Maganlal Dresswala

Maganlal Dresswala
Industry Costume design
Founded 1926 (1926)
Founder Maganlal and Harilal
Headquarters Mumbai, India

Maganlal Dresswala or Maganlal Dresswala & Co. is a noted costumer and costume designer for Bollywood productions. Established in 1926 as a small shop in Kalbadevi, Mumbai, it is most known for its period costumes, in Ram Rajya (1943) Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Anarkali (1953), and mythological TV series Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan (1987-1988) and B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat (1988-1990).

Today, the company is the oldest costume supplier in Indian cinema[1] and is mentioned as such in the Limca Book of Records 2012 as it was the costumer for first Indian talkie, Alam Ara (1931).[2]

History

The company started as a small shop in Kalbadevi, near Marine Lines, Mumbai, where brothers Maganlal and Harilal started selling headgear for bridegrooms, like pagadi, sehra and safas. Gradually they shifted to providing wardrobe and costume coordination to local Ramleela theatrical productions. This led to historical and mythological films which were the rage in Bollywood (Hindi cinema), working for noted films like Vijay Bhatt's Ram Rajya (1943), K. Asif's Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Anarkali (1953).[3] They also provided costumes for productions of Parsi theatre.[4] Soon they became a leading provider of wardrobe and costumes; they rented out furniture, set decoration items, and costume accessories, and ventured into exports. Over the years, the company has opened several outlets across Mumbai.[5]

By the 1980s, the company started catering to the rising television industry, most notable the epic series Ramayan (1987—1988), directed by Ramanand Sagar, followed by Mahabharat (1988—1990) by B.R. Chopra and Shyam Benegal's Bharat Ek Khoj (1988).[3] In 1997, the company organized an auction of costumes, which included costumes from Mughal-e-Azam.[6] Today, the company is also famous for supplying annual Navratri garba dance costumes. People from Gujarat, Bengal and even outside India (mostly NRIs), start coming months in advance.[7] The third generation of the family, Sarika Dresswala is the company's head designer.[8]

In 2012, Dresswala, a documentary film directed by Shriya Pilgaonkar, that traces the evolution of Indian cinema through the rise of Maganlal Dresswala, was shown at the 14th Mumbai Film Festival.[9][10]

References

  1. ↑ Subhash K. Jha (Feb 16, 2009). "No Khit-Pit for Gulzar". The Times Of India. Retrieved 12 June 2013. ..Maganlal Dresswala (the oldest provider of costumes for film units)..
  2. ↑ "Oldest costume suppliers". Limca Book of Records. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Behind the scenes: Dress designers to actors & deities". The Tribune. April 20, 2003. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  4. ↑ Nawaz B. Mody (1998). The Parsis in western India, 1818 to 1920. Allied Publishers. p. 252. ISBN 978-81-7023-894-2.
  5. ↑ "Maganlal Dresswala". Business World. Ananda Bazar Patrika. 13: 146. 1993.
  6. ↑ "All that glitters: Clothing The Present With The Past". Indian Express. Jul 18, 1997.
  7. ↑ "Stick together". Indian EXpress. Oct 7, 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  8. ↑ "Backless cholis are Navratri hit". Hindustan Times. October 13, 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  9. ↑ "Sachin Pilgaonkar to launch his daughter Shriya". The Times of India. Mar 5, 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  10. ↑ "14th Mumbai film festival: List of films to be screened". CNN-IBN. Oct 14, 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
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