By Museum of Design Excellence
By Divya Thakur, Deeya Parekh, Hiteshree Das
INTRODUCTION
The Indian film industry boasts an annual revenue of $2.47 billion, where the earnings are distributed primarily amongst Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil productions, but also shared by Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, and Gujarati films. With a production rate of over 1600 films a year, Indian cinema captures the heart and minds of not just its 1.3 billion citizens but also the Indian diaspora and cultural enthusiasts scattered across the globe.
With its inception dating back to the 1890s, Indian cinema has witnessed a phenomenal progression through the decades. Through the eras of Silent Films, the Talkies, the Golden Age, and modern and contemporary periods, Indian cinema has functioned as a crusader for cultural revolutions, revivals, and survivals.
Through it all, Indian cinema, and more specifically, the Indian cinematic wardrobe, has provided South Asians with a medium to express their rebellion or conformity, and to establish agency when words could not and would not suffice. Consequently, fashion styles inspired by actors and films have been adopted by people across socio-economic backgrounds, religions, and regions and have helped forge a unifying lexicon.
THE 1920s
SOCIO ECO: In September 1920, India launches the Non-Cooperation Movement under MK Gandhi’s stewardship. It emerges from the outrage following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar when British-led troops gunned down nearly 400 unarmed residents and injured several others.
FILM THEME: While the majority of the Indian films in the early 1920s were mythological, other genres soon made their appearance: the devotional, centring on the lives of quasi-historical religious figures; the fantasy film; the social, depicting stories of "modern life"; the historical, based on heroic episodes of Indian history; the stunt film; the comedy; the literary adaptation; and the crime film.
STYLISTIC ELEMENTS: Cholis in India started appearing like the shimmering glitz and flash of Charleston dresses. These dresses were long-sleeved and were made using lace, satin, cotton or silk. Sarees with long sleeve and mid-sleeve blouses also became quite popular around this time.
THE 1930s
SOCIO-ECO: The 1930s were a very important period of Indian history in which economic and political trends converged which influenced the course of subsequent events that led to Indian Independence. The Great Depression had an important impact on India’s freedom struggle.
FILM THEMES: Historic Films, Patriotic, Ancient Epics, Mythology, Romance, Propaganda, beginning of Realist cinema, Wrath
STYLISTIC ELEMENTS: The 1930s Bollywood were dominated by a fusion of styles, comprising both 'Indian' and 'imported Western' elements. Women on screen usually wore sarees with ruffled sleeved blouses. For makeup, they usually had thin eyebrows, minimal smokey eyes and dark red lips. They powdered their faces to acquire wheatish complexion and wore their hair in 'finger-waves'. Men popularly wore suits on screen.
THE 1940s
SOCIO-ECO: During the 1940s, India crossed the bridge from colonialism to Independence. The consequences of the simultaneous departure of the British from the subcontinent and the creation of newly independent India and Pakistan were profound and widespread.
FILM THEMES: The destruction and looting of property, kidnapping and ravishing of women, unspeakable atrocities and indescribable inhumanity perpetrated in the name of religion and patriotism were unparalleled in the history of cruelty and goriness. The vulnerability of women, the pain of being uprooted from one's birth-place, displacement and migration of people, the question of rehabilitation of masses, fear and pain encountered in physical violence, the agony of being called a refugee were some of the themes which the films dealing with the partition of India have tried to explore.
STYLISTIC ELEMENTS: The hand-spun Khadi fabric became a powerful symbolism of the Swadeshi movement as opposed to the British mill-cloth. Frugal attire represented the socialist and nation building spirit that would eventually culminate in Independence in 1947.
THE 1950s
SOCIO-ECO: The decade after India gained Independence, under Nehru’s rule, socialism shaped the political and social atmosphere of the subcontinent which were paralleled in the film industry as well. Inspired by Nehru’s idealistic optimism and romanticism, his dream-like approach to politi
FILM THEMES: Reincarnation, Romance, Action, Art Films, Mother Figure.
The widely heard and endlessly popular songs were quite different; they were still melancholy and sorrowful. For there was no escaping the stagnant, superstitious, unchanging society: isolated villages, mud huts, depressing poverty. Men singing of death, women accepting injustice and unhappiness. Gloom and fatalism hung in the air. The rebellion and anger were to come later.
STYLISTIC ELEMENTS: In the post-World war and post-independent era, celluloid actresses like Madhubala, Meena Kumari and Nargis’s sartorial style inspired many young women. While Madhubala’s sensual look in deep-cut blouses with Capri pants in Howrah Bridge (1958) and full-length Anarkali suit in Mughal-E-Azam gained widespread popularity, Meena Kumari mesmerised her fans with her courtesan look bedecked with jewels. Translucent saris teamed with brocade blouse with sweetheart neckline were the eternal favourites.
THE 1960s
SOCIO-ECO:The decade began with unflagging optimism for the future. The romanticised sense of freedom coupled with the Nehruvian ideologies was infectious - the new nation had survived the hardships of Partition and was ready to define their future for themselves. However, the Sino-Indian
FILM THEMES: Films during the Nehru era were optimistic about India and its modernity. Common issues tackled in the popular films of this era include secularism, national identity, and land reform. The 1960s revelled in colour, optimism and flamboyance.The carefree freedom and devil-may-care attitude of the Swinging Sixties gave many young and talented filmmakers a platform to experiment and put themselves out there.
STYLISTIC ELEMENTS: With body-hugging churidar suits, shorter blouses and a hint of skin on display, the ‘60s were also big on embracing curves. Not to forget, the pouffy hairdos, winged eyeliner and the uber-popular Sadhna cut were also from this decade.
THE 1970s
SOCIO-ECO: The war of 1971 was the most significant geopolitical event in the Indian subcontinent since its partition in 1947. In one swoop, it led to the creation of Bangladesh and tilted the balance of power between India and Pakistan steeply in favour of India.
FILM THEMES: The decade started off with romantic plotlines, however, the mid-70s gave way to action films with plotlines centred around corruption and violence.
STYLISTIC ELEMENTS: Bollywood’s sultry diva of the 70s; Zeenat Aman played a young hippie in the cult movie Hare Rama Hare Krishna. Sporting large bindis with western shirts, oversized glasses, loose saffron kurtas and Rudraksha beads; Aman set stage for the hipster trend in India, visible even today. These relatively free-flowing hippie clothes that had moved away from traditionally feminine garments of Bollywood came to be associated with women as strong and independent. Aman also brought the bohemian style to Bollywood from the West.
THE 1980s
SOCIO-ECO: The 1980s sowed the seeds for the eventual economic reforms and liberalisation that took place in the 90s - it laid the foundation for several indigenous industries, improved the financial services available to budding entrepreneurs through loan melas, and marked the beginning o
FILM THEMES: In the late eighties and early nineties, once again the trend changed in Indian cinema and there was a marked shift from gangster movies to romantic musicals. Family-oriented films such as “Mr. India, Tezaab, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (1994) and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). Chandni, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, Hum Hain Rahi Pyarke, Baazigar, Krantiveer, Rangeela were able to attract large audiences and proved to be the blockbusters of the decades. A new breed of stars emerged from these films including Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla and Kajol.
STYLISTIC ELEMENTS: The 1980s were all about the over the top (or OTT) vibe. Blingy ornamentation, big shoulder pads, gaudy colours, metallics, unruly hair and leg warmers – there was a lot happening in this decade. But this decade also birthed the first generation of Indian fashion designers like Rohit Khosla and Satya Paul.
THE 1990s
SOCIO-ECO: Heightened communal feelings reached a pinnacle with the attack on the Babri Masjid. Eighteen Muslims were murdered, houses and shops were torched and destroyed, including 23 local mosques. Additionally, riots broke out in several parts of the country which killed around two-tho
FILM THEMES: Realism, Romantic-musicals, Family, Society (modern v traditional), Patriotic, Action-comedy.
Since 1991, India’s dramatic economic growth and as well as social changes have profoundly affected India’s film industry. With the emergence of a much larger middle class, the line between art house film and Bollywood film has blurred.
STYLISTIC ELEMENTS: Along with the economic liberalisation and further globalisation of the country, there was also a broader sense of freedom from the restricted clothing that otherwise dominated Indian cinema. A more relaxed and casual style took over screens across the country.
THE 2000s
SOCIO-ECO: The 2008 financial crisis was the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression of 1929 which slowed down India’s economy. In the initial days post the Lehman collapse on September 15, 2008, many in the government did not think much of the crisis.
FILM THEMES: Romance, Comedies, Action-Comedy, Dramas, Art House meets Mainstream Cinema, Patriotic, predictable co-incidences, Realist, Addresses issues beyond society - looks at mental health for the first time.
STYLISTIC ELEMENTS: The 2000s saw the emergence of a distinct new Indian style. Relatively free from from responsibilities, a more relaxed, Indian modern style was represented on screen.
THE 2010s
SOCIO-ECO: The Citizen’s Amendment Act seeks to amend the definition of an illegal immigrant for Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who have lived in India without documentation. They will be granted Indian citizenship
FILM THEMES: Realist, subtly highlights of social issues, feel-good films, modern day family and society
STYLISTIC ELEMENTS: Moving on to the most recent period, the 2010s gave us social media and influencers! We slowly said goodbye to super sexy clothes and welcomed athleisure with open arms. The focus shifted away from celebrity trends and street style gained more steam.
