More About Shanky from TVF Yeh Meri Family

Set in the summer of 1998 in Jaipur, India, Yeh Meri Family captures the nostalgia of middle-class India in the late 90s—a time when cable television was just entering homes, cultural values were shifting, and fashion trends were slowly trickling in from metros and the West. For small-town kids, individuality often meant finding creative ways to adopt these influences within the constraints of a modest, practical lifestyle.

Shanky, Harshu’s best friend, was written as a complete world unto himself—confident, curious, and a little ahead of his time. His clothes and surroundings had to reflect that personality. He wasn’t afraid to stand out, to be expressive, or to quite literally wear his heart in his pocket.

The script described Shanky as a trendsetter, someone “in the know.” He listened to English music before anyone else, knew about stock markets and trading at an early age, and wasn’t shy about sharing opinions. He was also a romantic—harboring a crush on his math teacher and boldly signaling it by carrying her monogrammed, feminine handkerchief in his chest pocket.

His style reflected this individuality. He dressed according to his mood, and I used color to amplify those emotional cues. His wardrobe included bold printed shirts, color-blocked t-shirts, and outerwear with distinctive stitching and button details—all in line with what was trending in Western fashion during the late ’90s. Each shirt was designed with a chest pocket to hold that symbolic handkerchief—always close to his heart and always visible.

For me, these choices were not just aesthetic but contextual. The late ’90s in India were a cultural crossroads—global fashion was seeping in, but adoption was uneven across regions. Accessories, details, and small gestures became markers of aspiration and identity. Shanky’s confident style and signature elements capture not only his personality but also the spirit of a generation coming of age in a changing world.