'My efforts on Saawariya have paid off'

The hullabaloo around Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus Saawariya is building up by the day. Monty Sharma's music is already scorching charts while newbies -- Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor have become the subject of all coffee table conversations.

The plush, enthralling visuals bear the discernible Sanjay Leela Bhansali stamp. Saawariya retains his trademark extravagance and grandiose and the captivating promos say it all.

Those who have worked with Bhansali swear by his penchant for perfection and his doggedness of getting to the nitty-gritty's. Meet once such man responsible for the very opulent, larger than life look in the film -- art director of the film Omung Kumar Bhandula.


'The ambience is almost like Venice'
"Saawariya allows you to live your fantasy. The night life, smoke, lightning, the floors, walls, the boat, lotuses, peacocks, diyas, snow, bulbs and all the glitterati. Everything about Saawariya is exceptionally magnificent," says Omung.

"And we have been extra meticulous about painting. Saawariya is a dream world that doesn't exist but if it existed, everyone would have loved to be a part of it. The ambiance is almost like Venice and Moulin Rouge," gushes Omung adding, "The basic briefing given to me was that we needed a mystical town that no one has seen before. So we created a town that encapsulated India. Every frame has been shot within India. There are nine massive sets in the film. Every set had to out do the previous one and had to be a bigger masterstroke. I was required to outperform at every stage."


'The whole set is replete with water'
"We chose the blue colour as the theme for the entire film. It's all like a painting. The painted streets and the malmal curtains will definitely draw attention. The film revolves around night life and the whole set is replete with water," he continues with unabated enthusiasm.


From advertising to films
The advertising professional who kick-started his career with Hindustan Thompson Associates as a creative director has also hosted the once popular game show Anchor Ek Minute.

"Once I quit HTA, I started designing sets. My wife and I started Opus Planet Construction Entertainment (now Blue Lotus Productions), we designed for serials, game shows and it gradually led to films," says Omung who has films like Na Tum Jaano Na Hum, Jhankaar Beats, Ishq Vishq, Shabd, Pyar Ke Side Effects etc to his credit.