Last December, the first poster of The Pride of Bharat—Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was released, showcasing Rishab Shetty as the legendary Maratha king. For costume designer Ashley Rebello, being part of director Sandeep Singh’s multi-lingual film is a matter of pride and joy. After all, the designer is stepping into uncharted territory with the historical drama, after years of styling Salman Khan in his movies—from Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) to Bharat (2019) and Tiger 3 (2023). “I was an unlikely choice for the film. People associate me with larger-than-life Bollywood glamour, but I’ve always been passionate about period films. As I have worked on Bajrangi Bhaijaan, the Tiger franchise and other massy movies, it’s assumed that’s all I am capable of. That’s not true. I want to break that stereotype about me,” says Rebello.

Ashley Rebello and Rishab Shetty