Entertainment has been part of society for ages. Cinema reflects values and belief systems of communities. It shapes individual opinions and stereotypes. A good film will entertain, educate and inspire its viewers. It will make them think and evoke various emotions. How the viewer can understand the character? The answer is quite simple; through its background shown in film. How this background is created? Through the backdrop of aesthetics of set, costumes, location and time period. The viewer will easily relate to the character if formerly listed aspects are designed on point.
Ram-Leela surely reflects on these aspects. Ram-Leela by Sanjay Leela Bhansali is one of the gems of the crown of Indian cinema a.k.a. Bollywood. Well, the producer is known for his exquisite taste for sets and production design which reflect the cultural and social aspects of the storyline.
The film is produced and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. His production designer for the film is Wasiq Khan.
Plotline and Background
The narrative of the film is an adapted version of the infamous romance drama, “Romeo & Juliet”, written by Sir William Shakespeare. It is a love story of two people whose families have been at war for the past 500 years. The whole backdrop of the film is highly influenced by the art, craft and folklore of Kutch, Gujarat. Ram-leela’s storyline takes place in the fictional village of Ranjaar in the region of Kutch. Ranjaar is popular for its illegal manufacture and sale of arms and ammunition. The love story is about a couple who fall in love, trying to make a truce between their warrying family.
Architecture of film
Sanjay Leela Bhansali took influence from Gujarat’s Architecture and Royal Havelis and envisioned the film of grandeur as his Magnum Opus. To create such majestic sets; Wasiq Khan, the production designer and Bhansali himself spent around 2-3 months for research and observations of locations and discussions of drawings. Sets, Costumes, lights and colours were designed inspiring by the backdrop of craft traditions and cultural aspects of Kutch, a region of Gujarat. The production of the set took 200 days of the scheduled time.
A combination of action & romance and a traditional touch in the film becomes a challenge for set design. But Wasiq Khan conquers the challenge with his sense of design. Each element is minutely designed.
Banduk Bazar aka manjar market is a marketplace for arms and ammunition shown in the opening scene has a street market. Mixed-used buildings showing the commercial zone of village. It has rustic and roughly hued walls and is mainly of brown and black colours.
Moods of the street according to an event has a different setting. The ramleela progression scene in street has all the colourful decorations and lighting around the otta and front yards of streets.
The ending scene, in which the mourning progression of lovers is moving; is an intimidating scene, where the sorrow is in focus. Thus, having no decorations and a plain monochromatic backdrop.
The rough rustic hues are highlighted on walls to depict distress.
Celebration of colours for festive moods. The bright, vibrant colour palettes are used to depict festivals and excitement. Decorative lights play a major role in shots.
The colour palette changes to monochrome in accordance with the intimate shot. The subtle and simple wood finishes are used for intimate shots.
The scene where the hero and heroine are having a humorous conversation about eloping is an intimate shot showing the chemistry between the two. It has been shot on a tree connecting to the balcony of the haveli. The green monochromatic background takes attention towards the conversation of a couple.
Haveli architecture as inspiration can be observed in many scenes. The traditional patterns in flooring, beautiful arches of Gujarati Baroque style, flourishing courtyards and connecting ponds and balconies with jharokhas are highlighted features.
Traditionally, in the folklore of Kutch, the courtyards are used for drying spices and festival celebrations. Kota stone is used for flooring.
A hand-painted cloth curtain with a peacock motif on wall was used as a backdrop for the song “Ram chahe Leela” starring Priyanka Chopra. The whole set was lit with around thousands of candles to create starry aesthetics. The whole backdrop has vibrant colours like blue, green and red, yet the lead dancing character of courtesan is dressed in white embroidered bold clothes. This idea invites the attention of viewer to focus on the lead dancing character.
Epilogue
The viewer must relate to the storyline and the screenplay of the film. The backdrop of the film must be well researched to design every minute detail whether it be set, costumes, lighting or post-production part. Ramleela does suffice all these aspects, thus its narrative is quite easily engaging to its viewers.
Bibliography
Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliyon_Ki_Raasleela_Ram-Leela (Accessed: January 12, 2023).
Kotwani, H. (2013) My film sets are as important as my characters: Bhansali – Times of India, The Times of India. The Times of India. Available at: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Sanjay-Leela-Bhansali-Ram-Leela-Deepika-Ranveer-Singh-Priyanka/etarticleshow/24438805.cms?from=mdr (Accessed: January 12, 2023).
Customers: Case studies: Film (no date) FilmLight. Available at: https://www.filmlight.ltd.uk/customers/case-studies/film/ramleela.php (Accessed: January 13, 2023).
Sachdeva, P. (no date) Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela, Dichotomy of Irony. Available at: https://dichotomy-of-irony.blogspot.com/2014/03/ram-leela.html (Accessed: January 13, 2023).
Arora, srishti (2014) Production design of goliyon ki Rasleela Ram-Leela, srishtiarora. Available at: https://srishtiarora.wordpress.com/2014/09/28/production-design-of-goliyon-ki-rasleela-ram-leela/ (Accessed: January 13, 2023).
