Shivaji Jayanti: 'Tanhaji' designer recalls creating costumes of the Maratha king

On the occasion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti, costume designer Nachiket Barve took to his social media handle and shared his experience of creating costumes for Sharad Kelkar's character Shivaji in Tanhaji. Interestingly, Nachiket Barve took his followers through the process of designing the costume via a multiple-picture post. While the first picture gave a glimpse of his research, the other four pictures featured Sharad Kelkar as Shivaji Maharaj. 

Nachiket on designing costumes based on Shivaji

Instagramming the post, Nachiket wrote a brief caption, which read, "Designing the costumes for a legendary character that is revered by billions requires special research and restraint. Precious are such opportunities. Looking at the process of creating the costumes for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj". He also tagged the verified account of director Om Raut and actor Sharad Kelkar. Here's the post:

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Netizens and Nachiket's followers were quick to leave a token of appreciation for the designer in the comments box. Many dropped red-heart emoticons. Meanwhile, one-word compliments such as "incredible", "awesome", "brilliant" and "amazing", were a common sight in the comments box. 

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After the makers of Tanhaji: the Unsung Warrior dropped the trailer of their film in 2019, Barve had broken down the costumes he designed for the film while talking to Vogue. He had said that three distinct cultural influences co-exist in the story - Rajputs, Marathas and Mughals. He further shared that for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s, played by Sharad Kelkar, rugged look, he put together many textiles; from Matka silk and Benarasi brocade to soft crushed chanderi and kota fabric. On the other hand, the headgear had been fashioned from Maheshwari textiles.

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Interestingly, after the release of the film, the 40-year-old designer had written a post dedicated to Sharad's costume in Tanhaji. "It was such a challenge to peel back years of stereotypical visual memories of how the iconic leader has been portrayed on celluloid and look deeper into the times, the man and history", read an excerpt of his post. He also stated in teh caption that the best compliment he received for his effort was when a person told him - “the real Shivaji Maharaj must have looked exactly like this".