Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 1, 2018)

Although he was lending his expertise to the film, Rocky S admits that creating metal-based outfits for Rajinikanth in 2.0 was a learning experience for him too. “My team and I worked on this film for two years. Before the shoot began, we travelled across countries to find the right fabric. I had been to London to source the material. A few costumes were also made in Los Angeles,” says the designer, who created four distinct looks for the superstar, and would be stationed on set for 15 days in a month.

However, for Rocky, it was filming in the outskirts of Chennai that posed a bigger challenge. “It implied that should there be a need for patch-work, we would have to source additional material from the city, or Mumbai,” he says.

Even though the film’s anti-hero, Akshay Kumar, received praise for his get-up as Pakshirajan, Rocky admits that designing his attire was more complex, and hence a tougher task. “Yet, I got a kick out of styling him.”

Point out that parallels were drawn between his attire and that of an American fictional superhero, Birdman, and the designer argues, “We worked extensively on the character.”

The only reference point for him was the mastermind behind the film, director S Shankar. “When he met me, he had his storyboard in place. He knew the colours he wanted, the basic fabrics, and even the final look.”