How Bollywood Costume Design is Shaping Storytelling

Costumes successful Bollywood person agelong been oculus candy—designed to dazzle, trend, and sell. But implicit the past decade, a quiescent gyration has been reshaping this notion. Today, wardrobes are nary longer conscionable decorative; they are deliberate, profoundly researched extensions of the script.

From socio-economic markers to affectional cues, costumes successful Hindi films are becoming almighty tools of storytelling—often saying much than dialog itself.From Fashion to Function: The Rise of Character-First StyleCostume plan successful Bollywood has evolved from glamour-driven spectacle to immersive storytelling. Designers similar Poornamrita Singh and Arjun Bhasin redefined this attack successful Gully Boy (2019). Murad's look—a premix of streetwear knock-offs, ragged hoodies, fake Adidas sneakers, surma, and talismans—visually anchored him successful Dharavi’s world and mirrored his affectional travel from underdog to underground icon.Similarly, successful Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022), decorator Sheetal Sharma wove quality arc into each look. From monochrome sarees with gold-buttoned blouses to elaborate Kathiawadi jewellery, adjacent the mode Alia Bhatt draped her pallu signaled Gangu’s transformation—from brothel miss to mafia matriarch.The New Collaborators: Designing successful Sync with Directors and ActorsBollywood’s costuming process is present an ensemble effort. Designers are nary longer brought successful conscionable to formal stars—they're embedded aboriginal into the originative process, becoming portion of the ocular storytelling team.

Costume Designer Amritha Ram, who worked connected Thug Life with Kamal Haasan and manager Mani Ratnam, shared with ETimes her elaborate process of crafting looks that hint the protagonist’s travel from younker to affectional and carnal transformation. In her ain words:"So with this film, I had 3 antithetic stages of his character, and each signifier was precise clear. The archetypal 1 was a precise young look—it was a 90s look. So we focused connected tones and everything, and it turned retired to enactment well.The 2nd and 3rd looks were precise important. You determination from the younger look to the middle-aged look wherever helium resides successful Delhi. We looked astatine what a thug would mostly deterioration successful Delhi. Mani sir was precise wide astir keeping it minimal—not over-exaggerating oregon adding excessively much. He said Kamal sir’s quality speaks for itself. He’s an histrion who needs to beryllium kept perfectly minimalistic.

So we added 1 signature watch. Back then, integer watches were truly fashionable and easy disposable successful the achromatic markets and bazaars, truthful we gave him a capsule integer watch—which you'll observe successful the 2nd look.

Initially, helium wears a golden ticker that helium gifts to Mr Simbu. Then, aft helium gets backmost from jail, we spell with the integer ticker and a precise simple, understated khada. Not the regular one, but thing somewhat similar—we kept it precise elemental and clean.Everything other is conscionable what you see—it each fell into place. The colour palettes were designed to beryllium precise neutral—white, beige, brown—and of course, midnight bluish and black. We utilized lukewarm and chill tones for that peculiar look, and hairsbreadth that went with it.

Mani sir had adjacent fixed maine an illustration of however helium wanted everything other to look isolated from the clothes.How Mani sir works is—first I travel up with a costume board, past we beryllium and enactment connected it together. He picks what helium wants, and past we spell up and marque everything. Then we person a proceedings day—which is much than conscionable a proceedings day. It’s a time we finalize the looks. We effort everything connected Kamal sir, Mani sir takes pictures, and past we shortlist.

There mightiness beryllium 1 much round, oregon we whitethorn extremity it there. By the clip we scope the shoot, we cognize precisely what we want.

Auditions and improvs are ever there, but astir of it is set—and if we request to bash thing extra, we cognize what that mightiness be.

Look 3 follows the character’s travel completely. He’s successful Nepal, untamed—his beard grows bigger and wider. He grows his hairsbreadth agelong and textured. We tried a batch with the hair. For the aesthetic, we looked astatine what comes from Nepal.

It had to beryllium understated but precise relaxed.I prepared a committee again, and sir went done it. We had 2 days of sprout for this look. On the archetypal day, we made a acceptable of outfits, tried them out, and past the manager chose a bunch. We worked much connected those. For this look, we decided connected “no color”—you’ll spot greenish and black, and that’s astir it. It had to bespeak the mindset of the character.There was 1 much item we focused on: for a antheral who lives successful Delhi, who has ever worn elemental suits—shirts and trousers since his young age—to determination into this look, we didn’t privation thing excessively stylish.

We wanted thing appropriate. There’s adjacent a dialog successful the movie wherever his woman says, “Oh my god, is this new? Did you prime each this for me? This looks similar a costume for a movie.” That’s however profoundly it’s woven in. Everything fell into place.

It was a large process for me.”Eka Lakhani, known for her enactment successful Sanju and Rocket Boys, took collaboration a measurement further. She reportedly met existent radical connected to the biopics to replicate wardrobes that felt lived-in, not curated.

Costume designers contiguous are nary longer stylists—they're storytellers who enactment hand-in-hand with DOPs, directors, and actors to visually publication a character’s arc.

Case Studies: When Costumes Become Characters:Gully Boy

Murad’s travel is disposable successful each outfit. From second-hand hoodies to upgraded stage-wear, his covering evolves with his assurance and ambition. Poornamrita Singh and Arjun Bhasin’s detailing—be it a threadbare backpack oregon MC Sher’s layered accessories—spoke volumes without words.Gangubai Kathiawadi

Sheetal Sharma referenced Mughal silhouettes and determination Kathiawad traditions. Her displacement from fabric sarees to jadau-embellished ensembles mirrored Gangubai’s emergence successful power—and isolation.Animal

Ranbir Kapoor’s wardrobe—distressed leather, wolfpack-inspired jackets, and crisp occidental silhouettes—mirrored the protagonist’s interior chaos. Costumes present didn't scream; they simmered.Chhaava

This upcoming humanities play starring Vicky Kaushal and Rashmika Mandanna is simply a standout illustration of character-first styling successful 2025.

Costume decorator Sheetal Sharma invested an full twelvemonth researching 17th-century Maratha attire—traveling to Paithani textile hubs similar Paithan and Narayanpeth, restoring 500-year-old saree borders, and sourcing authentic accessories from Kolhapur and Ratnagiri. . The result? A visually rich, culturally rooted wardrobe wherever each Paithani drape and dense ornament underscores the protagonist’s royal lineage and affectional depth.Sardar Udham

Period authenticity was crucial. Designers employed vintage watches from Delhi’s achromatic markets and agrarian khadi textures to recreate the socio-political world of the state fighter’s world.Accessories That TalkTiny details often transportation the heaviest affectional weight. In Thug Life, a ticker sourced from Delhi’s grey markets hinted astatine the character’s nexus to illicit endurance economies. In Gully Boy, MC Sher’s layered chains contrasted Murad’s bare essentials—highlighting people quality adjacent successful friendship.

In Gangubai, ornate jadau shoes and Kathiawadi shenan jewellery offered glimpses into Gangu’s loneliness masked arsenic grandeur.Trial Day: The Creative RehearsalTrial days—early wardrobe investigating connected set—are present treated similar affectional rehearsals. Actors and designers usage this clip to research silhouettes, cloth textures, and styling that consciousness “right” for the character. These sessions besides assistance DOPs trial however fabrics determination nether airy oregon camera setups.

It’s nary longer astir what “looks good” but what feels truthful.

Minimalism vs. Commercial Hero StylingDespite progress, a originative tug-of-war continues betwixt character-first styling and glamorous hero-centric wardrobes. Directors similar Mani Ratnam oregon Shoojit Sircar thin toward authenticity, often opting for subtle, layered looks that pass without spectacle. Others—particularly successful masala cinema—still pursuit high-impact visuals.

Designers navigating some worlds often work the publication successful extent to make benignant that emerges from the quality alternatively than imposing glam for glam’s sake.

This duality is disposable successful films similar Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, wherever accepted opulence is balanced with personality-driven quirks.Sustainability and Regional AuthenticityAnother displacement is towards conscious costuming. Designers similar Manoshi Nath and Rushi Sharma (of Fool’s Paradise) introduced sustainable practices successful PK, utilizing recycled fabrics and pre-loved covering from agrarian communities. They besides forged nonstop relationships with section artisans, ensuring authenticity and livelihood.

In Bajirao Mastani, decorator Anju Modi crafted intricate wardrobes with existent Persian influences—embroidered angrakhas, zardozi detailing, and authentic turbans—to bespeak the mixed Maratha-Mughal practice of the characters.Final Stitch: Costumes Are the New DialogueCostumes successful Bollywood contiguous are nary longer conscionable eye-candy oregon inclination statements. They’re quiescent yet commanding voices successful the story—amplifying emotion, exposing subtext, and adding determination oregon humanities weight. With each drape, accessory, oregon cloth choice, designers are not conscionable dressing actors—they’re penning screenplays successful silk and denim.Because sometimes, what a quality wears says what they can’t.