Exclusive - Ashley Rebello on his process for recreating 70s - 80s look for Yami Gautm, Emraan Hashmi in Haq: 'Nothing was bought off the rack'

Ashley Rebello

Ace costume designer Ashley Rebello spoke about the painstaking research, emotional memory and period detailing that went into shaping the world of Haq.  Known for defining some of Bollywood’s most iconic looks, Ashley approached the movie with a rare blend of nostalgia and precision.

In an exclusive conversation with Moneycontrol, Ashley said that he dove deep into the visual language of a past era to etch characters that feel authentic, lived-in and rooted in real cultural history.

Ashley Rebello said he approached Haq with the intention of recreating a world that felt lived in, familiar and rooted in a time that cannot be replicated through trend-driven styling.

"When I did a film like Haq, I felt that that brought back that era and brought back that time because it's like an iconic look, you know, like how I created with Salman for Wanted - the check shirts, the denim with it, it's just different like Chandini Bar look or Chameli look or so many movies that I have done which have just created iconic looks. So, I feel that advertising and runway don't really determine because you're very short determined iconic looks and people start following them," he said.

While designing looks for Haq, which is set in the 70s era, Ashley said he remembered how his father dressed, how relatives styled their hair, how women draped dupattas.

"As far as the approach for Yami and Emraan Hashmi's costumes is concerned, I did a lot of research. I went through that period. I looked at all my mothers, pictures, my cousins pictures, my friends, pictures, their mothers. I remember, initially when you see 80s and, late 70s, you wear the bell bottoms and then I remembered my dad. He never wore bell bottoms and he just wore pleated trousers, my uncles, my aunt, everybody. None of them had the buffon hair, neither did my mum. So, I told Yami (Gautam) that, and I told Emraan to just go with what is right at that given point of time," he said.

What was different about Yami’s wardrobe

Further speaking about Yami Gautam’s wardrobe in the movie, he said it moved from soft, romantic hues to deeper, more textured shades as her character transformed.

Her costumes drew directly from memory - chiffon, mulmul and organza dupattas with delicate embroideries. "So, we gave these soft curls and, the way the makeup was and everything was suggested at every given point of time, whether it was a chiffon dupattas for Yami, whether it was organza and mulmul dupattas for Yami, whether it was shawls. It was all created," he says.

For Emraan Hashmi, the styling was sharply tailored and Ashley also revealed that nothing was taken off the shelf. All the costumes were tailored to suit the look and that era completely like the pleated trousers, fitted shirts, clean lines, and embroidered jackets.

"Emraan's shirts and his trousers were tailored, his jackets and his sherwaanis. Everything was embroidered and nothing was bought off the rack. So, you know, reference points are very, very helpful because they really build a lot and give you a lot of authenticity as far as a very distinct look is concerned," he said.

Ashley said every costume in the movie was an act of world-building. “They all felt like they were a part of that time… they were in a different time warp… So that's what made me feel really, really good.”

He also revealed that even the supporting characters were dressed with the same exacting detail, giving the film the immersive quality of a lived-in world.

Every costume in Haq captures the essence of the characters without overshadowing them. He defines Haq as a film where clothes whisper rather than speak.

About Haq

Haq is set in a bygone period that blends the late 1970s and early 1980s. Yami Gautam and Emraan Hashmi were the leads in the film directed by Suparn Verma.

Haq released on November 7 to great reviews and the movie, which is based on the landmark 1985 Shah Bano case in India. It concerned a Muslim woman's right to maintenance after divorce.