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  Suchismita Dasgupta won the Best Costume award for Koyekti Meyer Golpo (below) at this year's Madrid International Film Festival. Location courtesy The Bridge, ThePark, Calcutta

It was a major cinematic coup for movie stylist Suchismita Dasgupta. The 39-year-old has just come back in triumph from the Madrid International Film Festival 2013, where she won the Best Costume award for the Bengali film Koyekti Meyer Goplo (Those City Girls). Dasgupta admits she's 'seriously surprised' that the film, which was made on a shoestring budget, edged past the strong field of international contenders that even included one period film with rich historically accurate costumes.

Turn the camera on Neha Panda, a NIFT graduate, who has got off to a racing start and styled around 20 films since she got into the business just 18 months ago. So, if you were struck by Raima Sen's grunge bohemian look in Maach Mishti & More, or her chic avatar in the recent Aami Aar Amaar Girlfriends, you can congratulate the petite stylist with a pixie haircut. And while she confesses that she's better with 'urban, weird, psycho looks,' she has worked with hugely popular mainstream films like the Dev-starrer Challenge 2, Awara that had Jeet in the lead, and 100% Love.

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Suchismita and Neha are part of a new breed of stylists who are changing the look of Bengali films. They're experimenting with looks and giving films a chic edge. Says stylist Sandy (Sandip Ghosal): 'It's no longer all about loud colours and bling.'

'Most of these stylists have a background in designing and bring to the table their knowledge of the global fashion scenario, current international trends, silhouettes and fabrics,' says Himanshu Dhanuka, owner, Eskay Movies.

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  Neha Panda turned Raima Sen (right below) into a bohemian yoga teacher and Parno into a tomboy for Maach Mishti & More . Pic by Michael Hsien .

Take a look at Jewel Chakraborty, who styled two songs in Challenge 2. For these, he flew all the way to Hong Kong to pick up a string of bandage dresses and floral chiffon numbers for actress Pooja, who plays a fashion designer in the movie. 'There has to be a wow-factor in the heroine's wardrobe and I wanted Pooja's outfits to be exclusive, not something you'd spot in a Calcutta store,' says Jewel.

Though he ditched the usual loud colours in favour of blacks and browns for Dev, some costumes still had a distinctly 'filmi' edge like metal studs on jackets. 'Songs are meant to capture the imagination and the characters are usually larger than life in them, so you dress them accordingly,' says Jewel.

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Producers and directors usually employ a separate stylist for the songs, especially one with prior experience in working on songs shot in international locations. So for Challenge 2, Abhishek Dutta and Jewel styled for the songs, while Neha styled Dev's overall look.

Or, sneak a peek at the upcoming Jeet-Subhasree starrer Boss. In this movie, Sandy has given Subhasree a range of looks with the help of items like Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, Zara dresses and Prada shades. Her outfits include everything from short chiffon dresses in pastel shades to kitsch Indo-western wear (for a song) like a midriff-baring silk jacket teamed with a half-sari draped the Maharashtrian style. Says Sandy: 'One of the introductory looks is inspired by Victoria's Secret models, complete with large wings that we sourced from Mumbai.' Before you let your imagination go wild, he hurries to tell you that the wings aren't paired with lingerie.

'With a number of film songs being shot overseas, the costume plays an important role, and hence the need for a stylist,' says 29-year-old Jayanti Sen, who gave Dev and Nusrat Jahan a hip-hop avatar for a peppy Khoka 420 number shot in Bangkok.

One thing is clear. Being a stylist is about more than picking the right designer brands. Most stylists are involved from the time the script is discussed and bring their expertise to the table. Neha recalls how surprised Dev and the producers were when she made a power point presentation of 20 slides for Dev's look in Challenge 2. This included everything from a selection of colours to silhouettes and she began work only after a certain look had been picked.

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  Designer Abhishek Dutta's movie credits include Rituparno Ghosh's Chitrangada (below). Location courtesy Aqua, The Park, Calcutta.Pic by Soumik Bag.

Similarly, Suchismita sends in a 'character sketch' (her interpretation of what a character should look like) and reference images after lengthy discussions with the director. On the other hand, Sandy, who mainly works on mainstream films, is given a brief and then asked to create a glamorous look that's likely to set a trend. He recalls the 'Paglu t-shirt' (two tees of different colours sown together) and 'Awara skirt' becoming a rage after the films' release.

The vivid tones aren't out, of course, — especially for the key songs. 'Every film needs one kaleidoscopic 'core hit' song that will appeal to the masses. And you'll still find bright colours, but they're tempered, like the powder blue linen jacket I teamed Jeet's fuchsia pink shirt with in an Awara song,' says Sandy.

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Ravi Sharma, president - films, Shree Venkatesh Films, reckons that the costume budgets now add up to about 10 to 15 per cent of the total spend in most Bengali films. That's still low compared to Bollywood movies, but it's quite a change from the past in Tollywood. Says Sharma: 'There's a conscious effort to match the styling with the film's genre that's resulting in an increasing demand for professional stylists.'

Don't think for a moment that the stylists are making their presence felt only in mainstream, big budget films. They are also exerting their influence and giving a sophisticated look to New Age urban, multiplex movies.

Take a look at Neha who parked herself in Sudder Street for three days just to observe how the foreigners (usually backpackers) there dressed, for inspiration for Raima's bohemian yoga teacher avatar in Maach Mishti... As a result, Raima was fitted out in loose cotton pyjamas, zouave pants, bandanas, and messy hair with beads and streaks. 'No one had really experimented with her look in this way before,' says Neha.

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  The Jeet-Subhasree starrer Boss (below) saw Sandy putting the stars into everything from high-end brands to kitschy Indo-Western wear

Crucially, stylists are in charge of the entire look of the character, down to the last detail. And most are present on sets regularly. Suchismita told actor Ritwik that she would be shopping even for the underwear he wore onscreen in Shabdo, in which he plays a foley artist who strips down to bare essentials while working. 'The character needed to wear a nondescript brand, which was bought and duly weathered in soda water to make it look realistic,' she says. Her portfolio also includes movies like Raju, made by Germany's Hamburg Media School, which was in contention for the Best Short Film (Live Action) at the 84th Academy Awards last year.

'It isn't just the actor who gets under the skin of the character, the stylist does so as well in order to decide the perfect look,' says actress Koel Mallick, who underwent a 180-turn from her usual glamorous avatar for her role in Hemlock Society (2012), thanks to Neha.

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The stylist also gave Tanusree a makeover for the role of a prostitute in Bedroom. She changed her complexion with layers of dark foundation, gave her chapped lips, kohl-smeared eyes and dreadlocks. 'It was a huge challenge to transform the pretty, fair actress into a depressed prostitute, and I definitely didn't want the stereotypical scarlet lips and loud colours for her,' says Neha.

'It isn't just about making the styling realistic, but also about reinventing the actor's look with every film,' says Mainak Bhaumik, the director of Bedroom, Maach Mishti... and Aami Aar Aamar...

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  Jewel Chakraborty, went shopping in Hong Kong to dress actress Pooja for a peppy number in Challenge 2 (below)

One indication of how times have changed is that designers like Abhishek Dutta are giving the film industry more time and attention. Abhishek worked with the late Rituparno Ghosh in films like Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish and Arekti Premer Golpo. But he has also done mainstream projects and last year did one of the songs in Challenge 2. And these have not been short-term, casual engagements with the industry.

Says Abhishek: 'In Arekti..., the research for styling took a solid three months.' Of course, that was partly because, 'it was an unconventional dual role.' He has also done critically acclaimed movies like Srijit Mukherji's Autograph and 22shey Srabon, and Aparna Sen's Iti Mrinalini. However, he only styles certain characters in a film, as doing an entire movie isn't time or cost effective.

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As today's stylists are involved in the complete look of the stars on screen, they lay down the law and insist that top actors lose weight for a role. For instance, Neha watched Parno Mittra's and Raima's diet like a hawk before Aami Aar Amar...'s shooting started to ensure they looked good in the skimpy resortwear they sported in a song.

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And there's no doubt these designers have the right qualifications for the job. Neha studied fashion designing in NIFT, Calcutta, while Sandy did the same from the city's Wigan & Leigh College before doing a stint as workshop manager for Anamika Khanna. On the other hand, Suchismita has a diploma in brand building communication in her kitty and worked in advertising before doing textile designing and merchandising for an export house.

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  Mishor Rahasya (above), which was partly shot in Egypt, is Ajopa Mukherjee's most recent project

Most Tollywood stylists juggle other commitments as well. So, while Suchismita has her own handloom textiles and garments line called Nextiles, 30-year-old Ajopa Mukherjee is the in-house stylist and costume designer of TV channel Star Jalsha. She also recently opened her own boutique called Mulberry. 'The concept of the look test has gained prominence now, with directors and stylists working together to create a look,' says Ajopa, whose film projects include two of Srijit Mukherji's upcoming releases, of which Mishor Rahasya was partly shot in Egypt.

Most of the stylists agree that it isn't an easy job, and far from glamorous. So what keeps them going? Says Suchismita: 'I share a love-hate relationship with films. With each film, I promise myself it'll be the last such project, but I start missing it in a few months.'