Apart from being a
ladies man, Cosplayer Vijay Sinha or Vj as he is fondly known amongst close
friends, is also quite the gamer & geek.Having anchored MFCC 2013 &
Delhi comic con 2014, here he expresses his opinions on all things cosplay.
Q1. What made you
decide to cosplay?
I’ve known about cosplay for some time, but only started becoming actively
interested after watching many other cosplayers perform during the many Comic
Con India conventions that have been hosted over the years. I’ve just completed
a year and I have a long way to go.
Q2. How do you
choose your characters?
I usually have
some interest in the character before I
decide to cosplay them. Gaming has been my de facto bread and butter to
whatever interests me, so I am more partial to gaming cosplays (even though
I’ve only done one so far). Gaming helped introduce me to Japanese anime, and
similarly introduced me to the concept of cosplaying, so it suits me fine. For
comic book and anime/manga characters, I often let someone else decide for me.
Q3.Who are your
favourite cosplayers?
Too many to list!
From just the Indian scene: Aorin Shariyari, Ajay Kapoor, Niha Novacaine, RahulSharma, Sameer Bundela, Tanya Mathew, Viraj Koshimkar and a few others I’m
forgetting. Internationally, the list just goes on and on… Spencer Doe, LivingIchigo, Kelton, Tomoko Miya, Darcy & Peggy, Leon Chiro and more. Whether
its India or abroad, there’s no shortage of favourite cosplayers.
Q4. Which has been your most expensive cosplay till date?
Easily Dante from
Devil May Cry. I’ve spent more than 10 grand, which includes the overcoat made from rexine (Rs. 3.2k), the buckled vest (1.5k), the wig which I also got styled by Niha (1k), getting the props made (Rs. 7K in total), and smaller items like the gloves and black formal pants (about Rs. 800).
Q5. Tell us of your most memorable experience while cosplaying.
It would probably
have to be cosplaying as Dante during the Cool Japan Festival 2014. Although I
did do Dante while hosting the Mumbai Film & Comics Convention 2013 for
just a day, I ended up having way more fun during CJF. That’s partly because I
got to cosplay on all three days, something I’ve never done before. The other
reason is getting the chance to meet and interact with members from the Mumbai
Anime Club, as well as just regular fans. And of course, getting to perform on
stage with the other cosplayers was also exciting and very memorable for me.
I’m looking forward to the next one in 2015.
Q6. Have you faced
any difficulties while cosplaying?
Plenty! One part is
finding the right person to get that specific part of your costume done. I
can’t stitch, nor do I have any experience in prop making, so I tend to seek
out those who can get my work done much more easily. When I was getting my
buckled vest for Dante made, I had to scope out three different tailors. The
other thing to consider is transportation and travelling with your cosplay. If
your character has a lot of props, then bringing those alone requires
additional care, especially if you’re looking to greet some security guard with
wooden firearms!
Q7. Where do you
buy your costumes, props and wigs from?
For costumes, I
generally get them stitched locally in Bangalore, although I’ve had things made
for me outside as well. I’ve had props made by Rahul Sharma (NEA Props) and
Viraj Koshimkar, and I’ve also approached people like Rohit (Redemption Props)and Ajay Kapoor for future works. Wigs are either from ebay or aliexpress.com.
Q8. What are your
thoughts on the cosplay scene in India?
Cosplay in India continues to grow at a crazy rate, and the prospect of going
to future conventions just to meet new people or watch someone’s latest work is
pretty enticing by itself. We are also seeing smaller outlets like retail
stores or online sites taking an interest, and hosting their own competitions.
Hopefully in the future, we will get to see events spring from places like
Kolkata, Pune or Chennai very soon.
Q9. Whom will you cosplay next?
For June-July 2014, I’m planning a cosplay shoot for Vergil from Devil May Cry
3. Once I get that done, I will get started on my other characters for
Bangalore Comic Con 2014 and Mumbai Film & Comics Convention 2014 although
I’ve yet to fully finalize them.
Q10. Any advice for beginners and other cosplayers?
Although its been
stated before but do check out Facebook group pages like Indian Cosplay
Community for help on finding material, fabric, tailors or just other
cosplayers. Confidence is definitely something that isn’t built in a day, so
give yourself time to think and understand that cosplaying isn’t a race. Its
important for you to be comfortable.
No comments:
Post a Comment