New Delhi (India) August 2: Indian costume designers Dipika Lal and Anirudh Singh come on board world-renowned director Justin Lin’s upcoming film “Last Days”. Dipika and Anirudh, who are well known for designing costumes for critical and commercially acclaimed films such as Jawaan, Badla, Mulk and Jaane Jaan, amongst many notable films, are thrilled to be a part of Justin’s new film, which is to be shot across various locations, globally. Justin Lin is universally known for helming the Fast and the Furious franchise for the last two decades and Star Trek beyond.
Speaking about their experience working with Justin, Dipika and Anirudh said, “We are thrilled to be a part of Justin’s vision. It has been an honour to work alongside an international crew led by Hollywood veterans in every department. We would like to thank Justin and our producers for giving us this opportunity.” When asked about working styles in Hollywood and India, they elaborated that, yes, there are marked differences in the method and approach of a Hollywood film and the way our Indian industry functions. They sounded hopeful that although our work culture is evolving in India at a rapid pace, we still have a long way to go.
On being asked why they chose costume design & not styling or fashion designing as their path, they stated that the journey of a costume designer always excited them more, coming from their passion for films. The process that a costume designer goes through is very challenging since we have to walk the fine line between visual aesthetics & characterisation as per the script & the world they inhabit. And achieve all this with the resources provided by the producers. In Justin’s film, we were fortunate to work in an environment which we always dreamt of & our processes had aligned seamlessly with how Hollywood functions. We have always believed that our role as a costume designer is how we take the story & the character’s journey forward. The tools used to portray this are fabrics, textures, the right tones, accessories, ageing, etc. The madness that goes on behind the scenes in a costume department is exhaustive & exhilarating at the same time.
When asked about their Indian film journey, they opined that “we have been lucky to work with certain makers who encouraged us, valued our inputs & trusted us with their vision “. Our shared common pursuit is always about enhancing the audience’s experience through our department. As costume designers, we have always been very mindful of the fact that our point of view has to align with the overall vision of the creator without diluting what we bring to the table.
When asked about pursuing future projects in the West, they said, “We would love to be part of more international projects; we are in talks for some as we speak.” They added that in the era of global streamers, wherein the art of engaging with a story has taken over language & cultural differences, we are hopeful that meaningful opportunities can come from any part of the world. Hopefully, working with Justin has given us a solid jump-start in the right direction. When asked about what’s next on the Indian front, they concluded by saying that they are working on a couple of big films without divulging much.
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Vijay Singh
