Maniam Selvan, the illustrator for Kalki’s novel series in the Fifties, served to be a huge inspiration for Lakhani. “These images have stayed in the minds of readers for over 60 years. That effect was something that we wanted to create in a similar world in the film. For example, in the sketches, Nandhini (Aishwarya Rai) has an andal kondai – a side bun, while Kundhavai has a top knot bun. It is not that she has to always have the same hairstyle. We have taken the reference and have given it our own touch. So that the audience is not completely taken away from what they have imagined all these years,” she says.
Designing the jewellery
Pratiksha Prashant, the CEO of Kishandas & Co, learnt the trading routes during the Chola era to add detailing to the film’s jewellery. “The designing for jewellery was done by Prashant, my husband, and his brother, Nithin. We learned about the trade routes and the kind of stones that might have been used in that era. We mainly used rubies and uncut diamonds in the jewellery because these stones were the most used in that period. We have also used fewer emeralds, as ambassadors who came from different parts of the world would bring them as gifts during that era,” says Pratiksha.
But when it comes to jewellery designing, Pratiksha says the most difficult part was designing for men. She says, “Mani sir didn’t want the men’s jewels to look feminine. We also had to create a signature piece that defined the character of each person.” Apart from this, the team also incorporated intricate detailing of the Chola period motifs through the jewels.
“We used the emblem of the Chola kingdom such as tiger claws to create jewels for the men. Since the Cholas were Shaivites (bhaktas of Lord Shiva), we used some related motifs. Some armbands for the men had snake motifs on them. We also used birds, flowers, and flora-fauna motifs, which we see in temple sculptures,” says Pratiksha.