By Museum of Design Excellence
Nonita Kalra
Spinning Yards and Yarns
If India were to have a power suit, the saree would be it. The six yard drape has been worn severely by a Prime Minister. It has equally been worn as a tool of seduction, especially when wet. Both the zeitgeist and the future, in cinema, the saree has always had a starring role. Used to represent a coming of age, a symbol of authority or a moment of erotica - what makes it even more seductive is that you cannot predict when the slip of a pallu changes everything.
The Indo-Western Saree
While cinema in the 1930s was largely centred around social reform and sacrifice, fashion was a mix of Indian and Western styles. The actress who best defined this was Devika Rani with her Hollywood style kiss curls, short sleeved often contrasting blouses with deep necks. Her sarees were worn artfully loose - concealing, yet revealing, at the same time. The Marlene Dietrich-like bold mouth made film history with Karma (1933) featuring a four-minute-long kiss.
The Functional Saree
The 1950s were the age of the heroine. And Nargis straddled both the feminine and the masculine with insouciance and unselfconsciousness. If her sarees were simple with narrow borders, then the blouses were also demure with a sweetheart neckline. But the drape was always almost masculine. And functional. Her hair though was cleverly unkempt, giving her a larger-than-life quality. In Andaz (1949) when she shares the frame with Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, it is clear that she has the leading role.
The Celestial Saree
Vyjayantimala in Sangam (1964) may not have debuted the sleeveless blouse, but she did use the armlet or “baaju bandh” to signify her status as a trained dancer. The saree was also tied in a celestial manner, like an apsara of yore, cinched at the waist, draped just so across her shoulders. She made her debut as a singer with ‘O Mere Sanam’ but she added a lush sway to the saree in Raj Kapoor’s first colour film.
The Swinging Saree
Mumtaz changed all the rules and created the defining moment when nothing came between you and your saree. For the song ‘Aaj Kal Tere Mere’, in Brahmachari (1968) her brilliantly orange saree hugged all her curves but allowed her to move with a new abandon. Freedom was celebrated and exalted. Exaggerated eyeliner, big hair and even bigger jewellery heralded a moment when women were meant to be seen, heard and admired.
The Wet Saree
And then Zeenat Aman stepped out in Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978). Responsible for bringing western fashion into Indian cinema, she wore bikinis with a carefree attitude that made showing skin natural. But when she bared her breasts in a sheer half saree, with only her face partly covered, the way a saree was seen - and shown - changed forever. It became in equal parts a symbol of purity and a tool of seduction and exploitation.
The Power Saree
Rekha’s wardrobe in Silsila (1981) was a seminal moment not just for the actor but for Indian fashion. The saree in its monochromatic hues was used by director Yash Chopra to convey a woman more wronged than wrong. If she dresses like the woman next door can she be a real threat to your family? The sleeveless blouse, the powerful yet soft shades of her wardrobe said yes and no at the same time.
The Sensual Saree
Sridevi in Mr India (1987) brought chiffon into a starring role. Her blue saree, worn with a blue blouse, topped with a blue bindi and many glass bangles conveyed a sophistication that only the relentless use of tone on tone can achieve. It also counterbalanced the Eighties over the top eye makeup with its abundance of fake eyelashes. Chiffon showed up again and again (think the yellow saree in Chandni (1989)) especially when the heroine was carefully being staged by an art director.
The Blouse-First Saree
Madhuri Dixit’s moment in Hum Aapke Hai Kaun (1994) designed by Anna Singh is perhaps one for the history books. The heavily embroidered backless choli pushed the saree aside to take star billing – and launched the big fat Indian wedding genre of cinema. India, post liberalization, was looking for a way to marry tradition with modernity and that purple saree bridged the gap. It is not uncommon to find brides still asking their tailors to copy the exact style.
The Sheer Saree
At the turn of the century the saree acquired a new kind of super power. For the urban tomboy - someone who loved sports, wore jeans and trainers - unless she stepped into a saree she was doomed to be friendzoned by the love of her life. That’s what happened to Kajol in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). Rani Mukherjee needed a silver mini to be seen as a siren, but for Rahul to marry Anjali she needed sleek, straight hair, a soft smokey eye and a chiffon saree that was whipped into a tool of seduction by the many wind machines on set.
The Prestige Saree
For Aishwarya Rai Bachchan the saree has always been her super power. From the conflicted young wife in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) to her penultimate moment as Paro in Devdas (2002), where she wears a heavily embroidered blue saree to convey her authority as a woman in charge of her destiny, ARB has always worn the drape in the most evocative, effective way. Always with an emphasis on sense and sensibility.
The Cocktail Saree
In the late 2000s the saree amped up the heat and reached its sexiest, most fevered pitch. Priyanka Chopra in ‘Desi Girl’, Dostana (2008) was all about ‘if you got it flaunt it’. The slinky nude metallic saree worn with a sequinned bikini top mixed the east with the west but developed a whole new genre. Was it the new version of the cocktail saree? Not at all. It was the whole Martini – shaken and stirred.
The Designer's Saree
With Deepika Padukone in the song ‘Badtameez Dil’, from the film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) the saree became a tool to show gym toned bodies. Sheer, worn low, and always with a bralette. Add sequins, a catchy song, and this beautiful drape took centre stage as the item number. The saree’s newfound sexuality is here to say.
