12 Bollywood Actresses Who Took Up Costume Designing For Movies
Posted On: 22 Aug 2023 | Last Updated : 04 Oct 2024 | Views : 871
Costumes are considered to be an integral part associated with a character in a film. A costume often defines and expresses the character that an actor or actress plays on screen. A costume speaks volumes of a character that helps the audience to get engaged with the body language of it. Costume designing is regarded as a thankless and mean job that often doesn’t get the acknowledgment it deserves in our industry. There have been many costume designers in Bollywood who have stuck to designing costumes and maintaining wardrobes to help actors to get into the skin of the character without being too loud or weird. Surprisingly, there have been a handful of popular Bollywood actresses who took up costume designing for films as an additional profession and were equally successful at it. Here is a list of some of the most popular Bollywood actresses who became costume designers for the movies:
1. Esther Victoria Abraham (Pramila)
One of the most popular costume stylists in Bollywood was the yesteryear actress Esther Victoria Abraham who is better known by her screen name Pramila. Pramila was an actress, model, and first woman film producer in Bollywood who acted in over 30 films, including Ulti Ganga, Bijlee, Mother India, Basant, Bhikharan, and Jungle King in the 30s & 40s. She was known for designing her own film costumes and jewelry.
2. Naseem Banu
Many may not know but yesteryear actress Naseem Banu was one of the most respected and popular costume designers in Bollywood. Naseem Banu who became an overnight sensation with the release of Meetha Zahar in 1938 worked prolifically until she retired in the mid-1950s. She did a handful of films including Pukar, Chal Chal Re Naujawan, Door Chalen, Anokhi Ada, Shabistan, Kala Bazar before launching her daughter Saira Banu in Junglee. She turned her attention to designing clothing, especially intricately embroidered saris for her daughters’ films like Purab Aur Pachhim, Gopi, Victoria No. 203, Zameer, Bairaag, Hera Pheri, etc.
3. Jennifer Kendal
Another well-known celebrity joining the list of Bollywood actresses who became fashion designers was Jennifer Kendal. Wife of actor Shashi Kapoor, she initially started off as an actress by featuring in movies like 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981), Junoon (1978), and Bombay Talkie (1970) and later moved to design costumes for her husband Shashi Kapoor’s movies such as Kabhi Kabhie, Mukti, Doosara Aadmi, Suhaag, Kalyug, and Vijeta, etc.
4. Simple Kapadia
Another Bollywood actress who turned to costume designing was Simple Kapadia. Sister of actress Dimple Kapadia, Simple made her acting debut opposite her real-life brother-in-law and actor, Rajesh Khanna in Anurodh. This was followed by movies like Ahsaas, Lootmaar, Shakka, Jeevan Dhara, Dulha Bikta Hai, Pyar Ke Do Pal, etc. After bidding goodbye to acting she switched to designing costumes for many popular Bollywood flicks including Insaaf, Satyamev Jayate, Shehzaade, Darr, Jaan, Ajay, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai, Socha Na Tha, etc. She won the National Film Award for Best Costume Design for Rudaali in 1994.
5. Dolly Ahluwalia
Actress cum costume designer Dolly Ahluwalia too joins the list of popular costume designers in Bollywood. An alumnus of the National School of Drama, Dolly Ahluwalia started her career designing costumes for theatre and later got her big break for designing costumes for Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen in 1993, which got her first National Film Award for Best Costume Design. Her other notable works have been for films like Omkara, Love Aaj Kal, Kaminey, Rockstar, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Haider, and Rangoon. As an actress some of her unmissable films have been …Yahaan, Vicky Donor, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Doordarshan, Bell Bottom, and Chhatriwali. She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2001 for costume design.
6. Bindiya Goswami
Mention the top 10 Bollywood actresses who turned costume designers and you have the name of Bindiya Goswami. Bindiya Goswami was one of the popular actresses of the 70s and 80s who played the lead in films like Khatta Meetha, Gol Maal, Prem Vivah, Shaan, Hotel, Hamari Bahu Alka, etc. She quit acting after marrying filmmaker J.P. Dutta and took the responsibility of designing costumes for female stars such as Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor, and Aishwarya Rai, etc. Some of her notable works of designing costumes have been for Kshatriya (1993), Border (1997), Refugee (2000), LOC: Kargil (2003), Umrao Jaan (2006), and Paltan (2018).
7. Anaita Shroff Adajania
Anaita Shroff Adajania currently is one of the most popular costume designers in Bollywood and an Indian fashion stylist. Wife of Bollywood director Homi Adajania, she started off as an actress featuring in movies like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Everybody Says I’m Fine, and Kal Ho Naa Ho before designing costumes for biggies like Dhoom, Dhoom 2, Dhoom 3, Love Aajkal, Ra.One, Race 2, Tamasha, Bang Bang, Raabta, Race 3, War, Zero, Brahmastra, etc. She won the IIFA Awards for Best Costume Designer in 2007 and 2010 for Dhoom 2 and Love Aaj Kal, respectively. She is the Fashion Director for Vogue India magazine.
8. Sarika
Popular actress Sarika started off her Bollywood career as a child artist by playing important roles in films like Hamraaz, Aashirwad, Chhoti Bahu and Beti before playing female leads in well-known films of the 70s and 80s such as Geet Gaata Chal, Bin Phere Hum Tere, Nazrana Pyar Ka, Shriman Shrimati, Qatl and Parzania. She turned costume designer for all her ex-husband and actor Kamal Haasan’s films in Tamil and Hindi including Hey Ram (2000) and Chachi 420 (1997).
9. Sonakshi Sinha
Many may not know that Sonakshi Sinha before starting her acting career was a costume designer. She was credited for designing the costumes for the lesser-known romantic comedy movie Mera Dil Leke Dekho in 2006. Subsequently, she got an offer to play the female lead in Salman Khan’s Dabangg in 2010 and the rest as they say is history.
10. Kriti Malhotra
Kriti Malhotra has donned multiple hats including that of an actress, and costume designer, and heading the costume and wardrobe department for films such as Special 26, Boss, Baby, Aiyaary, Gully Boy, etc. After working as an assistant designer for Action Replayy, No Problem, Shanghai, and Gehraiyaan, she turned costume designer for Sarkar Raj, Delhi-6, Heidi: Queen of the Mountain, and the web series Cinema Marte Dum Tak.
11. Neetu Singh
Many may not know, but actress Neetu Singh was once among the top 10 costume designers in Bollywood. Neetu Singh was not just a leading actress of the silver screen in the 70s and the beginning of the 80s, she took to designing costumes for her actor-husband Rishi Kapoor who played leads in many films until the late 90s. His wife, Neetu Singh, was credited with designing all his costumes in films including Nagina, Bade Ghar Ki Beti, Khoj, Amiri Garibi, Shreemaan Aashique and Daraar.
12. Ayesha Khanna
Ayesha Khanna is a young aspiring actress cum costume designer who is slowly and steadily making her presence felt in Bollywood. Besides acting in films including Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011) and Dishkiyaoon (2014) she worked as a costume assistant in Band Baaja Baaraat before turning full-fledged costume designer for Dil Juunglee (2018), web series - The Forgotten Army, Gunehgaar and Mismatched.
