600 Costumes And A Dream Fulfilled: Manish Malhotra On His First Theatrical Play ‘Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical’

Ace designer Manish Malhotra is a name to reckon with in the Indian Fashion industry so when Feroz Abbas Khan conceived the idea of  'Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical', he only had the maverick in mind to take charge of the costumes for his dream project.  “Mughal-e-Azam is very close to my heart. For me, it was very exciting because it was the first time I was doing a period drama and the first time I was doing a theatrical play. It has been a great experience to work on this musical extravaganza and also been very challenging as 600 costumes were required,” the designer tells Outlook when asked about putting together the period costumes for the play.

An ode to the classic 'Mughal-e-Azam' film,  the broadway style play is returning to the stage in Mumbai after two years with Fourteen shows scheduled to take place between October 21 and 30 at Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir, Bandra West, Mumbai and the highlight of this season is the celebration of over 60 years of the film.

The 1960 K. Asif film was inspired by a play called Anarkali, written in Lahore in 1922 by dramatist Imtiaz Ali Taj. Khan had wanted to recreate the film onstage since he saw the black-and-white film re-released in color in 2004. Malhotra says that the designing process for the musical was surreal and the outcome was histrionic for sure.

“There were layers of vintage fabric, whether it be silk, Kota, Zardosi embroidery, brocades, Bandini, or velvet, everything is pure and rich in the display. There have been days and nights of work and I went all out to use pure fabrics and intricate embroideries to make the process and the journey worthwhile. Working with Feroz who is a fabulous, acclaimed play director and Shapoorji made it all a tremendously satisfying experience,” he says.

The grandeur in Manish Malhotra's bespoke ensembles is often as larger than life as some of the Hindi films that he designs. From Kajol, Karisma Kapoor, Rani Mukerji to Aishwarya Rai, Preity Zinta, and Kareena Kapoor, Malhotra's Midas Touch has worked its magic on several names in tinsel town.

However, talking about the challenges he faced while designing for iconic primary characters and a huge ensemble cast, he says that the obvious challenge was that outfits had to be striking as well as stage-appropriate.

“I had the responsibility of creating garments that not only looked striking but were also stage-appropriate. Someone is wearing a kurta inside then there is Sherwani and then something else inside. I had put in all the hard work in designing the costumes, which had to be ready for the primary and secondary cast at the same moment. Velcro seemed the most suitable option because it facilitates quick change,” he says.

Talking about balancing the reality of the costumes with practical considerations, he says that he had to modify the structure of designs from his normal runway fare where the linings used in the outfits for the artists were much lighter. “The entire thing was on Velcro. Velcro had to be dyed to the color of the outfits because in a second you have to change,” says the master couturier.

Finally, how the unforgettable original classic inspired him to create the most expensive costume design in the history of Indian theatre, he says that he absolutely loves Mughal-e-Azam.

“From the courtly pleasures, cutlery, royal baths, and decor to the ways of dressing, everything had its own sense of greatness attached to it. My inspiration was majorly drawn from the grandiosity of the Mughal period. Recreating costumes for one of Indian cinema’s epic stories for a musical play and getting an award for it is a very humbling experience for sure,” he says.

The designer also says that Feroz's collaborative triumph to turn a monumental film Mughal-e-Azam into a Broadway-style musical is commendable.

“The designs had to speak of grandeur, glory, and the extravagance of the Mughal period. The costumes had to be stage appropriate and facilitate quick changes. It is a period piece but it has modern sensibilities. The designs carry forward the legacy of original characters however I tried to strive for the signature sheen to illuminate its grandiosity,” he sums up.