Costume designer Maxima Basu shares the clever color trick and costume secret that kept Deepika Padukone in the spotlight during Bajirao Mastani’s Deewani Mastani song.
Deepika Padukone’s breathtaking look in the iconic song ‘Deewani Mastani’ from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani remains one of the most memorable visual moments in Hindi cinema.
Set inside a grand, glowing palace of mirrors, the song, sung by Shreya Ghoshal, captivates viewers with its incredible grandeur, rich colors, and delicate artistic details. However, creating such a massive visual masterpiece requires far more than just dressing the lead actress in a gorgeous outfit.
Recently, during a masterclass for Screen Academy, the film’s costume designer Maxima Basu opened up about the hidden design secrets behind the famous track. She revealed how a quick decision made sure that Deepika stayed the absolute center of attention throughout the entire performance.
While preparing for the shoot, Basu realized that every single element in the frame had to work together seamlessly without distracting from the lead star. Deepika was dressed in a stunning golden-mehendi colored outfit that was meant to command the viewer’s eye immediately.
Looking at the overall color scheme of the set and the performance, Basu made it very clear to director Sanjay Leela Bhansali that the background dancers should definitely not wear peach. She argued that putting the backup team in a peach shade would draw unnecessary attention away from Deepika’s beauty and ruin the visual flow of the scene.
Instead of using a color that would clash or compete for attention, Basu came up with a smart strategy to turn the background dancers into part of the set itself. She designed their costumes with detailed mirror work that perfectly matched the glass and reflections on the palace walls. By doing this, the background dancers blended into the scenery, acting like a moving environment rather than a distraction.
Basu explained that when designing for major dance numbers, color choices are all about guiding where the audience looks. Thanks to this clever design choice, the audience was able to focus entirely on Deepika’s elegance while the surrounding dancers enhanced the magical atmosphere without stealing the spotlight.
Released in 2015, Bajirao Mastani stars Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, and Priyanka Chopra in leading roles.
