"Hand-painted and created over 85 days by a team of more than 80 artisans, the capeĀ stood out for its intricate gold embroidery and vivid, painting-like panels inspired by Varmaās work. It featured classical Indian figures, palace scenes, and rich cultural motifs. Specific references to some of Varmaās most recognised works could be seen, includingĀ Lady with the Peach,Ā Hamsa Damayanti,Ā Kadambari,Ā Arjuna and Subhadra, andĀ There Comes Papa. ... āRaja Ravi Varma felt right because his work does something Iāve always tried to do in cinema. He painted feelings,ā theĀ Kuch Kuch Hota HaiĀ (1998) directorĀ captionedĀ his Instagram post.Ā He credited Malhotra as a long-time creative collaborator who helped translate that vision into couture, adding that wearing the ensemble felt like becoming āa canvas for his art.ā āTo bring our Indian culture to the global stage with the vision of couture and gratitude woven together, is an art form in itself which he has mastered. You made me feel like a canvas for your art, thank you!ā he added." "The embroidery has been treated with acrylic and oil finishes, varnished, so the textile holds the same glow as an actual painting. The borders are built on rubberised bases layered with zardozi, giving them a sculptural, raised quality like paint thickly laid onto canvas. Pillars, lotuses and swans emerge in three dimensions. Even the lining of the jacket has been hand-painted, not something most people will ever see, but as Johar notes, āit is there.ā For the filmmaker, the integrity of the craft was non-negotiable. āI was very clear from the beginning that nothing could be simulated or cut short. No print, no digital intervention, no approximation,ā he says. Referencing an artist like Varma meant honouring the way he executed his craft, entirely by hand. āEvery brushstroke had to be real. Every embroidered detail had to be earned. Everything else we could problem-solve. That, we could not.ā Karan Johar, much like Varma, has always understood the power of clothing and the way they go beyond simple wardrobe choices. āMy films have always treated clothing as storytelling, as character, as emotional information," he adds. "Raja Ravi Varmaās paintings are full of fabric, of drape, of the way cloth moves and what that movement reveals about the person wearing it. So for me, this theme [of Fashion is Art] is a conversation Iāve been having for decades.ā" (x)(x)
