Cosplay is known to be one of the most awaited events at Comic Con, which is scheduled to be held in Delhi from December 9 to December 11. According to cosplay specialist Gaurav Thakur, “most people take cosplay just for fun or as a hobby”.
“I have seen many people compare cosplay with Halloween or birthday parties. There are not much platforms for people to display their costumes. The event happens for only three days just once in a year and most people will wear costumes for clicking pictures,” says Thakur, who will be representing India at San Diego Comic Con 2017.
The 26-year-old recently conducted a workshop on cosplay at Unplugged Courtyard in Connaught Place, where he observed that most people were “beginners and are still trying to understand the idea of wearing costumes of their favourite comic and film or television series actors”.
“It took me one and a half year to understand how to get my spider man costume which was exactly like the original. I think many people don’t know the right kind of materials to use for their costumes. Most of them are easily available at the markets in Delhi,” he tells Metrolife.
Mentioning about some materials which can help one in getting costumes closer to the original, like EVA foam, which can be easily cut into pieces, is flexible and weather- friendly. The foam can be used to create armours. He also shares some samples of thermoplastics, which can be conveniently moulded and remoulded and are easy to carry.
Thakur says that it all depends on the kind of character you want to cosplay. “For me, cosplay is all about showing your passion and love for your favourite superhero. The basic idea is to be creative. Anyone can imitate a Joker and a Harley Quinn, but how you put your thought into it and create your own pattern, will help you look unique in a competition,” says Thakur, who works as a graphic designer in a multinational company in Gurgaon.
He adds that one can easily innovate and experiment with looks, for instance, giving yellow or violet coloured hair to a mermaid, unlike red-coloured Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Similarly, for his cosplay at San Diego Comic Con, Thakur has created an ‘Iron Wolverine’ by experimenting with Iron Man and Wolverine costumes.
While 15 to 20 per cent of people are seriously interested in events on cosplay, there is a lack of sufficient platforms for them, says Thakur. “I see many communities building up and many competitions happening around cosplay. It was after winning one such competition that I got selected for San Diego event. I think people love the practice and are serious followers of actors in Hollywood. I think having more platforms like Comic Con will help cosplayers in India represent themselves on international platforms,” says Thakur.