Nostalgia, inexplicable romance and a rich vintage charm mark homegrown brand Parama’s festive campaign ‘Fly me to the Moon’, starring the inimitable Moon Moon Sen and singer Aneeshaa Seth. Shot at Trincas on Park Street, it’s an ode to the marriage of the then and the now, woven beautifully by fashion designer Parama Ghosh, in stunning portraits, that bear her signature creativity. Parama chats with t2 about the shoot, the collection and the magic of Moon Moon Sen.
Tell us about the new collection and why did you choose Moon Moon Sen to shoot the campaign with?
‘Fly me to the Moon’ is our Durga Puja collection of silks and festive blouses. We have been experimenting with gorods for the past three years and the only person who came to my mind who could dazzle in this collection is Moon Moon Sen. Like our gorod silks, she is traditional yet modern, ageless, chic and stylish. She is like the smell of chhatim — ‘forever’ yet every time we get a whiff of its fragrance we know Pujo is here.
Anand Puri (of Trincas) and I met at The India Story in 2019. He had expressed the intent of doing something together. It took us (and circumstances) so long to figure out what it could be. Finally one monsoon morning, we were at Trincas, shooting the unparalleled Moon Moon Sen in Parama saris and blouses and oh! She looked straight out of an (unachievable) dream. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions, stories, fabrics, music, red lipsticks and relentless laughter. We partied and we shot!
The whole idea was to see music and the muse come together in Parama. Aneeshaa Seth is the second Parama shundori in the campaign. We wanted to see the artiste and the audience both in Parama, and at Trincas. Aneeshaa looked stunning in our saris and blouses as she sang along with her band members of Willie Walter’s Quartet. She sang Fly Me To The Moon and exactly at that point, I told my teammate, Debarshi Sarkar, what better name could we choose for the campaign! Jazz, Blues, mixed with oomph, sizzle and the Moon Moon Sen!
What kind of looks did you have in mind for Moon Moon and Aneeshaa?
For Moon Moon, we wanted her to be her own true self. It was an added bonus that she knew about our brand. We had met first at CIMA Art in Life. She loved our gorods. I remember a stunning photograph of her shot by Raghu Rai Sir where she was wearing a white black-bordered gorod. It was serendipity that she was wearing the same textile in vibrant colours for our shoot too!
Her skin is her make-up — natural, radiant and very few soft wrinkles resting on it like the folds of a muslin handkerchief. I especially loved her in our Iced Americano Black Gorod with red and copper satin border. She styled the Red Velvet Gorod Sharee in athhpoure (traditional) drape. And, she dazzled in our Golap Bagan and Caramel Custard Gorod saris. You must have by now noticed that we borrowed most of the names of our saris from the menu of Trincas! Also, her hair! Still so lustrous. So beautiful!
I remember how women of her generation spoke so fondly of her hair and how most beauty parlours hung her photograph on their walls as a reference — Moon Moon Sen haircut or ‘step-cut chul’.
For Aneeshaa, we had old photographs of Usha Uthup as a reference point. Debarshi, Abhijith (Chanda) and I discussed hairstyles, make-up and the end result was fabulous. It was, however, more about who she is that made her look so stunning! She wore beautiful Jamdani blouses paired with our gorod silks. We have introduced strappy blouses and racerbacks in Jamdani with this collection.
Parama Ghosh
Given how much you love nostalgia, Moon Moon Sen + Trincas + Pujo must have been a dream combo?!
When I look at Park Street, I think of a woman who never aged. There is a reason why her pin code is 16! She shall always be 16. If Kumartuli, College Street are our moms and grandmoms, Park Street is that distant bilet-pherot aunt who wears stilettos, flaming red lipstick, oversized Chanel goggles and puts a perfume that no New Market store has ever sold or heard of. There is a Calcutta beyond the Calcutta we see every day — a Calcutta of beautiful coexistence... where creme brulee coexists with mishti doi, a la Kiev with kosha mangsho and Frank Sinatra with George Biswas (Debabrata Biswas) and Geeta Ghatak.
In this campaign, we bring to the world that Calcutta — where every day is festive and happy. It doesn’t need the five days of Durga Puja to deck up — it is always dressed to kill.
Our silks mixed with jazz, neon lights, Ming Room and caramel custard — a dream collaboration of Calcutta, Parama, Trincas and a woman who never aged, much like Park Street!
What was Moon Moon Sen as a muse like?
As beautiful as the moon. Soft and beautiful. Faraway poetry. She is full of wit and grace. My heart skipped a beat or two every time she flipped her hair, smiled like a mischievous teenager or ordered her favourite caramel custard in her iconic husky whisper. She was there and yet you couldn’t fathom what she is all about!
Make-up and hair for Moon Moon Sen: Abhijith Chanda
Make-up for Aneeshaa: Abhijith Chanda
Hair of Aneeshaa: Abhijit Das
Creative direction: Debarshi Sarkar
Location: Trincas