Depiction of Costumes

in Historical Hindi
Cinema of India

CCRT/SF-3/288/2018

1ST AUGUST, 2018 - 31ST

JANUARY,2019>

Mala Dey

PROGRESS
REPORT
Name:
Mala Dey

Address:
502, C Wing, Benhur Apartments, Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri
West, Mumbai - 400053

File No:
CCRT/SF-3/288/2018

Field of Fellowship:
Visual Art - Other
 Depiction of Costumes in Historical Hindi Cinema of India
Date: 31st January, 2019
Name: Mala Day
Progress Report: August 2018 - January 2019

Overview of the Progress Report

1. Scope of the project

• As the research furthers, the scope of the project becomes wider and I
realised that there are many more aspects of costumes that I will be
covering in order to do justice to observations made in the project.
Keeping the focus on historical films made in Hindi, I am looking to
find regional cinema, theatre and other art forms that have influenced
the costumes in the films being researched.
• There will be emphasis on specific filmmakers, characters, period, the
process of costume design specific to the genre. I am looking to use
different permutations to base my comparisons on.

2. Targets
• I am setting specific targets for every six months and the progress report
for the same will be communicated in a timely manner. That being said,
the targets will have to adapted based on specific findings.
• There is a list of films that has been added in further pages. I am
studying each of these films thoroughly. There is a table that specifies
the status of each.
• There are certain resource intensive tasks such as interviews, museum
visits and site visits that I have scheduled for when more monetary
resources are available.
• I have selected Noor Jahan’s character as an example to show the
comparison sketches that I plan to include throughout the project.
• I have included a list of books that I am studying and the status of each
of them.

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3. Roadblocks and Possible Solutions
• I am having trouble getting access to certain films for which I have
written an application to the Films Division. This might help me get
access to the film archives.
• Certain books are either too expensive or inaccessible so I am looking
for libraries within my city or outside where these books are available.

Historical Films for the Project

Ancient/ Prehistoric Films

1. Mohen Jo Daro
2. Judgement of Allah

Mughal Period
1. Sati Padmini (1924)
2. Mughal - E - Azam (1960)
3. Jodha Akbar (2008)
4. Sambhaji
5. Bajirao Mastani (1925)
6. Padmavat (2018)
7. Pukar
8. Nausherwan E Adil (1957)
9. Mirza Ghalib (1954)
10. Yahudi (1959)
11. Shah Jahan (1946)
12. Razia Sultan (1983)
13. Anarkali (1953)
14. Taj Mahal (2005)
15. Humanyun (1945)
16. Taj Mahal (1945)

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 17. Birbal My Brother (1973)
18. Baiju Bawra (1952)
19. Basant Bahar (1956)
20. Jahan Ara (1964)
21. Noorjehan (1967)

Morya Period
1. Asoka (2001)
2. Amrapali (1966)
3. Sikandar (1941)
4. Samrat Chandragupt (1945)
5. Chanakya
6. Siddhartha (1972)

British Raj/ Quit India

1. Shatranj Ke Khiladi
2. Gandhi (1982) Documentary
3. Mangal Pande (2005)
4. Shaheed (1948) (1965) (2002)
5. Amar Shaheed (1959)
6. Legend of Bhagat Singh
7. Veer Sawarkar
8. Sardar Patel, Ketan Mehta
9. Bose the forgotten hero & TV series
10. Tamas
11. Lagaan
12. Gadar
13. Tipu Sultan
14. Balidan (1927) About Tagore
15. Hey Ram (2000)
16. Gandhi (1982)
17. Jinnah (1998)
18. Water (2005)

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 19. Gandhi, My Father (2007)
20. Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara (2005)
21. Road to Sangam (2010)
22. Making of Mahatma (1996)
23. Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se (2010)
24. Chittagong
25. Sagina Mohto
26. Jhansi Ki Rani (1953) (2012)
27. Amar Shaheed
28. Rang De Basanti
29. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000)
30. Raag Desh : Birth Of A Nation (2017)
31. Junoon (1979) Shyam Benegal
32. A Passage to India (1984)
33. Garam Hawa (1973)
34. Dharmaputra (1961)
35. Earth (1998)
36. Partition (2007)
37. Veer (2010)
38. The Deceivers (1988)
39. Pinjar (2003)

Post Independence
1. Border
2. Partition
3. Ghaazi
4. 1971 (2007)

Classics
1. Vasant Sena (1942)
2. Utsav (1985)
3. Devdas
4. Bhoomika

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 5. Ramrajya (1943)
6. Shakuntala (1943)
7. Tulsidas ( 1954)
8. Mother India

Others
Gold
Pukar (1983)
Yadvi-The Dignified Princess (2017)
Raja Harishchandra
Alam Ara (1931)

List of books acquired so far

1. The city palace museum, Udaipur. Paintings of Mewar, Court Life by
Andrew Topsfield
2. India and it's inhabitants by Caleb Wright
3. The grammar of ornament by Oven Jones
4. Sculpture at Vijaynagar, Iconography and its style by Anna L.
Dallapiccola and Anila Verghese
5. The history of the Indian Police by Sir Persival Griffiths
6. The Armies of India by G.F Macmunn
7. The Art of Indian Asia by Henrich Zimmer
8. Mewar Under Maharana Kumbha and Medival Malwa by Dr. U. N. Day

Research Process
1. Breaking down the process of how costume is recreated for the purpose
of filming and identifying gaps that arise that hamper the authenticity of the
costumes
2. Costumes images and sketches are being assembled in period groupings

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that will enable the reader to study differences between actuals and the films
in question.
3. Observations based on the current fashion trends are being considered.
Example: If a certain film was made in 1930 and then again in the year 2017,
the final costumes might have been influenced by the fashion trends existing
in the respective years.
4. Observing the works of a particular stylist and gauging the patterns

Costume Design for Films

Every garment worn in a movie is considered a costume. Costumes are one
of many

tools the director has to tell the story. Costumes communicate the details of
a character’s personality to the audience, and help actors transform into new
and believable people on screen.

There is often confusion between costume design and fashion design;

however, these two fields and their objectives are very different. Fashion
designers have labels and sell their clothes, while costume designers have
no labels and are focused on creating authentic characters in a story.
Costume designers create both beautiful gowns for a glamorous entrance
and everyday clothes when required by the script. They must know “who”
characters “are” before they create a closet of clothes and accessories for the
characters. A costume is worn by one actor, as one specific character, in a
specific scene

or scenes in the story. Most important, the audience must believe that every
person in a story has a life before the movie begins.

The costume design process begins with studying the screenplay. Scripts
describe the action (what happens in the scene), the time period (when the
action takes place), the location (where the action takes place), and the
characters in each scene. After reading the script, the costume designer
meets with the director to discuss the overall vision for the film. Two

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different directors will make different movies from the same script. At the
first meeting with the director, the costume designer may learn about the
casting choices and specifics about characterization, the overall color palette
and the mood of the film.

After speaking with the director, the costume designer begins the research
portion of the design process. This may include research on the Internet and
at archives, museums and libraries; reviewing periodicals, school yearbooks
and family albums; and studying historical and contemporary visual
references. Research may also

include field trips to such locations as offices, hospitals and police stations,
depending on the setting of the story.

The designer’s goal is for the costumes to blend into the story seamlessly
and for the audience to be completely engaged in the story.

Throughout history, men and women have transformed their silhouette by

wearing corsets and petticoats, shoulder pads, large and small hats, low and
high heels. Although the audience may never see the underwear, it affects
an actor’s posture and how they walk, sit and breathe. An actress wearing a
period corset or girdle is more uncomfortable and more physically restricted
than if she were wearing modern underwear. Each historical setting
demands a different

Because different cameras and lighting affect the way colours and textures
look on film, costume designers work closely with cinematographers, who
create the look of a film. Patterns and textures that look great in person may
appear quite differently when photographed. When magnified on a movie
screen 40 feet wide, certain fabrics may be too distracting for a scene. A
camera test of costume, hair and makeup during pre-production is the best
way for the director, cinematographer and costume designer to achieve the
desired effect in the final film.

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 Example Case Study: Noor Jahan
Comparing Pukar, Taj Mahal and Noor Jehan with the
historical findings from various sources

She was the most influential wife of Jahangir. She had managed all state

affairs on behalf of Emperor Jahangir. She was a great queen and a woman

of great qualities. It was found from the historical evidence that Jahangir

had 300 hundred wives but he was particularly devoted to Noor Jahan. A

Kandahar immigrant of noble lineage, she was born on a caravan

travelling from Tehran to India. She married a Turkish solder and was

widowed 1607. She eventually caught the emperor`s eye and they were

married in 1611. She had a good aesthetic sense regarding the matter of

textiles. It was also taught that she had introduced the delicate art of white

embroidery the , which is associated with Lucknow (kumar:

2006). She had the ability to keep a cool head and remained calm and

poised in the middle of the crisis. Perhaps due to this unique quality she

can able to catch the heart of emperor. She was a guiding source for

Jahangir. Nurjahan also had a capable administrator.

Pukar




It is easier to take more creative liberties when the

movie is black and white. Fabrics and colourful
jewellery can be experimented with.

We don’t see Noor Jahan

wearing long hair attachments
here even though the paintings
and portraits all have her
wearing long pearl earrings.
However, a similar effect is
achieved using long earrings
 Taj Mahal

Netted fabric does not appear

in any of the portraits except
for the dressed down look of
Noor Jahan but Taj Mahal has
used nets for the veils to
create a distinct look for the
film. 


In the movie Pukar, Naseem

Bano does not have a maang
tika (more authentic) but in Taj
Mahal, Veena Kumari who has
a larger forehead, has one to
cover a part of it.
 Noorjehan (1967)



The headgear has a long

pearl extension to create
the effect of the long hair
extensions in the
portraits. However, this
is a creative liberty.

The Maang Tika has

been made much
narrower than the one
in Taj Mahal to go with
the face of Meena
Kumari. Maang Tika
does not appear very
often in Noor Jahan’s
depiction in history.

Research

Portraits are used as a reference for Noor

Jahan’s look. The designers of the two
movies have stayed as authentic as
possible in congruence with the overall
look of the films.
 


Hair Attachment

Earrings along with the hair attachment

gives the look that the earrings itself are
long.
Pearls were an integral part of Noor Jahan’s attire. 

Several layers are worn
before the final outfit is
ready for everyone to see.
The layering is what gives
the look to the royal
dresses.
Fabrics were decorated with the art of block printing. The cloth printing came to India in 13th
century along with the Mughal. , a kind of low graded fabric was generally used for block
printing. The block printing was further decorated with the technique of stamping with pure gold
and silver. Attractive fine embroidery and work were made on the fabric. Here it can be
mentioned that the development of work associated with the name of Nurjahan, the wife of
Jahangir. It is thought that, she introduced the delicate art of white on white embroidery. With
the coming of the Mughal, a new era seems to down in the history of India in the field of
costume are concerned. The evidence found from the various painting reveals the dressing
style of Mughal. Here the example can be taken of the Mughal These were all long and narrow.
The width of the fabric also varied slightly. The average width was about 19 and half inches.
The length on the other hand varied greatly. Each of the fabric was double folded along the
length so the width was reduced to half (Mittal: 2011). The belt of waist is associated with
Central Asian wear, the evidence found from the later Mughal painting reveals this fact. From
the time of great Akbar there are clear references of as a part of royal dress. He has renamed
girdle a ´´ The first part of the name coming from Sanskrit , which means waist and the second
from the Persian means adorning. The whole word thus means, which 160 adorns the waist.
The evidence found from the miniature painting clearly describes the fact that according to the
taste of the emperor the designs of the varied. For example, worn during the period ofJahangir
seem to have been patterned with motif in geometric arrangement, where the emphases were
given in the motifs of flowering plant in naturalistic arrangement during the reign of Sahajahan.
Some of the were printed and embroidered. These were the representation of elegancy and
worn by the dignitaries and royal ladies.