Click here<\/a> to check out his page! You can see him as the Cosplay Medic in the cover picture. <\/i><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1505210619613","data":"59b7c9e41434c"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1505210623980","data":"3. Bhavya Chawdhary:<\/b><\/p>
Bhavya's Facebook bio reads, 'I'm a mad scientist', and I frankly believe her. When she's not studying and being ambitious, Bhavya plays video games, is a long time geek and a dedicated cosplayer. And also keeps telling me to watch Steins; Gate. <\/p>
On being asked what cosplay means to her, she says, \"I like to completely immerse myself in the universe of any TV show, band, game, anime, and book that I indulge in. Cosplay is the art form that allows me to channel my creativity to bring a significant part of this immersion to life.\" <\/p>
\"There's never any judgement, my gender and my ethnicity do not matter, when I'm cosplaying as a character, even genderbent, I am that character,\" she explains further, \"At any con, people approach you on recognizing the cosplayed character - sharing the same enthusiasm as you do about the character yourself - make fandom references and show appreciation for your work.\"Bhavya goes on to talk about how much of a positive effect cosplay has had on her life, \"By letting my creativity flow, this art form has had a very positive effect for me, I'm truly happy when I'm cosplaying or doing anything related to cosplay, from designing, editing, photography and wearing the costume itself.\" <\/p>
Finishing the interview by talking about her favourite Comic Con memory, she smiles and says, \"Three years ago, I was cosplaying Ash Ketchum when a particularly dashing guy cosplaying The Punisher came up to me and asked for a picture. We exchanged Facebook details so he could send me the pictures and, well, let's just say the rest is history.\"<\/p>
Pictured Below, the Bhavya Chawdhary cosplaying Light Yagami from Death Note. You can see her cosplaying Chloe from the video game Life is Strange in the cover picture. <\/i><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1505213948853","data":"59b7be63b4399"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1505213955105","data":"
4. Eshan Kulkarni: <\/b>
<\/p>
\"I normally only cosplay characters I am sure I can pull off,\" says Eshan Kulkarni, \"but at the end of the day, I cosplay for my personal satisfaction.\" <\/p>
Eshan's cosplay as Robert Baratheon from Game of Thrones turned heads at the Mumbai and Pune Comic Con. Carrying a menacing Warhammer and built like the tales describe Robert to be, it was easy not to impress the crowd, which he did in spades, \"Cosplaying is all about being the character you love. Imagine an opportunity to be that character among like-minded folks for a day or two, it is priceless. It's a second life to me,\" Eshan explains, \"The satisfaction when you work hard on props and costumes and it pays off is incredible.\" <\/p>
Eshan recounts his favourite memories from the Cons, talking about how a con attendee came up to him in Mumbai and whispered about Cersei Lannister's plot to murder him, The King, and another time where a fellow cosplayer Mirdul Biswas, cosplaying Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher series, had a fight in character, ending with Geralt remarking that he is no Kingslayer. <\/p>
Pictured Below: Eshan Kulkarni in full Baratheon gear, just about ready to go to war with Rhaegar Targaryen. <\/i><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1505215199846","data":"59b7c385d9f45"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1505215202213","data":"
5. Rafi Yahya Syed:<\/b> <\/p>
I'm told Rafi is the most popular cosplayer from Hyderabad, although I find that hard to believe, being long time friends with him. <\/p>
Jokes apart, the 25-year old author from Hyderabad is well known for his detailed cosplays and his dedicated to the fandoms he is representing. Having first met him at the first edition of Hyderabad's Comic Con, where he cosplayed Sirius Black from the Harry Potter series, I'm yet to meet anyone as different as him. <\/p>
\"It feels comforting to lose yourself in the character you're cosplaying,\" says Rafi, \"Cosplaying liberates me, rids me of any inhibitions I might have. It also keeps the spirit of make-believe alive to satisfy the inner child.\"<\/p>
Among Rafi's many crazy cosplays, perhaps the craziest has been that one time when he dressed up as Gandalf the Grey from The Lord of the Rings and rode a white horse on the city's roads, \"That has to be my favourite cosplay memory,\" laughs Rafi, \"I rode the horse singing Bilbo's song, it was great!\". <\/p>
\"The immense effort and respect cosplayers pay in creating the props and the costumes for their favourite characters is inspiring. I have nothing but respect for these dedicated cosplayers, their efforts inspire me too.\"<\/p>
The Hyderabad Comic Con will be the first of the Cons this year, scheduled to be held on October 14-15, be sure to run into Rafi at the event, trust me when I say this, you'll know him when you see him. <\/p>
Pictured below is Rafi Yahya Syed as Thorin Oakenshield from The Hobbit. You can see him the superhero Doctor Strange in the cover picture. <\/i><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1505216076319","data":"59b7c708dde9a"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1505216168174","data":"
Cosplaying is hard work, I would find out, but it is for everyone. Posing the same questions I asked the above cosplayers in the Indian Cosplay Community Facebook group net me multiple responses that spoke about the cosplayer's personal journey and reasons why they like to cosplay. One thing is clear, this is an art form that has helped people be whoever they want to be, inspiring confidence and allowing them to stride forward, heads held high. <\/p>
From stories of cosplay helping people out of their rut in life to stories of people spreading happiness through cosplay, the community that sprung up around Comic Cons in India has been nothing short of amazing and inspiring. While I myself have never had the confidence needed - and frankly speaking, I'm quite lazy - to cosplay, I understand the thought process behind it. Behind the reasons, beneath the fantastic stories of how much cosplay has helped people, at the end of the day, cosplay is a form of love, love for the character you've grown to adore from your favourite stories. To cosplay is to tell the world that you love the character you're cosplaying and that you aren't afraid of being who you are. <\/p>
Check out Comic Con's Website by clicking here<\/a> and book your tickets for the Hyderabad edition as soon as possible, they're literally selling like hotcakes. <\/i><\/p>Special thanks to the Indian Cosplay Community for being awesome and the lovely people featured in this article. <\/i><\/p>"}]