With Tarsem Singh’s Dear Jassi set between 1990 and 2000, costume designer on sourcing pieces true to the era and real-life subjects, from Punjab and Lithuania
A still from the film
In the past year, director Tarsem Singh’s Dear Jassi has done the rounds of multiple international film festivals, notably winning the Toronto International Film Festival Platform Prize in its 2023 edition. Now, the Pavia Sidhu and Yugam Sood-starrer is making its way to India. The drama was originally scheduled to release in September, reveals costume designer Komal Shahani. “It got postponed because of Tarsem’s travelling schedule to international film festivals. Once he completes the festival rounds, he and the producers will plan the release date. The aim is to have a 2024 release,” she says.
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Director Tarsem Singh with costume designer Komal Shahani
With Dear Jassi, Singh explores the issue of honour killing in India as he tells the story of the Canada-based protagonist, who falls in love with rickshaw driver Mithu, while visiting her family in Punjab. The drama is inspired by the 2000 episode of Indo-Canadian beautician Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu, who was brutally murdered at the orders of her mother and uncle. The costume designer shares that with the story playing out between 1990 and 2000, the director’s brief to her was to be authentic to the era. Shahani says, “[We had] to ensure that every piece, from the dresses to the accessories, was a reflection of the era. The research process was intense, as I spent hours poring over old photographs, magazines, and fashion catalogues from that period. It was essential to pay attention to every detail, from the fabrics used to the stitching techniques.”
Before the movie rolled in 2022, Shahani travelled to Ludhiana and Patiala to source original pieces. Baggy pants and oversized jerseys dominated Mithu’s look, while she gave Patiala salwars to Jassi. “I tracked down the vintage jerseys, sported by Mithu, from Lithuania because the ones that were used in 1997-1998 were available only there. The actors have worn almost identical outfits to what Jassi and Mithu wore in real lives.”
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