In 1951, MS Subbulakshmi made her way to Nalli Silks with a blue thread in hand, hoping to have a sari made of the same colour. The colour of the sari then specially woven for her, was so unique that it went on to be referred to as MS Blue. Till date, people walk into silk sari stores, referring to MS Blue, seeking out the exact same shade of inky, iridescent blue.
In a tribute to the legendary Carnatic singer, whose voice, and sartorial sense has inspired generations since, actor Vidya Balan collaborated with Chennai-based costume designer Anu Parthasarthy, who has worked on several films across languages, for a photographic tribute to mark MS Subbulakshmi’s 108th birth anniversary. “Growing up, my mom would play ‘Suprabhatam’ sung by her, first thing in the morning. My everyday still begins with her voice.
For me, MS Subbulakshmi is a spiritual experience. Therefore, this has been a labour of love, and an honour to be able to pay tribute this way,” Vidya says. Anu Parthasarathy with Vidya Balan| Photo Credit:Special Arrangement The idea for this project, titled A Recreation of Iconic Styles, began nearly seven years ago.
“This came from a casual conversation I had with Vidya, where she was telling me how she would love to play the singer in a biopic, if the opportunity came up. I was also keen on doing something out of the box, and kept coming back to this conversation we had,” Anu recalls, of their creative journey. She had previously worked on Vidya’s cost.