Harappan Ships Go Up Mountains

A callous anachronism has ruled Bollywood costume and set design. Exemplars exist, but no one learns.

- Deepa Gahlot

WHEN the trailer of Mohenjo Daro came out, it came under merciless trolling on social media—the main point of criticism being the costumes. All of us have learnt a bit about the Indus Valley Civilisation in school, and absolutely none of the pictures of statuary found at the excavation site showed people clad in designer clothes of the kind characters in the film wear. There was no intricate stitching in 2016 BC, when the film is set. The clothes were likely roughly woven fabric—as the famous bearded man statue shows, simply draped printed cot ton was in vogue.

In the film, Hrithik Roshan wears pleated dhotis and neatly stitched sleeveless ‘bandis’; other men wear what in today’s parlance would be described as ethnic chic. Ela borate headgear and gladiator sandals are spotted too. The leading lady, Pooja Hegde, is made to wear slinky gowns silt to the thigh and a comical headdress made of feathers, beads and buttons—a faux Cleopatra. Yes, hundred per cent accuracy may not be possible in a recreation, but such utter disdain for history is seen only in mainstream Hindi cinema.