No, the waif-like actress did not pile on the pounds but was weighed down by an elaborate gown which she dons for the role of a jazz singer in Bombay Velvet. Anushka Sharma wears the green and gold number, designed by costume designer Niharika Bhasin Khan, for her opening song in the period drama. The sequined gown, with a long train, is covered in applique flames and Anushka needed plenty of help to carry off the heavy-duty number, literally. “The scene sees her behind the mic in a club.

It took her two-and-half hours to dress and two assistants had to carry the train for her. Thankfully she did not have to dance in it,” says Niharika. The National Award-winning designer (The Dirty Picture), who collaborated with Anushka on her 2010 film Band Baaja Baarat, says that weight was not the only challenge they faced. “The prep was on for a year but the dress was damaged in transit. The upper half was ruined in the Sri Lanka rains. We had to re-do the damaged part,” says Niharika who designed a total of 144 outfits for Anushka’s turn in the film.