National award-winning fashion designer Nachiket Barve, who has worked with several celebrities, right from Amitabh Bachchan to Saif Ali Khan, Kriti Sanon, Prabhas, and Samantha, gets candid with The Pioneer about his journey and more about mastering the skills in the films.
Tejal Sinha
You name a celebrity, and Nachiket Barve would have worked with them. But he has certainly had an exciting journey, of course.
Being grateful for all the steps that have come his way, he had absolutely no fashion background to kind of speak with—not one of those kids who grew up with privilege and luxury or exposure to fashion. It was a very different upbringing. But fashion was something that he had a deep interest in. With luck and hard work, a lot of opportunities opened doors for him.
We’re also talking about a time about 15–16 years ago when fashion was not so prevalent, but today it is much more ubiquitous, and there is much more understanding and acceptance.
“My family was very supportive of my choices,” he recalls as he further adds, “There were many steps along the way—whether it was showcasing at Fashion Week for the first time, the conception of the launch of the label, or being able to work in Paris before the big international boom happened in India. It was a bit of risk-taking and a lot of hard work. I think what has helped me along the way is to stick to my own signature and discover and hone my style. The national award was a very big moment because, you know, there are plenty of wonderful awards, but to get one from the President of India herself is a memorable and very proud moment.”
But again, at the same time, he feels this is just the beginning of a journey in a certain way because India is changing rapidly, the future is changing rapidly, and one will have so much more to offer to the newer generation, whether they are young millennials or Gen Z.
To our surprise, he revealed that he has been very privileged because his first day ever on a film set was with Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan. “I think once you’ve gone to deal with people who have 100 years of cinematic experience together, it really teaches you a lot. I’ve learned a lot from them, and it sets you up for the road ahead because you learn from the best. I’ve been very lucky because all the big stars that I’ve worked with, whether on Tanhaji or with Prabhas, and so many others, have all been wonderful professionals and very warm human beings. Whether it is the biggest task or the smallest, I believe in approaching both with the same level of commitment and attention to detail,” adds the national award-winning fashion designer.
As a designer, the journey that he has had with his label is what he showcased at the recent Blenders Pride Glassware Fashion NXT Festival.
His career began to gain momentum after he designed for the senior Bachchans, a Tanishq advertisement! Something that we informed you about earlier in this interview. But you know what? There has been another connection to the work he has had with Big B. His father was the personal physician of the Shahenshah of B’town. Thus, there was added pressure on him: “You don’t want to disappoint and underperform at the task given to you, and for any creative professional, when you’re working with stars of a certain stature, there is definitely added pressure, especially on a costume designer, because on a set, if that doesn’t work, then the whole shoot stalls, so it’s a lot of expectation, but it’s also wonderful because you step into it as a student and you learn so much about the craft, angles, lighting, and what works on camera with the best teams available and also with stars of such magnitude. I kind of treat that as my introduction to costume design and my first step there.”
Nachiket’s fashion philosophy is all about timely yet timeless fashion. It’s about clothes that you can wear today and clothes you can wear perhaps 10 years later, and he feels that is a wonderful way to make fashion sustainable.
In fact, Samantha Ruth Prabhu wears his design in the iconic Oo Antava song. She looks stunning, and it’s a far cry from what he did in Tanhaji or Adipurush, for that matter. The team of Pushpa, he reveals, reached out to him and asked if he’d like to do something for Samantha. Who’d say no, after all? “I think that’s been the attitude that has kept me in good stead. I was inspired by the song and the lyrics. It was about a feminist take on an special song and how you empower women in that way. So, the inspiration started from a peacock, which is strutting around proudly, taking the colours of that and exploring them on the screen. I am a firm believer in the philosophy of the Gita that says, ‘Karm karo fal ki iccha mat karo (Do your job, but don’t do it expecting a certain benefit out of it).’ When you’re doing a costume for a big star, an outfit for a bride, or something for a song shoot, it’s with the intention of doing that job to the best of my ability, as opposed to what I would get out of it. You can’t do a job working backward, saying this is the appreciation I’m going to get out. Also, a song like this lets me explore a more ‘filmy’ side of my personality, which otherwise would not have been brought to the fore with the work I do in the fashion imdustry,” shares the courtier, adding that fashion can empower you, strengthen you, and can also be a mood lifter. True that! Moving ahead, Nachiket was fortunate to work not only in the Hindi film industry but also in regional industries. He feels that when we talk about something being a turning point, each of them has been turning points in their own way. But to name one, “I’d say Tanhaji and the national award that came home because of that film was definitely a turning point, especially for a designer who has been trained in international fashion or working with a brand like Celine. It’s been a very different take, and it really helped me explore a side of me that was untapped till then.”
“I think what I do for the fashion label is one part of my brain, and what I do for costumes in films is an entirely different part,” he goes on further to explain in this exclusive interview. “A film like Tanhaji required, I think, 2 years of pre-production research, so I went across museums all across the country and even abroad. So, whether it was the Salarjang Museum in Hyderabad, the craft museum in Delhi, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangala Museum in Bombay, the Victorian Albert Museum in London, or the Kelkar Museum in Pune, extensive research—in fact, even raiding the collections of private families and collectors who had textiles from that era—recreated jewellery using original moulds that were over 400 years old. From the family who actually designed jewellery for the court of Chatrapati Shivaji. So, it was recreating all of that. It was a lot of work because I was very clear that I wanted the film to look cinematically beautiful but also authentic.”
You name a celebrity, and Nachiket Barve would have worked with them. But he has certainly had an exciting journey, of course.
Being grateful for all the steps that have come his way, he had absolutely no fashion background to kind of speak with—not one of those kids who grew up with privilege and luxury or exposure to fashion. It was a very different upbringing. But fashion was something that he had a deep interest in. With luck and hard work, a lot of opportunities opened doors for him.
We’re also talking about a time about 15–16 years ago when fashion was not so prevalent, but today it is much more ubiquitous, and there is much more understanding and acceptance.
“My family was very supportive of my choices,” he recalls as he further adds, “There were many steps along the way—whether it was showcasing at Fashion Week for the first time, the conception of the launch of the label, or being able to work in Paris before the big international boom happened in India. It was a bit of risk-taking and a lot of hard work. I think what has helped me along the way is to stick to my own signature and discover and hone my style. The national award was a very big moment because, you know, there are plenty of wonderful awards, but to get one from the President of India herself is a memorable and very proud moment.”
But again, at the same time, he feels this is just the beginning of a journey in a certain way because India is changing rapidly, the future is changing rapidly, and one will have so much more to offer to the newer generation, whether they are young millennials or Gen Z.
To our surprise, he revealed that he has been very privileged because his first day ever on a film set was with Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan. “I think once you’ve gone to deal with people who have 100 years of cinematic experience together, it really teaches you a lot. I’ve learned a lot from them, and it sets you up for the road ahead because you learn from the best. I’ve been very lucky because all the big stars that I’ve worked with, whether on Tanhaji or with Prabhas, and so many others, have all been wonderful professionals and very warm human beings. Whether it is the biggest task or the smallest, I believe in approaching both with the same level of commitment and attention to detail,” adds the national award-winning fashion designer.
As a designer, the journey that he has had with his label is what he showcased at the recent Blenders Pride Glassware Fashion NXT Festival.
His career began to gain momentum after he designed for the senior Bachchans, a Tanishq advertisement! Something that we informed you about earlier in this interview. But you know what? There has been another connection to the work he has had with Big B. His father was the personal physician of the Shahenshah of B’town. Thus, there was added pressure on him: “You don’t want to disappoint and underperform at the task given to you, and for any creative professional, when you’re working with stars of a certain stature, there is definitely added pressure, especially on a costume designer, because on a set, if that doesn’t work, then the whole shoot stalls, so it’s a lot of expectation, but it’s also wonderful because you step into it as a student and you learn so much about the craft, angles, lighting, and what works on camera with the best teams available and also with stars of such magnitude. I kind of treat that as my introduction to costume design and my first step there.”
Nachiket’s fashion philosophy is all about timely yet timeless fashion. It’s about clothes that you can wear today and clothes you can wear perhaps 10 years later, and he feels that is a wonderful way to make fashion sustainable.
In fact, Samantha Ruth Prabhu wears his design in the iconic Oo Antava song. She looks stunning, and it’s a far cry from what he did in Tanhaji or Adipurush, for that matter. The team of Pushpa, he reveals, reached out to him and asked if he’d like to do something for Samantha. Who’d say no, after all? “I think that’s been the attitude that has kept me in good stead. I was inspired by the song and the lyrics. It was about a feminist take on an special song and how you empower women in that way. So, the inspiration started from a peacock, which is strutting around proudly, taking the colours of that and exploring them on the screen. I am a firm believer in the philosophy of the Gita that says, ‘Karm karo fal ki iccha mat karo (Do your job, but don’t do it expecting a certain benefit out of it).’ When you’re doing a costume for a big star, an outfit for a bride, or something for a song shoot, it’s with the intention of doing that job to the best of my ability, as opposed to what I would get out of it. You can’t do a job working backward, saying this is the appreciation I’m going to get out. Also, a song like this lets me explore a more ‘filmy’ side of my personality, which otherwise would not have been brought to the fore with the work I do in the fashion imdustry,” shares the courtier, adding that fashion can empower you, strengthen you, and can also be a mood lifter. True that! Moving ahead, Nachiket was fortunate to work not only in the Hindi film industry but also in regional industries. He feels that when we talk about something being a turning point, each of them has been turning points in their own way. But to name one, “I’d say Tanhaji and the national award that came home because of that film was definitely a turning point, especially for a designer who has been trained in international fashion or working with a brand like Celine. It’s been a very different take, and it really helped me explore a side of me that was untapped till then.”
“I think what I do for the fashion label is one part of my brain, and what I do for costumes in films is an entirely different part,” he goes on further to explain in this exclusive interview. “A film like Tanhaji required, I think, 2 years of pre-production research, so I went across museums all across the country and even abroad. So, whether it was the Salarjang Museum in Hyderabad, the craft museum in Delhi, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangala Museum in Bombay, the Victorian Albert Museum in London, or the Kelkar Museum in Pune, extensive research—in fact, even raiding the collections of private families and collectors who had textiles from that era—recreated jewellery using original moulds that were over 400 years old. From the family who actually designed jewellery for the court of Chatrapati Shivaji. So, it was recreating all of that. It was a lot of work because I was very clear that I wanted the film to look cinematically beautiful but also authentic.”
