A young, talented stylist is making her mark in the Telugu film industry. Anusha Punjala has good fashion sense, has an understanding of body and face shapes, has great interpersonal skills, goes beyond the trend and above all has a thorough understanding of how the industry works. Meticulous, known for meeting deadlines, resilient and a warm person to know and work with. Y.Sunita Chowdhary of Klapboardpost.com tries to get an insight of this beautiful talent. Excerpts from the conversation.
Q) Tell me about yourself and your career so far, how did you become a stylist?
A) Right after I graduated from college in 2016, for a year I tried a couple of things in the fashion industry and none of them excited me enough. Just when I was on the verge of starting my Pret – clothing line, an assistant director from the film Agnyaathavaasi who is a friend of mine approached me to join in as an assistant stylist for Pallavi Singh. It was something new, something I’d never tried before so I grabbed the opportunity and that’s when my career as a stylist began.
Since Day 1 of the shoot, I loved everything about being on a film set. It’s the energy, the zeal everyone has towards the one objective of making something magical for viewers to watch that just gave me a rush. I’m an experimental person. When something comes my way I’m always telling myself, Why not? When people tell me there’s something that I cannot do, I will do everything in my power to prove them wrong. At the beginning of my career, some people told me that I cannot survive in the industry, I have been here for almost 5 years now. I also will be here for many more years to come.
Q) A childhood anecdote that shows you had it in you to become a stylist one day.
A) Since Childhood, I always had a very eclectic way of dressing up. Even though it wasn’t the most fashion-forward at first I just wanted to try something different and this taste of style slowly kept evolving as I grew up. I’m a firm believer that only when we experiment will we know if something is a hit or a miss. I think it also started with seeing my mom make her clothes. I still remember this one time when I was around 12 years old or so I went shopping to buy myself a dress for my cousin’s wedding and after checking 10-15 odd stores I just didn’t like anything so I decided to make my own. I went around looking for fabrics, laces, trims etc and went to my mom’s usual tailor and got my designs made and that’s what I wore. I kept doing it more often later on and people started asking me where I bought these from and even approached me to make something for them. Then it expanded to men’s wear, kids wear as well. Then somehow I knew, Fashion could be my calling.
Q) Your family’s reaction when you made this your career choice. What kind of support do you get from your family to fulfil your work commitments? Tell us about your childhood, education, and family.
A) Initially, it was a tough decision to make because I come from a family of doctors. Every member of my family is a doctor so it was a risk for me to take and also very difficult to convince my parents that this could be a successful path in the future. I wrote my entrance exam to NIFT and got through. Seeing my good rank in a central govt university my parents were a bit more supportive and understanding. After graduation, seeing me shift and trying so many jobs they were a bit worried but now they are proud of what I do. My father has become a huge movie buff. To an extent that he fills me in on all the latest news/articles that he reads daily which sometimes I miss. He knows all the details about every actor and actress’s upcoming films, their releases etc. The long and unpredictable working hours are a part of my work. My family and I have come to terms with it, although It was overwhelming for us at first, over the years we got used to it. Especially my Husband he’s my pillar of strength right now, helps me get through all the stressful times, sometimes even lends a hand in my work if needed.
Q) How did you get your start in styling (personal styling)?
A) Although I had experience in personal styling from my assisting days, independently I’m relatively new to this and it was also unexpected, Last year or so I started working on Rama Rao on duty and I was asked to do the promotions for Rajisha Vijayan (she is such a sweetheart) and put together a few interesting looks for a couple of events and social media did the rest for me. I got calls from photographers, actors etc to do their styling/shoots as well. Right now I’m doing personal styling for Karthikeya Gummakonda, I also do photoshoots and personal styling for a few more actors from time to time.
Q) As a celebrity stylist, what are some opportunities you have been blessed to get your hands on?
A) For me, every project that I do is a blessing. Every person I style let it be a character in a film or an actor for an event or promotion. It is very interesting to brainstorm and come up with interesting looks. But the recent projects that I have completed and I’m awaiting their release are Bedurlanka of course – this is my first attempt at satirical comedy and it was such a fun process. Dootha – an Amazon prime series which is a thriller – horror again a new genre for me so I’ve gotten a lot of insights, especially working on this one. Gaami is another amazing project which is very unique. I’ve also gotten to style a couple of celebrities like Karthikeya, Esha Rebba, Rajisha Vijayan and so on. Personal styling is something I’ve gotten into recently since my focus was on costuming for the longest time but I am enjoying both crafts.
Q) Do you prefer personal styling or Costume designing?
A) I prefer both because they have their own way of expression. Costume design allows us to create a world and execute a vision that a director, DOP, producer, and production designer and I have as a whole. It does have some boundaries concerning budget restrictions, time constraints, specifications according to the scripts etc. It’s a group effort to make something look visually beautiful. It’s like creating a piece of art that will live forever.
Whereas Personal styling has no limit, it can be anything. It’s an opportunity to work with different brands, different ideas, Different styles and trends all put together with the motive of making an actor look their best. Both these crafts need an equal amount of research and effort in their way. So I love doing both.
Q) Is this job glamorous as people think it to be?
A) I wouldn’t say that it isn’t, but having said that it is not “as” glamorous as it seems to be to the outside world or a third person who has never been In the industry. What we see on screen has a battalion of people working hard to make it happen. There’s immense pressure, stress, etc that comes with the last-minute requirements, and mishaps that are not under anybody’s control, we always have to be ready for anything and everything that could go wrong. This makes the working hours unpredictable as well but once we see the output all this fades away. That is what I feel is the best part of what I do. So in that sense in the end yes, it is glamorous.
Q) What are the challenges you faced so far in terms of attitude from stars or deadlines/budget constraints?
A) Challenges are inevitable in this field of work, like I mentioned earlier we need to be prepared for the most unpredictable issue that might come up. It could be the pettiest thing like a stitch coming out or a thread hanging out from somewhere to as major as the colours looking different on camera or the directors wanting something completely different from what we discussed while the shoot is happening. There are many such scenarios that my team and I have been put into an ample number of times. It’s just efficient and quick solutions that can help us tackle these issues.
Stars are stars for a reason. you know they have seen a lot and gone through a lot so most of the time they know what works for them. So when they are picky or want things done a certain way I can understand where they are coming from. If we are under pressure to execute the costumes they are under the limelight they are the ones being seen by the masses they are being most vulnerable so that isn’t easy.
Budgets and constraints are there for every department in a film without these a film cannot be made. I wouldn’t say that it’s nice to have these limitations. It gets difficult to execute all the ideas but then it also makes us push the envelope a bit. We come up with the most creative ideas to make things happen that we wouldn’t have otherwise. So in a way, it’s good and bad both.
Q) Any creative challenges?
A) There will be a few creative challenges too, especially when we are working under a time limit. It’s even worse when we have to come up with something for the next day’s shoot overnight. For example this one time we were asked to make 800 dancers’ costumes in 2-3 days and we pulled it off. But again in a creative process, anything is possible.
Q) The best compliment you received so far and what gives you a high in your profession?
A) It’s always nice to be appreciated for your work and so many people write to me after watching the films and reading these just puts a smile on my face. Every time I have a bad day at work and at times when I crack under pressure, reading these is what makes me keep going. Proving to my family that this is what I love doing was very important so the biggest compliment for me is when my parents saw my work for the first time and appreciated me for it.
Seeing the output when everything is put together gives me a rush. Every time I complete a project and see it on the big screen, it’s like watching every day of work that we put in come to life. It just makes me forget all the sleepless nights, all the running around, all the days we went through skipping meals and so on. Although I’m very critical in terms of judging my work I’m constantly pointing out mistakes to myself (which aren’t visible to a lot of people), just to make sure I don’t repeat them.
Q) What is the fashion scene/styling status in Hyderabad currently? Are we on par with Bollywood celebs? Are Hyderabadis in the know of the latest trends?
A) I feel like every city’s approach is different, when we compare Delhi, Bombay, Chennai etc each city has their way of expressing its style. But when it comes to being fashion-forward and also the availability of luxury brands and so on we are slightly lagging but such talented designers are coming up lately doing very interesting things I feel like we’ll get there soon. At times, I wish that I didn’t have to travel/ship branded clothing from Delhi or Bombay just because they are not available in Hyderabad.
Q) Difference between a fashion designer and a costume designer?
Q) A fashion designer knows his/her basics, knows how a piece of garment is made from start to finish and includes how to make it look aesthetically on point as well. It’s like knowing your ABCs. Having your basics right will always be helpful to do anything else. Costume designers like I mentioned earlier make sure that a collective vision comes to life while making use of these fashion design skills/styling skills. Doing this while keeping the budgets, script, and inputs from every technician in mind is the task. This includes getting every single detail right. Right from the hairstyle, make-up, accessories etc. In my opinion Styling + Fashion design = Costume design.
Q) How important is your rapport with a costumer in a film project?
A) A costume Chief or the costumers are very essential in a way they are a part of the entire costume team. They are the ones who arrange and put things together, they do the heavy lifting, alterations, ironing on set and a lot of the other things that are very crucial but go unnoticed. In a way, I think we are interdependent. They are also the people that have been in the industry for years now so they have their knowledge of how things worked once which sometimes helps in tackling stressful situations. It’s a give-and-take of knowledge between them and us designers.
Q) Is movie styling in the film industry competitive?
A) Yes, It is competitive but I’ve been understanding lately that everybody has their way of working. Every stylist/ designer has their own aesthetic and specialities. So each one picks films according to their forte automatically. There have been really good stylists that I have worked with that make work a collaborative process to work together as well. Again it all depends on the approach. At the end of the day I believe we are creating art, so why compete?
Q) How do you upgrade yourself and what are your plans for your future?
-A) The only way to stay updated is to research, look up trends, watch new collections from international brands, see what other stylists are doing (only to appreciate and learn 😛 ), and of course, experiment. My plan for the future is to build a highly trained team that is efficient and well-acquainted with the entire process of costuming in filmmaking. I also see myself starting my fashion line which is another goal I had for a while now.
Q) Your projects now and the ones that you have lately signed? Who according to you is the next style icon, female or male in the Telugu film industry and why?
A) -The projects that have been completed recently are Bedurlanka 2012, Gaami, Dootha(Amazon prime), and Bahishkarana (Zee5), all of which are yet to be released in 2023. I’m yet to start 2 new projects from Jan which are yet to be named and are still in the early stages of pre-production. I really love Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s style sense and lately I have been following Mrunal Thakur as well. I think she’s gorgeous and I have a feeling that she’s going to be the next big thing in our industry. I also adore Sai Pallavi’s effortlessly classy sense of style that she carries off so well.
Q) Do you derive satisfaction in movie promotion styling? Isn’t designing a costume more creative than picking clothes and putting them together?
A) Yes, In a way I do. Styling is not as simple as just picking clothes and putting them together. There’s a lot that goes into it like a colour palette, picking the right hairstyle, picking the right make-up, selecting the best possible silhouettes for a body type, and understanding what each actor is comfortable with while trying to be true to your aesthetics as well. This also allows us to see what clothes are out there. Picking and filtering from a wide variety of choices down to the best possible options is also in a way a crucial task. This is where our creativity is required the most.
Q) What is your style statement and what would you advise fashionistas?
A) My statement is to dress for the occasion, but also be as comfortable as possible. To me being comfortable is very important because that’s when I am the best and most confident version of myself. I would advise the same to all fashionistas, no matter what, don’t wear anything that could throw you off guard.
A quick tip for women have all essentials like the
1)Little Black Dress
2)black and solid t-shirts,
3)A jacket/shrug or pullover
4)A good pair of jeans/trousers/tights
5)A good handbag that fits your basic makeup
6)A pair of golden hoops or single studs,
7)A pair of black pumps
8)A Pair of white sneakers
For men,
1) A classic white/black Shirt
2) Navy blue or Black trousers
3) 1 pair of formal shoes
4) A good pair of jeans that sit on your actual waist
5) T-shirt – Blue, Black or white.
6) A Pair of sneakers
A good polo t-shirt
A classy watch.
and you are good to go.
Q) How was your experience working in Bedurlanka 2012?
A) Bedurlanka is a special film for me. It’s been an interesting journey right from listening to the narration to ideating on each character and making the concept art/sketches for them. We all came up with ideas and finally put together everything beautifully. For us, the task at hand was to make things very subtly satirical or funny and not to make them too obvious, which was a good learning experience for me.
