COSTUME DRAMA

ashion has always been an integral part of mainstream Bollywood films. Over the last few decades—from Madhubala’s classic anarkali in (1960) to Sonam Kapoor Ahuja’s luxe pieces in (2018)—Bollywood’s leading ladies have played written by Sujata Assomull and illustrated by Aparna Ram, pays an ode to these women, the costume designers and the culture that inspired it all. “Aparna and I both grew up in London, and Bollywood films had a huge influence on our traditional dress sense. When we decided to work on this book, Aparna, Priya [Kapoor, Editorial Director of Roli Books], and I drew up a list of such films. Finally, after speaking to fashion and film experts, we decided to open with (1952), the country’s first Technicolor film,” says Sujata in an exclusive interview to India.