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Neelam Verjee in Mint:

Anant Sadashiv Tandel (right), a Bollywood dressman. Photo: Mint

The leading lady can’t find her dupatta (scarf). The hero’s trousers are torn.

Anant Sadashiv Tandel comes to the rescue.

The shy 42-year-old, who sits in a small room surrounded by trunks of clothing and racks of costumes in hangers, has mastered the art of thelast-minute repair, concocting alternative outfits at a moment’s notice and anticipating every wardrobe whim on a film set.

“From the beginning to the end of a film’s production, we have to look after the costumes on the set,” explains the soft-spoken Tandel. “We do the laundry, we have to make sure the clothes are washed at the end of every day, and make them ready and available for shooting the next day.”
Known in the industry as dressmen, Tandel and his ilk represent a tradition dating back to a time before brands and bucks pervaded Bollywood.

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