India, Nov. 10 -- The costumes in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana have become a talking point, but there's more to Sai Pallavi's portrayal of Sita than elaborate mythological styling. Behind her onscreen wardrobe is an extensive exploration of Indian textiles, archival embroidery and traditional craftsmanship.

Costume designers Rimple and Harpreet Narula, who have previously worked on period dramas such as Padmaavat and Heeramandi, approached the film with the challenge of dressing characters who already hold a special place in people's imagination. Their starting point was not simply historical research, but the way devotees see and dress their deities in temples, paintings and traditional calendar art.

And the result is a wardrobe that bring...