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EXCLUSIVE: Trisha's Kundavai look in PSI ‘was almost like an impossible task done’, Eka Lakhani reveals
In an exclusive tête-à-tête with Eka Lakhani, the costume designer shared her experience of working on Mani Ratnam's magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan and styling each character for the film.
“Mani Ratnam only creates magic and nothing else. So, when you are working with him, you are actually creating magic and it feels wonderful,” Costume designer and celebrity stylist Eka Lakhani gives us all the deets on what went behind creating looks for each character in Ponniyin Selvan:2.
Costumes tell a story and Eka left no stone unturned to create looks for characters from Kalki's novel portrayed by Aishwarya Rai, Vikram, Karthi, Trisha in the second part of the historical epic.
I didn’t want to disappoint these people and give them what they had imagined...
“I had heard about PS back in my early days that it is a dream project and Mani sir will make it at one point and the pressure of this was quite a lot. It is very difficult to be able to do a film that has such big characters because Mani sir’s all films have a certain aura but when it is more about looks it is even more pressurizing. I was very nervous when I read about it but it was great research, getting to know characters, history and understanding what South Indian audiences have already perceived of these characters. It was very important for me to know how they have visualised these characters as it has been a favourite novel for many. I didn’t want to disappoint these people and give them what they had imagined and add Mani Ratnam's magic to what they had already imagined. That was the whole idea in the start,” said Eka Lakhani who became Mani Ratnam's costume designer for his films since 2013. 
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan plays the role of Nandini and her mother Mandakini Devi in a dual role while Trisha plays Kundavai, the only daughter of the king in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2. However, the most challenging part was to create Trisha’s look for the film.
We had to go through many such days to finally get our Kundavai
"It was extremely challenging from the hairstyles, clothes to ornaments. Hairstyles, especially because the audience has seen an illustration of several characters but it was very difficult to create them in actual hair by a hairstylist and on top of that we had to put jewellery. It was extremely difficult. We had to go through many such days to finally get our Kundavai during look tests, and when we cracked the look, we celebrated because it was almost like an impossible task that was done. Altogether it was a new experience for us as it is something we had not seen before on screen," shares Lakhani.
Vikram sir and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, these are the two people I started my career with as an intern
Eka, who is also a go-to stylist for Karan Johar and Ranveer Singh has got a style that seamlessly blends with the perception of the director. Over the years, she has worked with different directors on different films like Shershaah, Sanju, Jug Jugg Jeeyo, Queen and many more.
“I love story and being a director’s costume designer and when I say that is because I want to take the director’s narrative forward. Whether it is Ponniyin Selvan or Jug Jug Jeeyo or Sanju, it becomes more about the characters and less about the actors. I believe that is my approach and I like the fact that I get to work with so many directors, and on different stories. It makes my life entertaining,” says a fashion costume designer who has also worked on projects by directors Rajkumar Hirani, Karan Johar and Gautham Menon.
Asked if it was intimidating to design for such a magnum opus where era authenticity is essential. She replies, “Every character of the film is intimidating, the story itself is and the scale... Mani Ratnam is equally intimidating. There is Vikram sir and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, these are the two people I started my career with as an intern and for me to come back on a film of this scale and dress them as kings and queens were equally intimidating. It is only when you trust yourself, your team and the efforts that everybody puts in, you know you are going to do something good about it. It was also during the Covid times and was important to keep the team spirit alive. The most intimidating day was when we had 2000-3000 juniors and had to get the entire cast ready, we obviously didn’t know how would we manage to do it. That particular day, my team strength was 120 and I never had this big team ever. It was a crazy day and we managed it."
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