‘Anuja’ actor Ananya Shambag handcuffs designer Purnaima Indrajith’s Kerala handloom for Oscar

Ananya Shembag, Suchitra Matai, Adam J. Graves and Sajda Pathan posed on the red carpet during the arrival of the Oscar at the 97th Academy Awards at Hollywood, Los Angeles. Photo Credit: Reuters

As actor Ananya Cambag shines in his ivory and gold corsets and skirts on the 97th Oscar Red Carpet, designer Purnaima Indrajith could not help, but could smile. “She was very excited, realizing that she had imagined that the dress had improved. She would call 3am IST from the Oscar site to share attention that the dress was coming.

Ananya, a 21 -year -old performance student from Mumbai, played Palak’s role AnujaWho was one of the nominees for the best live action short film category at the Oscars.

“While designing, I wanted something that echoed with believing with Ananya. With Ananya being a trained Bharatan Dancer, I wanted to reflect her love for silhouette dances,” says Porima.

Ananya Cambug | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

When Ananya’s mother reached Porornima for Oscar Fit, she started considering video calls with Ananya: “I wanted to know what Ananya had thoughts so that she could guide it accordingly.”

The dress that emerged far and back was everything – the spirit of movement, its youth and it was an ODE for his Indian roots as well. Hand -made apparel was a love letter for the art and personality of the hand -made apparel Ananya, developed by Purnaima for his label Prana. “I had been working on making this clothes for my bridal line for more than a year. Although it is made up of 100 percent woven yarn, it has a glow of satin and is not easily numbered, ”says Poronima.

She clung to a contemporary silhouette. “Prana as a brand has made her mark for years and while it lies in our Kerala handloom tradition, it is also very contemporary in treatment.” So the corset was decorated with complex gold thread embroidery and the skirt had a train for that “special prince”.

“Since Ananya was studying in Bengaluru, we had to measure on video calls. And it really felt like a leap of faith, ”says Poronima. But when Ananya tried it in Prana Store, it became fully fit.

Ananya Cambug | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Jewelry is an equally important part of the entire dress. Poronima collaborated with Gwelry designer Kavya Potluri, which was to make pieces of statement inspired by Bharatanatyam’s legacy. Even the finger and nail accessories were added to the effect.

Poonima Indrajith with Ananya Shambag | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Poornima red carpet look is not new to design. She designed Divya Prabha’s look for the 2024 Cannes Film Festival (We all imagine as light) And for Locarno International Film Festival (For AriyippuNimisha Sojayan at the Venice International Film Festival in 2019, Gethu Mohandas and Shanti Balachandran at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019.

“As a designer, it is always a great moment for me that I be able to demonstrate the Kerala handloom tradition on a global stage. It is also a moment to celebrate the artisans of Kerala, their craftsmanship, stability and our heritage, ”is called Poronima.