Arjun Bhasin, a Mumbai costume designer and part-time New Yorker who is famous for infusing Bollywood films with contemporary fashion through his work on “Dil Chahta Hai†and “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara,†has a very busy few months ahead of him, with three international films scheduled for release before the end of the year: “The Reluctant Fundamentalist,†“Life of Pi†and “Can a Song Change Your Life?â€Â India Ink recently spoke with him about transitioning from Bollywood to Hollywood, and about what to expect from the coming films.
Nearly everyone in the Hindi film industry yearns to make this “crossover†from Bollywood to Hollywood. How did you manage to make this move so quietly and so successfully?
I would not say I crossed over. I just do both. I started out in New York when I went to New York University film school. By the time I returned to India I had already worked on one film called “Swimfan.†[This erotic thriller was released in 2002.] To be completely honest, I actually knew nothing and did not really follow Indian cinema when I did my first Bollywood film, “Dil Chahta Hai.â€
You seem to have done more international projects than Indian films. Why is this?
I am super-picky, as I give so much time to each film. I love the whole process of filmmaking, so when I take on a project I am on the set for every scene. There are many projects I do not take simply because I do not have the time. Plus, there is so much “parallel†cinema and different types of film happening internationally. Films here take longer to finish, but it is a good time to be back in India as there is now a l ot of different cinema happening here.
When you worked on “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara†and cast the Hermès Kelly as “Bagwati,†did you know you were about to create a fashion phenomenon?
Zoya Akhtar [the director and screenwriter of the film] had written “Bagwati†as a character. She was a lady, a symbol of poshness, and had to have a feeling of being special. So we had to choose a bag that had these elements, and that is how we finally decided on the Hermès Kelly.
Do you tend to get the more “exotic†and India-centric projects in Hollywood? Both “The Reluctant Fundamentalist†and “Life of Pi†do have an Eastern flavor.
Yes, many India-centric projects do come my way, but that could have more do with the fact that I live here so much. Maybe if I was in New York more I would get more New York-centric films. I have brown skin, so it's natural that I will get films more connected to brown skin. Though my first film “Swimfan†had nothing to do with India, and neither does “Can a Song Change Your Life?â€
You have three big films coming up â€" any iconic fashion moments in these films?
“Life of Pi†is very subtle. Ang Lee [the director] is a very gentle filmmaker, and it also has an academic feel. The breadth of the film is huge, as Tabu [the female lead] goes from Paris in the 1950s to Pondicherry in the 1960s, so it has beautiful backdrops and costumes. “The Reluctant Fundamentalist†is interesting as it is a Pakistan-based story being made by an Indian filmmaker [Mira Nair], with an international cast. Kate Hudson is very “fashion†herself, and in this film we have broken away from the Californian blonde stereotype look she has. We have changed everything about her look and transformed her into a cerebral New York girl. I think it will surprise people. “Can a Song Change Your Life?†is the most fashionable, a contemporary film. Its look is a mix of vintage with a street. Keira Knightley [the female lead] is very hip in it. I think this is more of a fashion film.
Your sister Niharika Bhasin Khan is now also a costume designer in India, and recently won a National Award for her work in the film “The Dirty Picture.†How does it feel to have your sibling work in the same field?
It is amazing actually. We have very different ideologies and very different styles. I started out at a very young age, while my sister came into films with experience in other fields. I am more repressed and subtle in my approach while Niharika is wacky and out of the box. There is no conflict, as our styles are so different. We would probably never get approached for the same film!
(The interview has been lightly edited and condensed.)
