The 68th National Film Awards winners list was announced on July 22, and among prominent names of Indian cinema, Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior was awarded best costume design and actor Ajay Devgn took home the best actor award.
Amid congratulations and phone calls, costume designer Nachiket Barve is full of gratitude for winning the coveted award. Nachiket designed costumes for the main characters played by actors Ajay Devgn (Tanhaji Malusare), Kajol (Savitribai Malusare), Sharad Kelkar (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj), Saif Ali Khan (Udaybhan Singh Rathod) and Luke Kenny (Emperor Aurangzeb).
You can tell the love he has for his craft in his voice as he talks about the research it took to bring his vision to life. Nachiket won a national award for his first Hindi film and is full of credit for the film’s director, Om Raut, his team and the cast for bringing his vision to life. “I feel like with Tanhanji you’ve reached a visual language that’s a bit global in terms of how movies are viewed today. Thanks to the whole team, and of course Om Raut for getting me on board.”
He adds: “This was my first Hindi film as a costume designer. I was introduced to the cast while we were making the movie. Whether it was Om Om or the protagonist of the film, they gave me the freedom to follow my vision. They were so grateful for it, even when the movie came out.”
Nachiket reminisces about how he and his team of 150 people spent two years doing research to create costumes, armor and jewelry for the cast. According to Nachiket, Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior was a complex film to make, and he wanted to do it with authenticity. “In my small humble way and with the support of my team, I wanted to bring authenticity and realism to the film. In the two years of research, we tracked down jewelers and made jewelry from 400-year-old molds, and vegetable dyes were also used, which was relevant at the time,” says Nachiket.
Nachiket dedicates the award to the 150 people, including craftsmen, weavers, dyers, printers, jewelers, shoe experts, gun sellers, embroiderers, assistant designers, tailors, etc.: “I think these are also the unsung heroes of a movie set This award is on behalf of all of them.” Costume designer Mahesh Shelar has also been named as the winner; Mahesh played an integral role in creating secondary costumes for the film. Nachiket, a prominent name in the world of fashion and costume design, is pleased that Indian cinema is also leading the way globally.” I work for both worlds. Fashion is what I’ve done and what I’m known for. I like to approach things with a certain integrity of craftsmanship, a certain honesty where I raise the bar. It’s the same with costume, today stand we are on the cusp of where everyone is looking at India as one of the biggest leading film producing countries in the world and if I hope in a little way to redefine what costumes look like and how that world is created, and if that world is valued, then that’s generally a very humiliating and satisfying step,” says Nachiket.