Analyzing the Costumes of Gangubai Kathiawadi
Dreamy would be the last word to describe a film on prostitution and its riotous path of calling it a respectable profession, yet Bhansali is considered to be a romantic.
On his dreamy appeal to the complete film, Gangubai Kathiawadi deviates itself from the general outlook of the film being a conventional documentary, rather a narration of how a brothel worker turns a leader through her strengths stemmed in a passion for acting.
The following observations are an attempt to bring how costume has context and depth when creating and displaying a character. The dress styles, accessorization and depicting distinctions within time periods, all are hinted through the costumes each character wears in a scene. For the analysis, a major review is written on the characters Gangubai and Raziya, both having a major role in deviating the plot and adding dimensions to multiple folds in the movie.
Kamathipura Women and Sheetal’s View
As a woman who was just 5”1, wearing the colour white gave her an immense power and a distinct look within the crowd of Kamathipura, and Sheetal Sharma, the costume designer for the film, kept this in mind while creating the character of Gangubai while keeping her real-life appearances intact.
The movie also portrays the exact effect she had through its costume design. Most brothel women are draped in dull colours of mustard, purples and sandy tones, while Gangu shines bright as a leading light with her white pleats and extravagant style of saree drapes.
“I was given a one-line brief: A sex worker set in the 60s in Kamathipura” mentions Sharma to TVOF. His first look which he brought to the office was a teal blouse and yellow skirt. Deliberately worn out at places, the director immediately used it as the look for the teaser poster. During the course of the movie, Sharma created approximately a 100 garments for the protagonist, including the supporting and background cast.
Her entrance scene in the movie is also portrayed to be god-like, sitting in front of sunlight as it seeps through the pallu of her translucent saree. Sharma mentions how the idea was to highlight the chikankari work which was scattered around on the drape, and the added element of textile work gave it a different look than what a widow would wear.
It was luck on his side that the interpretation of a brothel was shown by him in a new, vibrant light. The mix of modern accessories with the ethnic fabrics just hit the mark to show how our protagonist was ahead of her times.
Times of India calls it “No glamorous costumes, no dance moves for Alia” in a rather digestible piece. One who reads through the cues of the movie knows that it is far from that, and was an act deliberately done to stay that way. The glamour is seen through the branded bags and glasses, the glamour is in full view through her chikankari and ajrakh prints, the glamour is seen through her red bindi and lips.
Gangubai: A Style Analysis
The posters of Devanand, recurring theatres in Kamathipura and scenes revolving around dramatic swings of purses and hurling insults create a dramatic scene, a movie within a movie if you will. Ganga as a character wanted to come to Bombay to pursue her acting career, only to be sold by her friend/lover to the brothel. Exploited and unaware of her surroundings, her transformative journey turns her from ghaghra cholis to white sarees.
Her acting career truly begins to work wonders in her and her friends’ lives after the demise of their manager, after which Gangu takes her pedestal to lead the brothel women of Kamathipura.
The Gujarati Influence
The two scenes where Gujarati celebrations (garba during navratri) are depicted is in the song sequence of Dholida and an establishing shot of her hometown.
The two scenes, while they look familiar, differ completely due to the difference in the costumes of the background cast. The brothel is decorated with flowers while the women are draped in dull clothes (a recurring theme), while Ganga’s hometown is full of red and blacks, embellished with shimmery motifs and aari work.
Sharma also mentions how they had to makeshift many of Gangubai’s sarees, one of which was her getup for garba in Dholida. To add on to the complexity of a drape which is secured with just pleated fabric on a maiden’s waist, Bhansali added an impromptu colour-splash sequence in the clip as if to show an impact of her trance.
Textiles and their Significance
Initially, Ganga (Gangubai) wears a lot of ajrakh prints and oxidised silver jewellery, which is a clear connection to her origins in Kathiawad. Ajrakh has been a luxurious and prominent print of Gujarat, while patola and ikat are also slightly observed. The prints and weaves were all done on petticoat skirts and blouses, with a dupatta draped in the traditional Gujarati style (the pallu ending in the front of a woman’s body).
Working with all Whites
Her initial days in the brothel are seen with her cladded in similar colours to her friends: dull, remorseful and lifeless.
Skirts and blouses are a common go-to look for Gangu, while a glittery saree makes an appearance every once in a while when they’re taking a leave from their business (such as when she and her friends go to watch a movie. On a personal note, she looks the prettiest when she goes for a cinema night with her friends). Throughout her transformation she is also seen in a variety of ditsy floral prints, both in whites and darker shades.
भी नहीं ले सकते” (“Can’t we take a break for one day?!”) depicting how she considers her profession as a reputable business.
The widely known dialogue in the film about the shades of white, which takes place between Afsaan and Gangu was added in the script when Sharma and Bhansali discussed the monotony of white, with the former apprehensive of using only white, and latter elaborating its shades.
The time period of the 60s was also famous for handkerchiefs and their styling. Women of Kamthipura took it as an inspiration from British etiquette to carry a light coloured handkerchief tucked in their blouses, peeking out just a tad bit to showcase the lace details on the borders. Sharma also took into consideration the fabrics to drape Gangu in, mentioning how he couldn’t use georgette for her sarees.
Accessorization
Ah, one cannot get over the Fizzy Goblet heels Alia Bhatt wears as a part of her accessory. A true design ahead of the times depicted in the film, the sequined embroidered, square-toed block heels are shown in a multitude of scenes. By far, her heels are the only indo-modern accessory Gangubai wears, compared to her bag (which Sharma got from a market in Berlin) and oval-shaped sunglasses (from France) that are far more western.
Her golden bangles and rings are also highlighted as the contrasting feature of her being the brothel leader, in contrary to her mother’s almirah keys she brought with her. The keys with a pyramid keychain is the only souvenir she holds as a dear reminder of her past life, and is seen sporting it around her waist while giving a speech to the women after winning the elections.
Flowers are always an added accessory, a form of self love, gold being a nostalgic reference to her brothel days when she was working. As the leader, she propagated the idea that sex work is like any other business, and demands the same respect. After winning the elections, her speech depicts the importance of flowers amongst brothel women, how they spread their unique fragrances around, whether it is in a temple or a shrine, a brothel or a funeral.
Raziya
She is all glamour and flamboyance, and rightfully so, as her character is pitched against the protagonist. Cladded in net ghararas in complementary colours, covered in glitters and sequins all over. It is, frankly, an eyesore compared to Gangu’s looks. Raziya is a character who wants to stand out (and does so due to her political position, but not so much through her fabrics). However, all the colorblocking falls flat in front of the bright white drapes of Gangu.
Raziya’s entrance is shown with her being the highlight during the political procession, wearing a blue chunni with a yellow gharara and blouse, a similar colour scheme to the one worn by Gangu in the teaser poster. However, the saturation is much more ethnic festive, than being english muted, which in the backdrop of browns and blues of the architecture becomes gaudy to behold.
While the real residents of Kamathipura deny any politician such as Raziya existed during Gangubai’s time, the character surely added an element of rivalry between two parties who are equally marginalised in the Indian society. Raziya, played by actor Vijay Raaz, is a trans woman known to have a stand in politics of the area, known to win elections time and again.
It is interesting to see how a trans character is fictionally introduced in the script to act as the opponent. It urges us to think that it is not just the brothel women who are denied their rights, but far many communities who can come together to uplift themselves. Trans women in India also hold their place by dominating over men, often creating a ruckus to grab attention (and absolutely nothing wrong with it considering what they go through on the daily). Compared to brothel workers, women here are often submissive towards their clients and are subjected to violence and abuse.
Huma Qureshi
The song, Shikayat, which is played as a celebration of Afsaan’s marriage, ensues after a terrific dialogue by Gangu, who in the right mind of her own, betrays her affair for a stronger political position and having an upper hand on Raziya to win the elections.
Huma Qureshi is seen in a white saree with gold sequins embellished all over it. Interestingly enough, except for Gangu, this is the only character in the whole film which is dressed in white. Bhansali and Sharma confirm that the act was deliberate, as they wanted to represent Huma as the alter ego of Gangu. The song, “Shikayat” also recites the lover having complaints within unconditional love, which is exactly the situation the unfortunate pairing is going through.
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References: TVOF, Film Companion, TOI, Feminism In India
While there are many details one can go through while watching each frame of Gangubai Kathiawadi, a gist after months of the movie release seemed apt to put out. Better late than never.
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