The Silent Storyteller: Paradise Costume Designer Shilpi Agarwal on the Role of Clothes in Film

Every character in a film has a story to tell. This distinctive element is often conveyed subtly through their personality traits, the way they think, speak, react and also the way they dress. Film costume designer Shilpi Agarwal delves deeper into the process in an exclusive conversation with Hindustan Times where she talks about her recent work on Prasanna Vithanag’s critically acclaimed Paradise. | Also read: Paradise review: A marriage put to the test in Prasanna Vithanage’s tightly controlled drama

The hardest part of being a costume designer

Although Agarwal was never a fashion enthusiast growing up, she found her true calling in her early 20s when she got the opportunity to be a part of the 2008 film Rock On!! She left her comfortable 9-to-5 job in retail and found herself fascinated by the colour palettes, textures and prints that bring a character to life on screen. “We would work from 5am till late at night. But I realised that I really loved the craziness here, even though it was something I wasn’t used to. I wasn’t prepared for it at all because it was out of my comfort zone. But I realised that it was something I really loved.”

But the long, indefinite hours aren’t the hardest part for a costume designer. “Every project has its own challenges. The most exciting part is defining the looks and the palette to give the character a personality. Ironically, the hardest and most exciting tasks are the same for a costume designer.”

On Using Clothing as a Silent Weapon in Storytelling

Talking about the creative process behind the project, she added, “First, you understand the storyline, the evolution of the character. Then I visualise his personality, his likes and dislikes. Even the mood of the film, the scene and the way the narration unfolds is important.” For Agarwal, it should be a “subconscious thing”.

“The costumes shouldn’t take over. For the viewer, the costume shouldn’t stand out. It should blend in with the character’s personality and integrate with them. That’s what I try to do, to make it fit in organically. As a viewer, you see the film, not the costume,” she adds.

On working on Paradise

Talking about his experience of working with filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage, Agarwal said, “Prasanna is a gentleman. He gave me complete freedom and I had ideas for both the characters. I worked on the palette first.”

Presented by Mani Ratnam, Paradise is set against the backdrop of the 2022 financial crisis in Sri Lanka. It follows the journey of Amritha (Darshana Rajendran) and Keshav (Roshan Mathew) who find themselves in the middle of the turmoil as their relationship is put to the test. The theme of the film is rather sober and the costumes should reflect the same, Agarwal points out.

“I wanted to give Amritha indigos and blues. For her, I opted for natural dyes and fabrics like cotton, which helped represent Indian craftsmanship. Keshav was a very ambitious and stylish person, so red was his colour. They had quite contrasting personalities. Each script has different methods. The mood of the film is dark, so these two characters had to convey the same thing.”

Upcoming projects

Agarwal has captured simplicity (Newton), Indian folklore and crafts (Picasso) and rural India in the 90s (Bhagwaan Bharose) on screen in her work. The next fashion era she wants to explore would be a period film. “I would love to work on a period film because there is so much research, textures and fabrics involved, something I love to play with. There is so much to do. It’s so nice to go to the primary source and buy things there. I love doing fieldwork and visiting the location where the film is set, to see how people are actually dressed there. It helps bring authenticity to the screen.”

When asked if her life is a film and what colour palette her character would best reflect, Agarwal says, “black, blue and red,” symbolising ambition. Agarwal indeed has an ambitious journey ahead of her. For now, the designer has her work cut out for her with a slew of upcoming projects including Naseeruddin Shah’s Minimum and the Marathi film Toh, Ti ani Fuji starring Mrinmayee Godbole.