Hyderabad-based fashion designer Archana Rao has revealed her costume design process for the upcoming sci-fi film Kalki 2898 AD . This marks the first time in her career that she was tasked with designing costumes for an entire cast. Previously, Rao collaborated with director Nag Ashwin on projects like Mahanati and Netflix's Telugu anthology Pitta Kathalu .
Kalki 2898 AD features Amitabh Bachchan as Ashwatthama, an immortal character inspired by the Mahabharata. Rao's unique approach to Bachchan's character In a conversation with The Hindu , Rao revealed that her design process for Bachchan's character involved visualizing him as "old as a tree." She used fine mul cotton, subjected to multiple dyeing processes, to achieve an aged look.
The fabric was distressed until it appeared sheer and had a tree bark motif printed onto it. When Bachchan first tried on the costume, Rao recalls that "it looked brilliant." She also described him as "the most hardworking actor on set.
" Rao's design approach for different film settings The film's narrative unfolds in three distinct settings: Kasi, the Complex, and Shambala. Each required a unique design approach from Rao and her team. In Kasi, where people survive with minimal resources, costumes were imagined as collages of discarded materials such as metals, plastics, rubber and synthetics.
The costume department also designed hundreds of costumes for the 'raiders,' or the army of the Complex, using durable rubber-coated neoprene fabric. Ra.
