Diwali is the festival of fun and for us Bollywood lovers, the festival HAS to come with a banging film in theatres. This year, the iconic Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise is ready to expand and the audience is excited. From Manjulika’s Ami Je Tomar to Rooh Baba’s funny banters with Chhote Pandit, all these elements made us fall in love with the film. But aside from the actors, the costumes of each character also hold a special place in our hearts. In an exclusive interview with Hauterrfly, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3‘s costume designer, Niharika Bhasin took us through the process of designing clothes for Manjulika.
Niharika Bhasin On Designing Manjulika’s Clothes
Manjulika is an important character in the film, and when asked how she designed clothes for this character, Nikharika Bhasin said, “Designing for Manjulika was a fascinating process. It starts with understanding the character through the script and then sitting with the director to align our visions. Once we had a clear picture, we dove into research—looking at traditional Bengali draping styles and textiles, but with a supernatural twist.”
Talking about the colour palette of the clothes she added, “The colour palette leaned heavily into reds and blacks, symbolizing both feminine power and dark, mystical forces. The challenge was making her appear both rooted in reality and terrifyingly otherworldly. It was a lot of experimenting with fabric textures and playing with how the clothes would look under different lighting setups.”
During the same chat, the Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 costume designer was also asked about any specific challenges she faced in designing costumes for characters with supernatural or mystical elements. To this, she replied, ” Yes, designing for supernatural or mystical characters always presents unique challenges. For this film, we wanted the characters, especially the female characters, to stay rooted in Indian traditions while also bringing in that supernatural feel. We leaned heavily into the idea of Bengali culture—traditional textiles, draping styles—but with an eerie twist.”
She added, “The use of colours like red and black was intentional, symbolizing feminine power and mystical energy, especially in a setting like Kolkata where these colours are significant. We played with darker tones but had to ensure they stood out under different lighting conditions, which meant collaborating closely with the cinematographer.”
Well, listening to all this, we are excited to see what the makers have for us!