When Nandini, arguably the most complex character in Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Ponniyin Selvan, had to be reimagined for the big screen in Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus of the same title, the makers had to pay attention to every nuance and fine line there is to create an aura of mystique around her. The same went for other characters, who were brought to life through the actors’ striking performances, euphonic music, palatial sets, immersive cinematography, and tightly-packed screenplay, but not without the help of their meticulously designed jewellery and costumes.
The historical drama does not use exquisite jewels and costumes for an ostentatious flare-up. Nor does it take the ‘grandeur for grandeur’s sake’ approach, as is often the case with films in the same genre. Instead, PS-1 lends layers to the plot and the characters. For instance, the dynamic between Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s deceitful Nandini and her husband, an overly affectionate Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar (Sarath Kumar), is mirrored in a scene when she asserts the latter to unhook her chain. In yet another scene, portraying a heated face-off between Nandini and the Chola princess Kundavai (Trisha), we see how their sartorial elegance (ornate silk clothes, Kundavai’s top knot bun and Nandini’s andal kondai or side hair bun) add to the tension between the characters, albeit in a subtle manner.
Aditha Karikalan (Vikram)’s dark armour with engravings of the tiger emblem adds to his rugged and majestic persona, while Jayam Ravi’s Arulmozhi is bedecked in silk outfits with gold borders and gold ornaments, reasserting his position as the prince who can win hearts in the blink of an eye. The film also uses jewels as an indicator of the character’s positioning in the palace hierarchy. Vanathi (Sobhita Dhulipala), a princess, is seen wearing ruby-encrusted gold jewels, while the boatwoman Poonkuzhali (Aishwarya Lekshmi) is adorned in silver jewellery.
Following the film’s theatrical release on September 30, TNM caught up with Ponniyin Selvan’s jewellery designer Pratiksha Prashant of Kishandas & Co, to decode how the handcrafted ornaments inspired from the Chola era were brought to screen in all their glory.
How did Kishandas & Co come on board for PS-1? When did you sign the project?
Eka Lakhani, Ponniyin Selvan’s costume designer, had heard about us and was keen on getting us on board. Actor Aditi Rao, who is a common friend, introduced us to Eka. We signed the project in May 2019. That was when Madras Talkies briefed us about the project, and we started our research, work and pre-production. The shoot started around November or December that year. But designing and making the jewellery for the movie was an ongoing process, throughout the shoot.
Can you walk me through the designing process?
The designing team, led by Prashant, my husband, his brother, Nithin, and me, involved six artisans/jewellery designers. The making process took a total of around six months — from finding inspiration to studying the history and character specifications. Up to 50 craftsmen worked on this.
For jewellery, we tried to dive deeper into the kind of trade routes that the Cholas had with other regions. We found that they had trade routes with lands including today’s Burma, so we used a lot of rubies in the jewellery. We were already given relevant data and briefs about the Cholas. We couldn’t use any motifs or symbols involving Vishnu or Krishna, because the Cholas were Shaivites by faith. Instead, we have used birds, flowers and flora-fauna motifs seen in temple sculptures. They also gave us a rundown of each character's appearance and hairstyle. The jewellery was then conceptualised in accordance with the character’s signature look and style of clothes, so that everything merges into the palette seamlessly.
Jewellery designer Pratiksha Prashant, the creative director and CEO of Kishandas and Co.
What types of jewellery pieces were designed for Nandini and Kundavai? What were the kinds of stones and materials used?
The pieces of jewellery adorned by the cast members play a key part in the plotline. They depict the stature and persona of the character. The jewellery was designed to complement their silhouettes, while also allowing the characters to shine. Nandini, Kundavai, Vaanathi, and the queen mothers, all had their own hairstyles and identities. Traditional jewellery such as nose pins, vankis (armlets), arm bands, vaddanams (waist belts), hair pieces, and neck pieces with traditional motifs were created. The queen and princesses were adorned in ornaments inspired by temple jewellery. This included the thussis, long and medium necklaces, the maang tikkas and maatha pattis (forehead jewellery), jhumkas (earrings), rings and bangles, hair accessories, vankis, hip chains, and armlets made in gold — all predominantly set in burmese rubies, and some in emeralds and uncut diamonds.
Kundavai (Trisha) and Vanathi (Sobhita Dhulipala) in Sol song from Ponniyin Selvan. Source: Screengrab/ YouTube
If you had to choose one design that was the most difficult to crack, which one would it be?
At that particular time, one piece I found difficult to crack was the signet ring with a palm tree emblem in it. Figuring out the signature pieces for princes Aditha Karikalan and Ponniyin Selvan, who are fierce warriors. The Chola empire's emblem, the tiger, also needed to be incorporated into the design. Men used to wear a lot of jewellery in the past, such as armlets, belts, body chains and kadas (bracelets), so we had to make jewellery accordingly. We incorporated the ‘tiger’ into the rings, as well as the armbands designed for men to wear as part of their armour.
Did any of your previous projects, or the work done by jewellery designers in other Indian historical dramas like Baahubali, Jodha Akbar etc, help you in the process?
Yes, we have been associated with a couple of movies before, but it was just for a scene or two. I love watching films. I am a huge fan of movies such as Jodha Akbar, Padmavat and Baahubali, and I have watched them all multiple times. However, they have not helped us find specific inspiration for Ponniyin Selvan, because the period and cultural background we are showcasing here is very different from all of those films. Padmavat is very Rajputana, Jodha Akbar is Mughal, and Baahubali is fictional. After signing the project, I did watch the movies again to closely observe and understand how close we need to get to the subject, and what kind of cinematographic liberties we could and could not take. It helped us see how the general audience views jewellery and how they relate to it. These movies helped us understand and push the boundaries.
How were the jewels and costumes managed on the sets?
We had to hire bouncers and security guards for the jewellery, especially on the days when there were hectic scenes. Some of the bigger scenes featured a lot of actors, and since we had a lot of real jewellery, we had to hire security. Especially when we were shooting in outdoor locations like the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, or other locations like Rajmani or Maheshwar (Madhya Pradesh), a lot of the general public had gAthered to witness the shoot.
The looks of actors Trisha and Aishwarya Rai, from the movie as well as during the off-screen promotional events, were widely discussed pre-release. What kind of effort went into their styling choices?
Onscreen looks were curated after a lot of trials, and with a lot of effort. For promotional events, we had to stick to the aesthetics of a period film. Of course, in real life, the actors didn’t look like their characters in the film. So they were dressed in sarees, salwars or flowy dresses, all with an Indian touch. We didn't want them to look totally different from their characters in the film. Instead we had made a deliberate attempt to keep their off-screen looks coherent to that of the movie.
Do you think their PS-1 looks would influence fashion trends ?
We sincerely hope they will become a trend. The jewellery worn by the ladies of the film are very much in tune with today’s bridal wear. Vintage-style historical jewellery becomes every bride's need and want. We have worked very hard to try and achieve the signature looks of the characters, in terms of both costumes and jewellery.