The khaas libas of Mah-e-Meer

Designer Jazib Qamar and director Anjum Shahzad take us back to the grandeur of yesteryear

KARACHI:

Mir Taqi Mir may have been ‘be-qaraar’ in love but what’s making us impatient is the wait for the upcoming biopic Mah-e-Meer. As we also wait with bated breath to witness the sartorial splendour the film is expected to boast, designer Jazib Qamar and director Anjum Shahzad reveal details about the wardrobe the film features, taking us back to the grandeur of the Mughal era.

For Karachi-based Qamar, the film has been nothing short of an exploratory journey, where he has had to observe and incorporate the cultural nuances of yesteryear into his designs. “I have devised the menswear range for the film and a few outfits, such as angarkhas and peshwas, for the female cast members,” he states. “I drew inspiration for these from Indian culture,” he says, adding that he visited India in 2012 and last year to this end.

Mah-e-Meer headed for November release



Qamar reveals that during his visit to India, he exclusively bought one of the caps worn by Fahad Mustafa, the lead actor in the film. The designer, mainly known for his menswear collections, has designed costumes for Mustafa, who plays the dual role of Mir and an aspiring poet of today. “Whether Fahad has been shown as Mir in Delhi or as a budding poet in Karachi, all the sherwanis and kurtas he has sported in the film have been designed by me,” he states.

Although his pivot has been towards menswear, he has customised a few outfits other than bridal-wear for Iman Ali, who plays a courtesan in the movie. “I didn’t design bridal-wear for her, but the scene in which she wears them came out fantastic.” The designer shares that the backdrop of the darbar in many scenes accentuates the regality of the outfits. Besides creating costumes for the lead actors, Qamar has also devised designs for Mir’s fellow poets in the film.

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Shahzad states that the designs are a product of the Mah-e-Meer team’s imagination. Stating that the film doesn’t take inspiration from Bollywood, he shares, “The costumes in particular have been developed using our collective ideas. “We haven’t seen how Mir lived, so we don’t know [his choice of apparel]. These looks have been defined by our imagination and thought processes.”

Of the colour palette Qamar has selected for Mah-e-Meer, he says it primarily features light colour hues. “We’ve worked with colours, such as beige and fawn, for the costumes,” he says, also revealing that he has designed as many as 100 outfits for the movie. Qamar shares he has been an active part of the new wave of Pakistani films, as he has also created designs for films, such as Na Maloom Afraad, Hijrat, Wrong No., Jawani Phir Nahi Aani and an upcoming project titled Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hai.

For those planning on venturing into the world of costume design, he recommends that it’s one’s hard work that’s what ultimately matters. “I’m always present on the sets of the film and care little about money. At the end of the day, it’s the sweat and blood you invest into something that count.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2015.

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