The closing weekend of Nilaya Anthology’s Monsoon Film Festival curated in collaboration with The Hollywood Reporter India, brought the festival to a fitting close, celebrating the craft of costume design and the making of two of contemporary Hindi cinema’s most beloved films through a series of conversations and a packed screening.
The weekend opened with a session on costume design featuring designer Sheetal Sharma, who took audiences behind the scenes of some of his most recognisable work. Sharing stills and stories from Gangubai Kathiawadi, Sita Ramam, Saiyaara and other films, Sharma spoke about the process of sourcing, styling and developing costumes that become an essential part of a character’s world. He discussed how costumes are shaped not simply by aesthetics, but by the personality, circumstances and emotional journey of the character.
One of the highlights of the session was his account of creating the visual language for Gangubai Kathiawadi. Sharma spoke about working closely with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali to establish the film’s colour palette and how they arrived at the shades and textures that would define Gangubai’s world. He also explained how his approach involves building an entire visual world around a character, ensuring that the costumes feel intrinsic to the story rather than simply decorative. The conversation offered an insight into the often unseen research, collaboration and detail that goes into creating memorable cinematic images.
This was followed by a conversation between filmmaker Zoya Akhtar and THR India editor Anupama Chopra, marking 15 years of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The discussion revisited the making of the film, its characters and the experiences that shaped its enduring appeal. Akhtar shared anecdotes from the shoot, including how Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Deol drove the car themselves during the road-trip sequences and how the actors actually ran with the bulls while filming the iconic Pamplona sequence.
Akhtar also reflected on the process of developing the film’s three central characters and spoke about her approach to filmmaking, from building a story and its emotional world to collaborating with longtime creative partner Reema Kagti and her brother, Farhan Akhtar. The conversation offered a glimpse into the relationships and creative processes behind a film that continues to resonate with audiences 15 years after its release.
The session was followed by a screening of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, which drew a housefull audience.
The finale of the Monsoon Film Festival was an energetic, electric evening with filmmaker Farhan Akhtar regaling the audiences with the behind-the-scene stories of his directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai, which also celebrates 25 years since its release.
The conversation with THR India editor Anupama Chopra started with anecdotes revolving around casting, Akhtar's conviction in the script and the actors he had initially approached. He also spoke about shooting in sync-sound and making the music with the trio of Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy in three days along with his father, the legendary Javed Akhtar, who wrote the lyrics. Akhtar also revealed how the camera stock ran out when Akshaye Khanna was shooting an important scene and later replying to an audience member’s query, he added that if he could change anything in the film, he would let Akshaye’s character be alone in the end.
Sharing his insights into the making of the film to not finding distributors, the filmmaker-actor charmed the audiences at Nilaya and ended the evening on a high note.