early 20th century and maps the life of Kadambari who comes to Jorashanko Thakur bari, as a bride, at the tender age of 9. Suchishmita does a wonderful job, not only of capturing the very nuances of that particular age but also defining individual fashion sense of Tagore family – the affluent and enlightened. Kadambari, a beautiful woman, intelligent but not as self-assured as her sister-in-law, had been dressed in more traditional saris but in keeping with the fashion of that time. Jyotirindranath looks every bit his flamboyant self, Satyandranath elegant but reserved in his attire, Gyanadanandini, the emancipated intelligent wife, who created style for herself and influenced the contemporary women, with her elegant ways. The accessories and the jewellery worn by the women of the household also shows her thorough understanding of the era.
Director – Suman Ghosh
Cast – Konkona Sen Sharma, Parambrata Chatterjee, Kaushik Sen, Sujoy Nag, Titash Bhowmick
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by admin | Feb 6, 2017 | film costumes
A modern day take on mythological story of Ahalya, wife of sage Goutam, who turns her into stone when Indra seduces her. In the film the men who shows interest in the beautiful wife (Radhika) of a much older husband (Soumitra), is turned into doll. Radhika Apta is dressed very aptly as the young, modern wife while Soumitra Chatterjee is dressed a little conservatively, costumes blending appropriately with his age.
Director – Sujoy Ghosh
Cast – Soumitra Chatterjee, Radhika Apte and Tota Roychowdhury
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