Exclusive: How Sai Pallavi's Jewellery Traces Sita's Journey From Mithila To Ayodhya In Ramayana

Namit Malhotra's Ramayana released on November 5, and within less than a week, the first part has already earned around Rs 350 crore in India. Cinephiles have been raving about the VFX and the attention to detail that went into bringing Ramayana: Rise Of A Legend to the silver screen.

But details were not just hidden in the script, shots, or the VFX. Jewellery was one of the biggest aspects of bringing each character to life.

In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Tarang Arora, Creative Head of House of Amrapali, shared how the brand designed different elements for Sai Pallavi's portrayal of Sita, keeping her character arc in mind.

The official jewellery partner of Ramayana previously revealed that it created more than 4,500 jewellery pieces in 18 months for the silver-screen adaptation of the Hindu epic.

How Jewellery Was Created For Sai Pallavi's Sita In Ramayana

"It is not one movie. It is like 10 movies," Tarang Arora shared, adding that the team had to take into account several characters and their respective character arcs.

In fact, when the team was designing jewellery for Rama and Sita, they had to consider the different stages of their lives: unmarried, married, in exile, and their return to Ayodhya after Rama kills Ravana.

Tribe Amrapali designed different headpieces for each female character and even added floral motifs to the jewellery, which were not repeated in any other character's designs.

"Sita was a young woman when she married Rama, so this timeline must be remembered. We cannot have an 18-year-old wearing jewellery that a woman in her 30s would wear. You cannot have her wear in the jungle what she wears in Ayodhya because she is not a queen there," Tarang shared.

"We created the maang tikka, matha patti, and layered necklaces," Tarang Aroa told NDTV. Photo: Tribe Amrapali

Wedding Look Of Sai Pallavi's Sita In Ramayana

When the trailer released, one of the screenshots that went viral featured Sai Pallavi portraying Sita on her wedding day. On the silver screen, the actor looked ethereal, and one of the most crucial aspects of her look was the choodamani.

According to the Valmiki Ramayana, King Janak gifted the choodamani to Sita on her wedding day. Some texts trace the lineage of the head accessory to King Dashrath's kingdom as well.

However, the headpiece played a crucial role in tying Sita's look together in Ramayana: Rise Of A Legend. Speaking about it, Tarang Arora shared that the headpiece worked best for them to create Sita's wedding look. Speaking about it, he shared that the headpiece worked best for them in creating Sita's wedding look. However, it was not the only jewellery piece. "We created the maang tikka, matha patti, and layered necklaces," he told NDTV.

He further revealed that most of the jewellery involved intricate handcraftsmanship. "With the kind of stones that we were using, we had to make sure that they were significant enough. The choker also featured red stones on the top."

The Creative Head of House of Amrapali said that the traditional idea of bridal jewellery involves layered necklaces, which was something they ensured was incorporated into Sai Pallavi's look as well.

However, as Sita embarks on the next phases of her life, her chokers start reducing in size and eventually almost disappear, while the longer pieces remain. This was done to portray her growing maturity.

While Ravana's look had to be OTT (over the top), Lord Rama and Sita's jewellery pieces were more delicate. "There is more layering. The looks are bold, but they are not bold with just one big piece. Layering adds to the magnanimity. Layering also added more femininity to Sita's look, and the floral details made her look distinct."

The Ramayana cast includes Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Ravi Dubey as Laxman, Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman, Sheeba Chaddha as Manthara, Yash as Ravana, Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, and Rakul Preet Singh as Surpanakha, among others.

Also Read | Kaikeyi, Mandodari, Urmila: The Tragedies And Sacrifices Of Ramayana's Women Beyond Sita