When dressing up is a pain
Princess Diaries: Rachna Parulkar in Maharana Pratap
Heavy jewellery and clothes, coupled with garish make up, often make life a living hell for TV actors. While some have managed to get lighter clothes, most have learnt to grin and bear it
Along with gruelling schedules, television actors also have to cope with painful wardrobes. Those heavy saris, jewellery (which are worn to bed too), wigs and armor in period dramas for men too, are often a pain in more ways than one.
Neelu Vaghela, who plays the strict mother-in-law Bhabho in the show Diya Aur Bati Hum, nearly quit the show as her saris and hairdo had her in constant discomfort. “Recently, I was very upset with the saris I was given to wear. I told the production house that the fabric was very harsh on my skin and added to that the heavy pallu that I had to constantly have on, made it impossible for me to concentrate on my work.”
The production team took note of Neelu’s complaint and is now giving her saris made of soft fabric and has also toned down her jewellery. Neelu has also decided to go easy on her hair-pins as after a while they would start tugging at her scalp. She now no longer wears a wig, and ties her own hair into a neat bun for the show.
Every character’s look is decided upon keeping the story and role in mind, but actors complain that even during breaks they can’t get out of their costumes and wigs, and this can get very annoying when you are working for more than 10 hours a day. So production houses are now open to discussion when actors want comfortable ensembles.
Sayantani Ghosh, who plays Mahamaya in the show Singhasan Battisi, has learnt to grin and bear with the mythological costumes, though it wasn’t easy to begin with. “Working in period dramas is challenging. Initially getting ready was a strenuous exercise and the elaborate headgear was very troublesome on several occasions. But now I have become used to this after having acted in a couple of mythological shows.”
Sayantani makes life easier for herself by getting involved in the design process and choosing ensembles that she finds most comfortable. She says she always speaks up for herself because it is important to be comfortable in your attire or else your work will suffer.
Rachna Parulkar who plays Ajabde in Maharana Pratap, is another actress who has to be dressed to the nines for her role as a 16th century princess. She says the first one week of shooting was tough because she wasn’t used to wearing clothes that weighed a tonne. But now she has got the hang of it and says she enjoys dressing up. Luckily for Rachna, wearing a nose-ring at all times was not an issue since she wears one in real life too. About the wigs and elaborate hairdos, she says as an actor she is used to all this and now the royal attire has become a part of her daily routine.
But for Sharad Malhotra, her co-star who plays Maharana Pratap, it took nearly six months to feel comfortable wearing all those princely jewels. “I have gradually gotten used to wearing such heavy ornaments and clothes,” says Sharad. He adds that though his ears are pierced in real life, nothing prepared him for the heavy earrings that he has to wear on the show. “Luckily, the turban is not much of an issue because during even short breaks I can remove it.”
Costumes can be really annoying, but Sharad says for an actor what matters most is a good role and for this he is willing to bear a few uncomfortable baubles and heavily embellished outfits.
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