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Dazzled by Rani Mukerji's red tourmalines in Paheli? Tanishq's 25-year-old accessory designer, Tusheeta Kurien, is the one-woman-show for Amol Palekar's latest flick. "Shah Rukh's pieces are large and chunky, just like what Marwari men would wear. Rani's are more flamboyant while Juhi's are understated," explains Kurien who completed the project within a month. Kurien visited the havelis of Mandawa village in Rajasthan to seek inspiration. "For the maaira haar, featured in the beginning of the film, I remember asking women to show me what their grandmothers used to wear," she says.
Her favourite piece was the kundan bracelet with long gold lassies and emerald beads that Khan gives Mukerji in the song Kangna. "Rani was wearing many bangles. So it was challenging to have this piece noticed and yet not steal the show from the rest of her costume," she says. Kurien started her career with Tanishq as a trainee in 2001, as a part of her graduating project-a requirement for her three-and-a-half-year graduate diploma in Accessory Design from National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Delhi.
Though a Mathwhiz at school, her inclination was towards art and designing. "Back home in Rourkela, my mom, Sarah, runs an art school, Artistique, training aspiring students of National Institute of Design (NID) and NIFT. Being her student for five years, NIFT was a natural progression." At Tanishq, Kurien handled various projects like Collection G, Dancing Diamonds, Ivy Collection and Circa Collection. She also designed ethnic trinket jewellery for designer Sabyasachi at the Milan Fashion Week 2004.
"I've always wanted to design footwear. But I was chosen the regional finalist in the bridal jewellery category in World Gold Council's competition, Swamanjali, in 1999, at Bangalore. This gave me the confidence to choose jewellery instead," she says. This where she designed a falcon-shaped neck piece, Span of Time (inspired by the new millennium), that could be worn either front or back. An internship at Ganjam, Bangalore, followed and she arrived at Tanishq, hoping to be absorbed.
Four years down the line, from a nervous trainee, she's confident designer, who loves working with diamonds and semi-precious stones. Her next project? "My wedding, where I'll design my trousseau."
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