Bollywood, Society & Film Fashion

Atleast once, you have stood in front of your Masterji, beads of sweat on your temple, a crumpled photograph of Kareena Kapoor in hand, begging him to make the Bole Chudiyan Sharara blouse as backless as Kareena wore it. This phenomenon isn’t new. Ever since the birth of cinema, film costumes have shaped societal dressing in a big way. Be it the Sadhana cut that brought much despair to parents when their daughters chopped off their tresses or the tube top and salwar frenzy emerging after Sonam Kapoorwore them in Delhi 6.

Bollywood costumes and fashion moments, especially in the 2000s stood for something bigger than the glitz and glamour. They were markers of societal change. India was going through a major change, wherein the influences from the West were clawing in stronger than ever and the fabric of the way people think and consume was evolving. Film characters were getting more complex, especially the female characters. Early naught Bollywood’s depiction of a modern woman, though looked down upon for being stereotypical today, was a catalyst for change and inspiration some 20 years ago. With the onset of social media and internet, there was suddenly a medium to catch stills of the movie you’ve just seen at PVR (before it costed an arm and a leg for a bucket of half caramel half cheese popcorn). Movie buffs got access to whole new level of movie costumes, and started replicating them. Manish Malhotra plays a big hand in the creation of these iconic moments. The silhouettes were simple and stylised, western to the look but Indian at heart. To put it simple, the film costumes became advanced to a level that it made people attach these costumes to the actor’s persona. So much so that today if I say Patiala salwar and a longline T-shirt , one automatically thinks of the bubbly Geet from Bathinda.

These moments gave the push desi girls needed to express the change in their mindset into the way they dressed. I mean, there is a reason you saw puberty-stricken cousin didi in PC’s gold bikini blouse and saree at the family wedding, turning more than heads. Its so interesting to see how female characters have evolved over the years and how their costumes have changed with, sometimes ahead of them. Athleisure was introduced to us when Karisma Kapoor wore a sports bra and shorts for dance practice while vying for SRK’s love. Film & Fashion isn’t mutually exclusive. Film Fashion creates interest and perceptions in the viewer’s mind about the characters. As long as I can remember, sanskaari Poojas and Nehas wore white chikankarisuits while modern Natashas and Sonias wore ripped jeans and leather jackets. It’s a symbiotic relationship that society shares with films. Films draw characters and stories from society, while society draws inspiration from films. In a space where people are convinced that a woman is homely if she wears churidaars in demure colours, its also interesting to see the birth of a new trope — the cool desi girl. Think Anushka Sharma from ADHM , wearing a kurta with combat boots and leather jackets with jhumkas. I swore I wouldn’t use Gen-z Slang, but in all fairness, Geet walked (probably behind a train, wearing her Patiala Salwar with graphic tees) so that Alizeh could run.

My point being, film fashion has been a strong enough influence that it can convince viewers in three hours wether they like the character or not. It is an instrument that shapes society and the way we shop and dress. Interestingly enough, it also reflects the mindset of people at the time. The way the modern Indian girl is depicted has changed as the years have gone by, which is a clear mirror to the transformation Indians have gone through in reality.