He represents the ‘Kink of Creativity’ in the Indian context of his times.
Category: Women’s wear, western wear costumes for Hindi Cinema for the Year-1980 to 1992.
He is a name that most people have never heard of. But if you are the Bollywood‘insider’, then you have revered him, admired him, and loved him. When younoticethe spunk and a fashion za za zuin chronological order of the history ofcostume and fashion in Hindi Cinema, it is Xerxes Bathena
In the wide frame of style and Hindi cinema, Xerxes represents an importanttalent that set the benchmark for costume design in the Hindi Cinema but exitedthe industry just when it was heating up. He had ‘been there and done that’ whenthe rest were just waking up to the opportunity of becoming a costume designerfor Hindi cinema. Xerxes came from a ‘well off’ Parsi family in Mumbai. He wasuniquely welltraveled for his time. The travel also gave him new vision andapproach to style and design, which was his passion. He gathered ideas throughhis visions and interpretations, nurtured.He gave ‘sexy glam’ to the half closeted Indian people who craved itbut wouldnever say it. The sequence jumpsuits, animal furs, boots and pink wigs thatIndians so absolutely loved.
“I would pick up Vogue from aircrafts, I was always looking, I would also getmany international publications on fashion from trash tradersin Mumbai”
He was inspired by the famous American soap operas-Dynasty, and Dallas.
“I laugh atmyself; it was the worse time to be. Ugly dresses with shoulder pads-my work. With me you can say, you did not know fuck about fashion. I thought Iwas wow.And when you look at it after 10 yrs, what were you thinking.”
Xerxes fed his imagination with TV serials from UK and the USA in the eighties,Magazines, especially shows in Las Vegas inspired him. A frequent visitor at theLido in Paris, he was very fondoff the famous cabaret. He was often comparedto Bob Mackey who was famous from doing Cher’s clothes. “They called me Bob Mackey of the east”
He started his career with Praveen Babi, his first picture was the biggest movie ofthat year-‘Namak Halal’. Hegave Praveen Babi a gold sequence leotard finishedwith net. “No body was doing the leotard then”.The impact was immense.Inspired by Diana Ross, I did a leotard with a two way stretch knit fabric.
I ask, did you do another heroine as well? Promptly hesays, ’no’, I was exclusiveto Praveen Babi.
Xerxes did western wear glamorous wear for his heroines.
Xerxes Bathena was born in 1950.He came from a middle class Parsi family. Hecompleted his graduation in 1970. A young Parsi gay boy, he started hiscareeras a sales manager with a boutique called Burlington in the Taj Mahal Hotel inMumbai. This was the only boutique at that time.
“I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer “
His creativity caught the eye of his management. He drew sketches andhad thecourage to add value to the existing stocks. Soon he became a store manager.He put together the Burlington Catalogue. He thought her was he was doingfashion. He put together the line for Pret e porter for their French exhibition. Soon he realized that he wanted to do fashion in films. He did not know anyonein films. He quit the job, created designs, took them to each star’s house andshowed them off.
He would take a model, a boom box and she would change outfits and comeout. It was like a show happening. Xerxes showed at Padmini Kohlapuri,amongst others. Until he got in touch with Praveen Babi.
Praveen said,” XerxesI want to give youbadnews and a good news. The badnews is that I want you to die these gloves black. The good news is thatyou aredoing Namak halal, the biggest film of the year”.
He has never looked back neither did she. She made him promise not to do anyother lead actor such as Zeenat Aman, and Rekha. The industry was great backthen. Everyone worked like a close-knitfamily. It was an organic evolution.
Xerxes says about Pravin Babi,“Pravin babi was not pretty, she was gorgeous”
Later Xerxes worked with other lead female actors such as Sri Devi.“When I waswith her, she would not wear sleeveless, no legs showing. Ilove that womanfrom the day I met her. She is a star”He also did clothes for Madhuri Dixit andDimple Kapadia.
“Doing Sagar-was my high, You have got that face, great performers,greatdirector”
“Hema Malini, a person you think would notexperiment, I gave her a lilac wig andlilac outfit”
He sees the teachings at fashion schools in India as not as holistic as theyshould be. He laugh’s about todayfashion,not at it. He says
“Darling whatever they tell youclass-they are thieves. They talk rubbish.They teach you-What are the colors of the season? Fuck you! What color are ou talking about? You are in the land of eternal summer, whatcolor are youtalking about?-You are in the land of Diwali and weddings, what color-Imean a turquoise is as good as a red and a Mehroon is as good as a purple.No body is becomingreal. People are talking shit”“What roots were you looking at? Men were wearing women’s clothes! Youknow what I mean? I mean maharajas never wore as much embroidery asthey wore! Today maharajas may be the stars. People don’t even know that aSherwani as 7,3,3 buttons-Seven in the front, three on each sleeve. Theyput 10 buttons. I don’t want to know this game where people don’t evenknow this. I suppose we do it unknowingly. Fashion designers don’t knowthe artists at all”
He asserts the importance of the artist’s imagination. He mentions about themovie Ashoka, where the main protagonist–Ashoka was created by the artistthat left an image of the character on the mindsof the people for a long time.Just like the movie Amrapali’s costumes done by Bhanu Athiaya.
He started in 1980 andgave up the career of being an Indian costume designer in 1990. Hecould notcope with the stress that the movies came with. He said, “Igot tired of the process of running after money. Also, One night a drunk directorcalled to say in the night that he wanted the costume ready by 2pm and I had todo it. I could not deal with this lifestyle.”
His last work was in 1992-Khuda Gawah-He just did one look for the movie. Thelook was for Sri Devi, in a Reindeer skin on a horse in her first shot of the movie.
Xeerxes Bathena is not the most celebrated name in the Indian cinema costumedesigners but is certainly the one respected byall that are celebrated.
Interview, Words andResearch by Ms GEETA KHANNA for Style of India