If there is anyone who can work an item number with the alacrity of a race pony it is got to be the wasp-waisted Gauhar Khan, as Joy Mitra paid tribute to 100 Years of Cinema in a line that had all the makings of a Bollywood potboiler.
For a designer who has worked with the maverick Rituparno Ghosh, researched Bengals literary heritage, is pro-women as he looked at how Tagores literature written in those times was a result of strong women voices in the household, but this time, for autumn-winter Joy did what he loves best—cinema. I dont like the concept of showstoppers, but having said that if you are playing Fevicol Se, youve got to have somebody who embodies that spirit. Gauhar kind of fitted into that space magically. Soha is a friend too and I could have requested her, but I didnt feel she would be the right choice, says Joy.
So, a line that started with trailblazer Devika Rani (remember that long kiss she had way back in the 30s when snogging was unfashionable on screen?) in the historic film Karma, went on to the porcelain-skinned Madhubala, Sadhana with that fringe, and ended with todays icons. Few know that it took three days to put together those seven minutes of foot-tapping music, with the base notes of Jab Tak Hai Jaan. So many things I wanted to incorporate in this line, many prints I wanted to show, as there is so much you can do with a theme like cinema. I wanted to also do an AV presentation of Bollywoods amazing journey, but YouTube clips (like Shakti Samantas 1958 classic Howrah Bridge) dont offer a good quality and when I ordered from eBay it took 12 days to come, but that time, it was too late to show anything, says Joy.
Attempting to make his representation of Bollywood holistic, Joy made an effort to include South Indian stars as well, including lights, cameras, covering the whole spectrum of cinema and its various moods and nuances. With a predominantly black colour story, he moved to rich burgundies, dark greens and jewel tones that added richness to a line that celebrated cinematic excellence and icons that have been worshipped over time. For more, it was a joy to create, on many levels, as this is of genuine interest to me. Each garment took me down me lane, on a roller coaster of classics, he concludes.