Abhishek Bachchan: An eye for Calcutta couture

If mom-in-law Brinda Rai has her way, Abhishek Bachchan’s trousseau will have a strong Calcutta connection. Aishwarya’s mother would like beta Bachchan to attend some of his pre-wedding functions in creations by veteran men’s wear designer Sharbari Datta.

“Brinda Rai just called me up to order a few ensembles for Abhishek. She also told me that I was the first designer she had contacted in this regard,” an excited Datta told Metro on Tuesday evening.

“Brinda wants the outfits ready by January 23-24 since the pre-wedding functions could start around that time. She gave me the measurements and the height. I will send around eight pieces to Mumbai and she will choose and keep what she likes,” added Datta.

While Aishwarya’s mother has specified certain colours she wants for Abhishek, she has left the cuts and styles to the designer. So, navy blue, electric blue, moss green, off-white, beige, maroon, grey and brown will be part of the palette for the Bachchan boy.

“She wants all silk pieces and I am thinking of doing some kurtas, achkans, semi-sherwanis, dhotis... And Brinda insisted on some chadars, as she just loves them, so I will be doing four chadars. In fact, Aishwarya has two of my chadars and she loved them so much that she had called me personally to thank me,” revealed Datta.

The designer’s association with the Rais dates back to early 2003, when Aishwarya and her mother were in town for the shooting of Rituparno Ghosh’s Chokher Bali.

“Brinda had then just dropped in and told me that she had been reading and following my work for a long time and had always wanted to visit me when in Calcutta. She picked up around 12 pieces to gift to various people, including Sanjay Leela Bhansali,” recounted Datta.

About the AB-Ash job at hand, Datta said she would do her best despite the seven-day deadline making it a tall order. Talking of tall, the one hitch is the height. “I don’t have anything ready for someone who is 6 ft 3 inches, so I have to make fresh pieces,” smiled the designer.