A decade that has few and intermittent fashionable moments as it was an era that defied good taste (yes, there are notable exceptions but overall, we can blanket off that decade with a sartorial shrug).
The fashion fabric of Bollywood in the 1980s is studded with gaudy sequins, cheap fabric, polyester, feathers, faux fur, diamantΓ©s, problem patterns and tawdry colours. The makeup, even worse; stage, near vaudeville exaggeration. There are so many, many fashion faux pas and horrors that we can do endless posts on bad Bollywood fashion for risible effect. Film fashion was so notoriously bad, when someone wore a gaudy ensemble, the phrase 'Its looking a little filmy no?' was indicative of how horrific it was.
To be fair, this was a decade before stylists, personal shoppers and celebrity designers; people who studied fashion, set trends, created style. There were mostly tailors who aped the west, blatantly copied other designs for a fraction of the budget. The results were there for all to see. There's a reason why film costumes could be easily and cheaply replicated; because they were cheap and easy to mass produce. When a dress maker had to make 100 costumes for background dancers of all shapes and sizes, they don't have time to think if a hemline is flattering or if a silhouette is in vogue. Time was of the essence not style.
However, this isn't about the 'ow' of Hindi films, but the 'wow' of magical movies.
Mercifully, Yash Chopra was the sentinel of good and refined taste when it came to aesthetics on film. From the very beginning. In fact, his movies have all been gorgeous to look at. Be it set design, costumes, cinematography, a Yash Chopra movie had a signature look, not just his romances, even his most violent movies, murder mysteries and family dramas were shot beautifully.
When he signed Sridevi - she of the pots and pans and feather duster Madras masala infamy - he added to her glamour by taking away the paraphernalia; removing cakes of makeup, setting aside elaborate wigs and by taking away colour from her wardrobe. He made her shine in simplicity.
And it takes a perfect alchemy of designers, artist, director (and editor) to present the perfectly attired Hindi film heroine in the most iconic Bollywood film of the decade (book ended with Rekha's ensembles in the same producer/director's film Silisla, 1981).
Every look in the film Chandni is a subtle masterpiece and here's every single one of them.
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Three designers - and Sridevi's own input - worked on the film. The Oscar-winning Bhanu Athiya, who left the film midway due to "creative differences" with director Yash Chopra, Leena Daru and newcomer Neeta Lulla (who went on to become a fashion force in later years) filled in. Sridevi looked perfect in every frame - that's not just the fan in us stating that.
Update:
The people who designed, styled and perfected the Chandni look for Sridevi; Oscar winner Bhanu Athaiya (who also did some of Sridevi's costumes in Sultanat), Neeta Lulla (seen below with Sridevi) and Leena Daru (seen in pic with Rekha - who she worked with for 15 years).
Sad to note that Leena Daru died on July 31, 2020, Bhanu Athaiya passed away on October 15, 2020.
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| Bhanu Athaiya |
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| Leena Daru with Rekha |
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| Sridevi with Neeta Lulla |
Above: The credits in the film Chandni. Growing up, for years we used to fast-forward on VHS tapes to get to the film, now of course, am constantly intrigued by the 1000s of people that work on one film.
Costumes designed by Kachins, Madav Men's Modes, Leena Daru, Bhanu Athaiya, Fit Well, Neeta Lulla, Mischief.
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