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Though the mercury rose in Mumbai and hit a scorching 40 degrees, it could not dampen the enthusiasm of the cosplayers at Comic Con 2024, held this year at the Jio World Convention Centre in the Bandra Kurla Complex, north west Mumbai.
As the crowd moved around cheerfully, a Spiderman removed his mask, mopped the sweat off his face and said in a perfect Indian accent, "I can't see; my mask is fogging up. I need to take a break."
In minutes, though, he was back in character.
For these dedicated folk, cosplay is more than just masks and costumes. Months of effort -- they often create their costumes from scratch -- go into making their outfits. Some even invest thousands of rupees to perfect their look.
Over the two days of Comic Con, they become the very characters they idolise and, some times, become celebrities as fans take pictures with them.
From portraying multiple characters to sticking with one persona for years, each cosplayer brings her or his own uniqueness to event, making Comic Con a vibrant celebration of creativity and fandom.
Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com caught up with a few of the cosplayers and here's what they had to say:
Name: Mehreen
Age: 24 years
Profession: Interior designer
Dressed as: Yamato from One Piece
Why Yamato? Yamato is a fun character.
About the costume: My costume is handstitched. I made the costume in one week and spent almost Rs 5,000 on it.
The wig is the most expensive part of my attire.
Name: Sachit
Age: 48 years
Profession: Business owner
Dressed as: Chacha Chaudhary
Why Chacha Chaudhary? I have been Chacha Chaudhary since the first Comic Con.
It's a character that I love. I have a lot of beautiful childhood memories about collecting the comics and reading them.
This is my way of giving something back to the character who gave me so much.
It's my tribute to Pran, the cartoonist who created Chacha Chaudhary.
About the costume: I spent about Rs 2,000 on the costume. I keep using the same one every year.
Name: Vipin Aryan, pro cosplayer
Dressed as: Gilgamesh from SMITE
Skin name: Divine Wind
Why Gilgamesh? I love the game (SMITE) and everything about this character, especially the detailing.
About the costume: It took 24 days to make the costume; I spent Rs 25,000 on the material alone.
Name: Shashank
Profession: Video editor
Dressed as: Arthur Pendragon from Fate/Prototype
Why Arthur Pendragon? I'm a big fan of the Fate universe and wanted to portray this character.
About the costume: It took 22 days to make the costume; I spent around Rs 5,000 on it.
Name: Trisha Devadiga
Profession: Curriculum developer
Dressed as: Raji from the game, Raji: An Ancient Epic
Why Raji? I'm cosplaying the central character, Raji, whom no one has ever cosplayed.
It's a very unique and different Indian character from a game developed by an Indian company.
About the costume: It took around two weeks to make the outfit; it cost around Rs 15,000.
Name: QB
Age: 27 years
Profession: Works for an MNC
Dressed as: Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy
About the costume: It took about five weeks to make the costume; I spent around Rs 3,000 on it.
Cosplaying, for me, is escaping reality. Nobody knows who I'm when I'm cosplaying my character.
Name: Asmi Pathare
Profession: Animator
Dressed as: Maki Zen'in from Jujutsu Kaisen
Why Maki Zenin? Jujutsu Kaisen is a modern classic. I love the way Gege Akutami writes his characters, especially the females; they are very refreshing to see.
I love Maki Zenin. Her backstory is amazing and she's worked her way from being nothing to being somebody.
About the costume: It took three months to make the costume; I spent Rs 2,500 on it.
Name: Aaron Vaz
Age: 21 years
Profession: Graphic designer
Dressed as: The Hunter from Bloodborne
About the costume: I made the outfit myself and took a friend's help to make the trench coat.
It took me two months and I've spent Rs 10,000 on it.
Name: Kelly Rose
Age: 20
Profession: Tattoo and make-up artist
Dressed as: Raven from Teen Titans
Why Raven? I have grown up watching Raven. I have been so influenced by her that I'm starting to develop her personality traits.
About the costume: I'm very fast in everything I do, so I made the costume in two hours and spent around Rs 2,000.
Name: Kajal Lalwani
Age: 22 years
Profession: Influencer
Dressed as: Viper from Valorant
About the costume: It took 25 days to make this outfit.
I'm dressing up as Wonder Woman tomorrow so I'm not sure how much I've actually spent on the costumes.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com