EXPLORING INDIAN CINEMA'S EXCEPTIONAL PRODUCTION DESIGN PROJECTS

Digital Studio India revisits our cinema’s iconic films, applauding the outstanding production designs that defined classics like Devdas,” Jodha Akbar,” and Tumbbad.” From opulent sets to meticulous historical accuracy, these films showcase the profound impact of production design on the cinematic experience.

- Aniket Ghatnekar

Production design is the art of creating a film’s aesthetic through its set—and production designers are the architects of a film’s setting. They’re also the overall managers of the art department alongside their second-in-command, the film’s art director. In recent decades, Indian cinema has produced a number of successful films (especially in the historical genre) where good production design has gone a long way in cementing the film in the audience’s memory.

Digital Studios takes a trip down memory lane to profile the most notable ones.

DEVDAS (2002)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s millennium version of the timeless story by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay was grand in every sense of the word. Its production design was spearheaded by Nitin Chandrakant Desai and more than 60 assistants, with able support from Dheeraj Alkokar (a Pune based architect). The mansion where Devdas lived was painted in shades of yellow and green with towering columns, while 1.22 million pieces of stained glass were used to symbolize Paro’s fragile beauty through her haveli. Chandramukhi’s kotha was the most expensive set in festive gold, modeled on the Dilwara temples of Rajasthan. Cinematographer Binod Pradhan took two days to light the set – 42 generators, 700 light men and 2500 lights were utilized in totality.

BLACK (2005)

A sleeper hit upon release, Black was lensed by Ravi K Chandran, with Omung Kumar leading the production design team. An emphasis on Gothic, mannerist artwork, dark monochrome and neutral colors (coupled with pops of red) enhanced the visual grammar of the film to a great extent.

JODHA AKBAR (2008)