Heeramandi set designer Subrata Chakraborty: “There is always magic working with Bhansali; he is an artist himself” |EXCLUSIVE

“This is a long process. For almost 7-8 months, we did research on it and made the design. Then I got a lot of input from Sir (Sanjay Leela Bhansali). Then small details were added, then DOPs joined, and how would the set be made? And this is how it is going to look. Then, after the production work started, two months after the miniature was made, we built this set of Heeramandi. At least 1500 workers were working daily to build a set of such a large scale.

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Subrata further said that Bhansali sits with them, gives them clear instructions, and also stresses the fact that'sir is himself an artist’ which makes their work easy.

“It becomes easy because we, my partner Amit, are all artists; Sir is also an artist, so the wavelength matches perfectly. It is really good, sir, when he describes to us what he wants—the colour treatment should be like this, the architectural treatment should be like this, the quality should be like this—we are able to do it very easily. Our entire team, Amit and I, are able to easily replicate it. Sir's basics themselves are amazing, if you can visualize 100 percent what will be made and how,” he told us.

Talking about the grandiosity of the sets of the series Heeramandi, he said they did a lot of research on how Heeramandi looked in real life in Lahore, Pakistan.

He further added that Bhansali also gave them his input, and that’s how they were able to make such a beautiful set, which is being loved by all.

“There were courtesans in Heeramandi and their ‘thaath bhath’ was amazing. We had researched this on the internet; Sir also had some of it, and our writer also told us about certain things. And Sir said, ‘Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya O Jamyai Nai’ (meaning the one who never saw Lahore was not born). Lahore was so beautiful; how will we show it to him? It was amazing in its grandeur. Research, books, the internet and some references given by Sir were used to create Heeramandi sets,” he said.

Their briefing is very realistic. Once the script is ready, his vision is very clear. If you are an artist, then you should understand what your director is saying. It is very easy, and whenever our design is on, we work while keeping in mind what our captain is saying. Whatever Sir says, we do the design and detailing accordingly.

What was his reaction?

Subrata: Basically, he did not see me even once. I think we worked for two and a half months, and he would have come himself for one month. For those who go with this set, the atmosphere of art is very important to them. Sometimes he has even painted the set while sitting with us on the set, all by himself,’ he said.

Subrata further said that there is a lot of involvement from Mr. Bhansali in each and every detail. He makes sure to be there for the sets when they are under construction.

And when asked about Mr. Bhansali’s reaction to seeing the Heeramandi set for the first time, Subrata said, ‘Bhansali sir would keep visiting the set regularly.’

Subrata: "Basically, unhone aik baar toh nahi dekha mere khayal se hum log two and a half months humen kaam kiya toh woh 1 month khud aate they. Is set ke saath jete they woh unke liye art ka mahaul is very important? Kabhi kabhi toh khud baith kar painting bhi kiya hai unhone. Waise bahut interesting hai, Sanjay sir. Kaise texture hoga, woh aise nahi hai ki aapko bol diya aur ho gaya. Woh aapke saath hamesha supporting rehte hain hamesha. Ki mere ko aana hai kya, kal aon kya main. Bahut involvement hai unka. Woh har team mein apna itna hi involvement rakhte hain. It is not like you just told it and it was done. He is always supporting you. Do I have to come? Should I come tomorrow? He has a lot of involvement. He keeps this much involvement in every team.”

What was the brief you got for Ganugubai Karthiawadi from Mr. Bhansali?

Subrata: Sir had told us that Gangubai has to be very realistic. During the making of Gangubai Kathiawadi, when the script came to us, sir said that it had to be realistic. And we did a lot of research about how realistic it would be, and then we visited Kamathipura too. We also saw how the old architecture is still intact in Kamathipura. Then we made our world. We beautified Gangubai with a mix of real and fake, and it looked amazing. There is always magic working with Bhansali.

What kind of reaction and work are you getting after the success of Heeramandi?

Subrata: It is really early to say if Heeramandi's success has made an impact on our work or not, as we will come to know after one year what kind of projects we get. (He laughs)

How was it working on a limited-budget film like Munjya?

Subrata: So, recently, my film Munjya was released, which is doing really well. There is nothing big or small in the film. We do both kinds of films, big-budget and small-budget, too. A tight budget is challenging, but it is also good to work. Obviously, if you have a big movie but the budget is too restricted, you cannot complete the project; it will be difficult. Then you are forced to tell the production house that this film will be made but not made.

What kind of reaction are you getting for Munjya?

Subrata: I am getting a good reaction for Munjya and am happy that it was made on such a low budget, but still people liked it. I am happy.