Oscar winner Bhanu Athaiya roped in to design costumes for Star Plus’ Mahabharat

Reprising characters of an epic on the small screen can be a difficult task and who would understand this better than the makers of Star Plus’ Mahabharat (Swastik Productions). To ensure that the epic does justice to the theme, producer Siddharth Kumar Tewary has roped in veteran stylist Bhanu Athaiya to design the costumes and look.

The 85 year old Athaiya who has won an Oscar for her costumes in Gandhi is an apt guide for the epic. The woman who has lived a modest life brings to life ideas that depict grandeur, wonder and beauty. The veteran designer is a consulting faculty for Star Plus’ mythological saga Mahabharat and joining her on this show will be popular TV and film designer Nidhi Yasha. The epic which has taken 4 years of pre-production is geared up to bring out a magnificent treat for the viewers.

Talking about her association with Mahabharat, Bhanu Athaiya said, “I’m really delighted to be a part of such a huge TV venture. The entire look of Star Plus’ Mahabharat will revive Indian handicrafts and traditional weaves. Different ancient techniques have been used to achieve the various looks. A lot of bright colored silks, hand-looms, gold and jewelry structured embroidery patterns have been used. My team and I were very meticulous about every detail to remain true to the character. We have worked hard on designing this show and I’m sure our effort will translate beautifully to the audiences.”

Designer Nidhi Yasha who has worked on several other mythology shows, said, “It took a study of over 450 books related to period textiles, costume and jewelry and four years of hard-work to arrive at the current look and feel of the show. An extensive study on jewelry structures according to ethnicity, fabrics, drapes and costume was undertaken. There was always so much to learn, experiment, explore as the subject of Mahabharat is exhaustive and designing characters summing up to over 100 was challenging but very rewarding.”

Tune-in to watch Mahabharat from 16 September 2013 at 8:30 pm only on Star Plus.