Monday 1 April 2013
Tollywood Spends Big on Fashion
Forget dolling up the leading ladies, if the latest trend is anything to go by, filmmakers are leaving no stone unturned to make our heroes look stylish on screen.
Lavishness, thy name is Tollywood. From splurging on extravagant sets to a huge chunk of the movie budget finding its way to the hero's bank account — nothing spells money like a Tollywood film . But it's not just the remunerations, sets or other production costs that are causing a huge dent in the producer's pockets. Of late, Tollywood is getting more haute than ever, on screen that is.
Our heroes and their stylists are leaving no stone unturned to make a fashion statement while packing a punch or romancing their leading ladies. And in a bid to stand out and 'wear' their attitude on their sleeves, literally, a huge chunk of money is being spent on movie costumes. And going by the number of films that boast of copious sums being splurged on clothing, looks like producers don't mind being generous to ensure our heroes have their stylish moment on the 70mm.
Actor NTR Jr's real-life fashion mantra off-screen might be subdued. But his forthcoming film sees him donning a Swarovski jacket worth `10 lakh! "We wanted the character, Baadshah, to look as extravagant as his name and we spent a whopping sum on NTR's costumes," admits stylist Ashwin Mawle, credited for designing the costumes in the film. Speaking in detail on the outfits that the actor will don in the movie, Mawle says, "In the film, NTR Jr sports a black leather jacket — we call it the iconic Baadshah jacket. An amount close to `10 lakhs has been spent on it. It has a lot of metallic rivets around the collar. Apart from that, the other shirts and jackets he sports in the film have a signature crown on the pockets which are made of Swarovski crystals."
Apart from NTR Jr, actor Nani too will be seen sporting two Swarovski-encrusted ensembles in his forthcoming film, Paisa. And in this case too, an extravagant sum of `4.5 lakhs has been spent! Maddy, the stylist of the film, says, "When Krishna Vamsi sir gave me the brief of a stylish leading man in lavish costumes, I immediately thought of crystal-encrusted clothes, since the crystals glitter like diamonds. Both the outfits have more than 2 to 2.5 lakh crystals embellished on them. Since they were not available at our shooting location, we got the red crystals all the way from Austria."
While these mind boggling numbers could make even Mr Moneybags break into cold sweat, producers on the other hand, have no qualms digging deep into their wallets. Ramesh Puppala, producer of Paisa, explains that in order to look the part, a huge sum has been spent on the actor's wardrobe. "Since the plot deals with money and how a person can spend lavishly if he lays his hands on a huge sum, we want to focus on the actor's wardrobe. When the idea of a crystal-encrusted outfit came up, we agreed to it immediately as we felt that such an outfit can elevate the actor's style quotient. An amount to the tune of `5 lakhs was spent only on that," explains Puppala.
Meanwhile, stylist Roopa Vaitla defends the exorbitant expenditure on costumes, calling it the "need for characterisation". "Our movies are larger-than-life. Obviously the characters in the films have to reflect that. The need for expensive costumes totally depends on the role and character of the actor. For example, if an actor plays a don on screen, you have to portray him in that avatar and have to establish that sort of an aura around him. It's only such outfits coupled with a few trademark mannerisms that can get him the required attention. You can't show him in regular outfits," explains Roopa.
It's however, not just the need to look extravagant on screen that prompts most to spend big bucks on fashion. For an actor like Allu Arjun, who is known to be extremely stylish off screen as well, it's all about keeping up with the image of a 'style icon'. The actor, we hear, is pulling out all stops to ensure his forthcoming movie, Iddarammayilatho, will set new trends in Tollywood fashion. "Allu Arjun's costumes for Iddarammayilatho are totally unique," says Mawle, who has styled him in the film. "In fact, each costume is unique and I can safely say that it's for the first time in T-Town perhaps, that an actor has gone all out to try different accessorisation for the outfits. Right from denims and shoes to the smallest detail like buttons, we want everything to be trendy. I'm sure once the film hits the screens, youngsters will copy Bunny's style statement," explains the stylist.
And it's not just the 'Stylish Star' who is making attempts to change his looks. According to Mawle, even Mahesh Babu is making major adjustments to his filmi wardrobe. "For Sukumar's film, Mahesh Babu has consciously opted for a different look — something that he hasn't tried in his earlier films. Though I can't reveal much, the look is in sync with his character and will also make a major style statement off screen as well," confides Mawle.
Lavishness, thy name is Tollywood. From splurging on extravagant sets to a huge chunk of the movie budget finding its way to the hero's bank account — nothing spells money like a Tollywood film . But it's not just the remunerations, sets or other production costs that are causing a huge dent in the producer's pockets. Of late, Tollywood is getting more haute than ever, on screen that is.
Our heroes and their stylists are leaving no stone unturned to make a fashion statement while packing a punch or romancing their leading ladies. And in a bid to stand out and 'wear' their attitude on their sleeves, literally, a huge chunk of money is being spent on movie costumes. And going by the number of films that boast of copious sums being splurged on clothing, looks like producers don't mind being generous to ensure our heroes have their stylish moment on the 70mm.
Actor NTR Jr's real-life fashion mantra off-screen might be subdued. But his forthcoming film sees him donning a Swarovski jacket worth `10 lakh! "We wanted the character, Baadshah, to look as extravagant as his name and we spent a whopping sum on NTR's costumes," admits stylist Ashwin Mawle, credited for designing the costumes in the film. Speaking in detail on the outfits that the actor will don in the movie, Mawle says, "In the film, NTR Jr sports a black leather jacket — we call it the iconic Baadshah jacket. An amount close to `10 lakhs has been spent on it. It has a lot of metallic rivets around the collar. Apart from that, the other shirts and jackets he sports in the film have a signature crown on the pockets which are made of Swarovski crystals."
Apart from NTR Jr, actor Nani too will be seen sporting two Swarovski-encrusted ensembles in his forthcoming film, Paisa. And in this case too, an extravagant sum of `4.5 lakhs has been spent! Maddy, the stylist of the film, says, "When Krishna Vamsi sir gave me the brief of a stylish leading man in lavish costumes, I immediately thought of crystal-encrusted clothes, since the crystals glitter like diamonds. Both the outfits have more than 2 to 2.5 lakh crystals embellished on them. Since they were not available at our shooting location, we got the red crystals all the way from Austria."
While these mind boggling numbers could make even Mr Moneybags break into cold sweat, producers on the other hand, have no qualms digging deep into their wallets. Ramesh Puppala, producer of Paisa, explains that in order to look the part, a huge sum has been spent on the actor's wardrobe. "Since the plot deals with money and how a person can spend lavishly if he lays his hands on a huge sum, we want to focus on the actor's wardrobe. When the idea of a crystal-encrusted outfit came up, we agreed to it immediately as we felt that such an outfit can elevate the actor's style quotient. An amount to the tune of `5 lakhs was spent only on that," explains Puppala.
Meanwhile, stylist Roopa Vaitla defends the exorbitant expenditure on costumes, calling it the "need for characterisation". "Our movies are larger-than-life. Obviously the characters in the films have to reflect that. The need for expensive costumes totally depends on the role and character of the actor. For example, if an actor plays a don on screen, you have to portray him in that avatar and have to establish that sort of an aura around him. It's only such outfits coupled with a few trademark mannerisms that can get him the required attention. You can't show him in regular outfits," explains Roopa.
It's however, not just the need to look extravagant on screen that prompts most to spend big bucks on fashion. For an actor like Allu Arjun, who is known to be extremely stylish off screen as well, it's all about keeping up with the image of a 'style icon'. The actor, we hear, is pulling out all stops to ensure his forthcoming movie, Iddarammayilatho, will set new trends in Tollywood fashion. "Allu Arjun's costumes for Iddarammayilatho are totally unique," says Mawle, who has styled him in the film. "In fact, each costume is unique and I can safely say that it's for the first time in T-Town perhaps, that an actor has gone all out to try different accessorisation for the outfits. Right from denims and shoes to the smallest detail like buttons, we want everything to be trendy. I'm sure once the film hits the screens, youngsters will copy Bunny's style statement," explains the stylist.
And it's not just the 'Stylish Star' who is making attempts to change his looks. According to Mawle, even Mahesh Babu is making major adjustments to his filmi wardrobe. "For Sukumar's film, Mahesh Babu has consciously opted for a different look — something that he hasn't tried in his earlier films. Though I can't reveal much, the look is in sync with his character and will also make a major style statement off screen as well," confides Mawle.
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