Salman’s Judwaa was a reference point

Costume designer-producer Shabina Khan says she imitated Khan’s double act while creating Akshay’s clothes in Rowdy Rathore.

Debutant producer Shabina Khan, who has collaborated with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the soon-to-release Rowdy Rathore, is so pleased with her co-producer that she is already planning another partnership. “By June-July we should announce another film together.

After-superhit-Wanted-Prabhu-Deva-is-back-to-direction-with-Rowdy-Rathore-featuring-Akshay-Kumar-and-Sonakshi-Sinha-in-the-lead

I don’t think Sanjay will be directing it, because he’ll be busy with his own film, Ram Leela. But he will continue to be my godfather on my next film too, a person to whom I can turn to resolve any problem and take a decision.” Shabina, who has produced four serials in the past, admits that she has been in talks with Sanjay for the last four-five years.

“I’ve been a costume designer for the last 25 years and the choice I had was between opening a store and making a movie. I decided on the latter,” she says, saying it wasn’t a conscious decision to remake a movie that has already been made in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.

“We were watching movies and liked this one. It’s a different movie thanks to Prabhu Sir’s (director Prabhu Deva) take on the film and Akshay’s (Kumar) interpretation of the character. Even the name just came up in five minutes during a conversation with Sanjay. He said Rowdy, I said Rathore and Rowdy Rathore it was!” she says with a smile.

Shabina has designed Akshay’s costumes in the film and admits that after 150 films and over almost 15 years, tailoring Rathore’s wardrobe was child’s play: “I remembered Salman’s character from Judwaa (1997), which I had designed costumes for, and decided to give my Rathore coloured pants. Judwaa was a wild reference point but it seems to have worked.”