The promos of Abhishek Varman‘s upcoming magnum opus, Kalank — set in the pre-Independence era — have already created a huge buzz. The film’s elaborate sets in particular have become a talking point among viewers. Art director Amrita Mahal Nakai, the woman behind the majestic set design, talks about the vision and process behind designing it.
Talking about how it all began, Amrita credits her director, Abhishek for helping her through the process and giving very specific instructions about his grand vision for the film.
She says:
We started working on the design around the end of 2016. We just followed Abhishek’s vision and the script, which left no margin for error.
Among the many grand locations in the film, the set showcases Hira Mandi — the famous market of Lahore — in all its glory.
For most of us who watched the trailer closely, the vibrant colours certainly stood out. Talking about the colour palette used in the film, she says:
We have shown restraint in the use of colours, so that it doesn’t look jarring. We have taken our liberties, but well within the canvas of the film. Red colour has been used extensively in Kalank. It’s a strong colour and is pretty much there in every frame of the film. We used various shades of it. Hira Mandi is the most vibrant of all the sets, so we used colours depicting the same.
A film of such calibre definitely comes with its own set of challenges. Talking about that, she adds:
To transform Abhishek’s vision into reality was a challenge. In today’s day and age, people hardly put up grand sets. They rely greatly on VFX to make the sets look grand, but we built a set to give it a more realistic feel. Of course, the makers will be using visual effects to enhance scenes, but we have kept it as real as possible. This would probably be the largest set I have ever designed.
Kalank boasts of a stellar star cast consisting of Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sanjay Dutt and Kunal Khemu. A Dharma Productions & Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment film, Kalank is all set to release on 17th April 2019.
We are excited to witness these magical sets come alive on screen! What about you guys? Tell us in the comments below!