Priyanshi Pareek; a still from Devdas
It should have a narrative role and evolve alongside the characters and the story itself,” she says. From celebrity portraits and fashion campaigns to film posters and social media, visual design plays an increasingly important role in shaping how Bollywood is seen. New York-based visual graphic designer Priyanshi Pareek believes Indian cinema can take this further by making design part of the storytelling itself. Pareek is particularly interested in creating visual worlds around films and their characters — from typography and colour palettes to title sequences, campaigns, merchandise and experiential promotions. “For me, design always begins with a question: What should the audience feel before they even encounter the story? Visual identity should not be treated as decoration. She also sees exciting possibilities in the way Bollywood celebrities are presented. Rather than conventional star portraits, Pareek believes iconic personalities can be given distinctive visual identities drawing from fashion, photography, graphic design and their own cinematic legacies. For an actress such as Rekha, for instance, she imagines a treatment closer to a high-fashion editorial, combining rich photographic textures, contemporary typography, traditional jewellery and heritage-inspired textiles.