Interest in period dramas powers India's 'old armour' industry

What's the link between Shiva's costumes in 'Brahmastra', popular PC game 'Warhammer', Russell Crowe's 'Gladiator', and 'Game of Thrones'? Dingy factories in Meerut, Dehradun

- Sandeep Rai

In the congested bylanes of Lakhipura, located within the deep recesses of old Meerut, 45-year-old Noor Saifi gives final touches to the replica of a 16th-century steel gauntlet, an unusual sight for locals in this part of the world.

Iron breastplates designed to look like those from a bygone era are placed in a corner of the small, soot-filled room, waiting to be buffed and eventually turned into shining armour. They will be supplied as medieval armour to European, Asian, and American markets as part of a business that's suddenly seeing a "meteoric rise" with the revolution in new-age technology (aided by frenetic talk on social media), the proliferation of OTT platforms, advancements in the gaming industry and, most of all, renewed interest in period pieces, mythology and historical tales.

Many of these finely designed pieces have featured blockbuster movies such as Russell Crowe-starrer 'Gladiator', Gerard Butler's '300', and Bollywood's own 'Brahmastra'. Several pieces are also used as ceremonial armour abroad. "But the fresh interest in our industry is something we have never seen before," a prop maker says.

Saifi is one of the many artisans residing in the walled city who work for medieval arms manufacturers and vendors in Meerut and Dehradun. These two north Indian cities are known to supply a major chunk of weapons produced by the Rs 350-crore Indian period armour industry to the rest of the world.