For youth attracted by the glitz, glamour and lights of the film and television industry, new career opportunities are available. To a lengthening list add costumes and accessories design

Despite 95 percent of the estimated 1,500-2,000 feature films produced annually in India flopping at the box office — with Mumbai-based studios and hastily incorporated firms of Bollywood contributing most heavily to production and flops — mysteriously the flow of funds into the film (and television) industry shows no signs of drying up. Production budgets are getting bigger, exotic foreign locales are the norm and costumes and special effects are becoming brighter and more spectacular.

As a consequence, a spate of new career opportunities have opened up for ambitious youth attracted by the glitz, glamour and bright lights of the film and television industry. Among them: sound, lighting, continuity, catering, transportation, choreography and make-up specialists. And to this list add the newly emergent specialisation of costumes and accessories design.

A costumes designer is an expert professional who advises the director to dress characters appropriately and credibly to enhance the overall impact of a film or television show. For instance, for historical or period narratives, costumes designers have to undertake extensive research to ascertain how people from different strata of society were dressed at the time, and commission clothes and costumes. Whether a film is set in Victorian England, village India at the time of independence (as in the hit movie Lagaan) or in 21st century urban India, clothing characters appropriately enhances actors’ appeal and adds value and authenticity to the audio-visual experience of audiences.

Since there aren’t specialised study programmes in film costumes design in India, for those interested in this high-potential profession it would be best to sign up for the three-year degree programme of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Delhi which has branches in Kolkata, Mumbai, Gandhinagar, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, or the four-year textiles design programme of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Another, perhaps more appropriate option, is the three-year diploma course in dramatic arts of the National School of Drama (NSD), Delhi, which also covers sets and costumes design modules. After graduation the usual career trajectory is to intern with a costumes designer working on a big budget film or teleserial. Once you’ve learned the tricks of the trade, it won’t be difficult to land assignments, as the Indian film, TV and OTT industry is expanding rapidly.
“You need to know an actor/star or a director to get a break in this field since it involves their reposing faith in your ability to deliver. The money isn’t as good as other specialisations in the film industry since the wives of lead actors and relatives of producers and choreographers all want to get involved in dress and costumes design to earn pin money,” warns Salim Arif, a well-established and celebrated costumes designer for teleserials such as Shyam Benegal’s Bharat Ek Khoj, Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s Chanakya, Gulzar’s Mirza Ghalib, Nirja Guleri’s Chandrakanta and several feature films including Ketan Mehta’s Sardar, Gulzar’s Maachis, Govind Nihalani’s Takshak and Mani Ratnam’s Guru, among others.

Currently heading the department of Culture Studies at the Whistling Woods International Film Academy, Mumbai, Arif is an arts graduate of Lucknow University, the Bhartendu Natya Academy, Lucknow and the National School of Drama, where he specialised in direction and design. After graduating from NSD in 1984, he worked in direction and stage and costumes design with acclaimed directors such as Amol Palekar and Habib Tanvir, among others.

“At NSD, designing sets and costumes was part of our training and even as students we were involved in costumes design for NSD productions. When Shyam Benegal was planning Bharat Ek Khoj and needed assistance for designing the period look of the television series, art director Nitish Roy introduced me to him, and I landed the assignment in 1989. Subsequently I was retained to design the costumes for Mirza Ghalib. I believe my training in costumes design and insistence on period authenticity helped me bag these two prestigious assignments,” recalls Arif, who adds that he and his team of 40 had to design 150 costumes of various characters in the teleserial Bharat Ek Khoj.

According to Arif, sets and costumes design in Indian cinema tend to suffer in comparison with Hollywood where costumes and apparel designers are highly respected and directors encourage authenticity. “Unfortunately in Bollywood which is star-driven, characterisation takes a back seat and period authenticity is often a casualty,” he says.

Nevertheless, Arif believes there is a promising future for costumes designers in Indian cinema and television which is becoming increasingly professionalised. “Film producers and directors are now making realistic films and attitudes are changing. However, there should be specialised courses in sets and costumes design. It would be in the public interest if institutions such as NIFT and the Film and Television Institute of India introduced courses on costumes design,” suggests Arif.

Take one. Roll!

(Excerpted and adapted from 101 Great Careers for the 21st Century by Indra Gidwani)