,ASHWINI DESHMUKH ,TNN
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By hooks or by crook.
The new Sony TV launch, Amber Dhara , is the story of twins and how they battle out in the big bad world. Everything about the show was challenging, but dressing the twins was trickiest of all. The designers Runali Bhagat and Karishma Lalani did extensive research to ensure that the costume for the twins was not only good but also comfortable and easy to wear. Runali Bhagat shares her experience of dolling up Amber and Dhara. She says, "We had to design costumes that were nowhere close to being normal. It was not just the complexities and the difficulties that we faced while designing, but we also had to keep the comfort of the girls in mind." Runali continues, "We had to avoid using stiff fabrics. We stuck to lycra and other stretchable materials for easy movements. After much experimentation we got the tact and skill right. We also had to keep in mind the personalities of the conjoined girls and design two different costumes. While Amber is very modern and outgoing with a western outlook, Dhara is traditional and subdued. We also couldn't afford to let them look shabby on the screen." She shudders as she recalls that initially everything would come apart but they continued to experiment. Runali says, "For keeping their costumes together, we experimented with velcro, touch buttons, hooks etc. We've used special zips that can attach and detach any two different costumes," explains Runali. What kind of home work did the designers have to do while designing for the twins? "We watched the film Stuck on You to see how the garments were attached together. Our tailors had no concept of conjoined twins, so it was a difficult task to explain it to the masterji (tailor). The tailors would often ridicule us saying 'are you all mad, aise bhi kapde koi pehenta hai?' I must tell you that the girls were completely flabbergasted with their new costumes," says Runali. Since Runali and Karishma had other commitments too, they had to hand over the task to designer Amrish. Amrish, who is handling the next schedule of the serial, says," I've been on the job for two months and it is important to make the twins look as real as possible keeping their individual characteristics intact. The look, however, changes with the storyline. This is definitely the most challenging job I've ever taken up." Amrish adds, "I'm amazed at their support and co-operation in experimenting and trying out new things." |
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"Sonya is a gorgeous girl and the only daughter of one of the richest and most influential men of the hill station. She has been brought up like a princess but she is a brat with loads of attitude. She wants power and fame and will resort to any means to achieve it," elaborates Shweta who finds it bit difficult to play an outright negative character. "It is my first negative role and I am finding it difficult to bring out the grey shades. The director keeps reminding me that Sonya is not a good girl. He keeps telling me to behave like a bad girl and bring out the venom. It's taken me a while to get into the groove of the character." Sonya, who is used to attention, does not like it when the Siamese sisters start stealing the limelight from her. "She can't take defeat sportingly and believes that she is the best. But when Amber and Dhara are around, things are different and she cannot take it," Shweta elaborates further. Things go from bad to worse when her love interest Akshat also falls in love with one of the conjoined twins. The story moves from the hill station to Mumbai when Amber and Dahara come to the city to pursue Amber's dream of making it big in the world of music and Sonya follows them. "Sonya also has interest in music and she wants to become a music star. So the conflict with Amber and Dhara will continue," says Shweta who did not work for more than five days in a month for the past one year. "I slept a lot, took care of my dog and watched a lot of television to keep myself abreast of what's happening in various soaps. None of the soaps interest me but I was really hooked on to reality TV." If she is playing a negative character for the first time she is also doing her first comedy show with Jigar Ma Badi Aag Hai. "It's about three con men and I am playing the girl-next-door who is the love interest of one of the boys. I don't know how good I am at comedy but I guess I can manage it," she adds. The actress lives on her own in a rented apartment in a western suburb of Mumbai while her parents stay in the central side of the metropolis. "I decided to move into my place in order to save time while commuting. But it's also a sign of financial independence," she admits. Shweta loves holidaying once in every four months and her favourite destination is Goa. "I just love the place," she adds. |
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Edited by farislove - 16 years ago
