Clearly having a professional designer and stylist on hand is NOT a infallible system for looking great. At least it hasn't been enough to keep these beautiful faces from donning some very hideous outfits on screen.
Star Plus show Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? Season 3 produced by 4 Lions Productions clearly has a pretty attractive looking cast. From TV Heartthrob Barun Sobti to the pretty lass Shivani Tomar, from the sensuous beauty Ritu Shivpuri... the Chak De Star Seema Azmi ... Indulekha White belle Salina Prakash and others; the show has some really good-looking actors. Sadly the same cannot be said about the way they are presented in the show which is anything but good-looking. If one were to state things explicily in the most polite manner then it can be said that the costumes and styling of IPK3 characters are unflattering.
While we are all in for experimental looks and stylish attires what IPK3 showcases majority of the time isn't wowing at all. A famous fashion designer once said "A successful costume must be subsumed by the story and be woven seamlessly into the narrative and visual tapestry of the show. This clearly means that the contribution of a costume designer to the story is more profound than simply providing clothes. One of the chief functions of TV costuming is supporting the story and characters created and making them more genuine and relatable. Also it is vital that the costumes donned by the characters and the way they are styled are in sync with the theme/background of the show. But Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? Season 3 fails miserably in achieving this. It is understandable as to why a designer and stylist would want to experiment and create looks that are different; especially when you have such a good-looking cast at hand. But sadly this is not a fashion show where the models display a designer's various works.
Let's say the show revolved around Fashion' and the primary family/characters around whom the show revolves were Allahabad's top fashion moguls or renowned designers; then the so called avant-garde' styling and appearance may have fitted better. To some extent the costuming may have perhaps worked if the above mentioned family was shown as one of the richest and most influential families in Allahabad with a business background who loves to make their own style statements. The viewers may still find it challenging to connect with the characters as the costumes wouldn't exactly support the narrative; nevertheless, it would have made better sense.
However in this case the members of the family in question belong to the reputed and revered Vashisht Family whose head is the Mahant' (Chief Priest/Pundit) of a Shiv temple in the city of Allahabad, and therefore the outfits are complete misfits' for the lack of a better word.
Take Ritu Shivpuri, for instance; Ritu is a gorgeous looking woman and carries off any ensemble with great panache including some of the garish ones in IPK3. But on screen she is not Ritu but Indrani Yash Narayan Vashishth- the wife of Mahant, and her styling makes you wonder Which mahant ji's wife dresses like that?. "Are they trying to reinvent fashion for the wife of a Pujari? If she is styled like this for a function or a festival it still makes sense. Well...not entirely but still it can be assumed as creative liberty of sorts e.g. Indrani's intro-scene at the Shiv Temple amid the festivities.
But one should know where to draw the line with regard to creative liberty' instead of exploiting it. Ritu, Salina and Seema aka the 3 Deviyaan are given some beautiful sarees be it cotton, kanjeevaram or georgette but their styling is mind-baffling when we wish it was more mind-blowing. Just because their characters sway more towards the antagonist side of the story doesn't necessarily mean they should be styled in such a gaudy way.
Barun Sobti who made women swoon as Arnav Singh Raizada made a mind-blowing entry as Advay Singh Raizada. The costumes donned by the actor in both the intro promos and to some extent in the initial days of the show created an impact and sat well with his character. One can't say the same today and the reason is for all to see. Firstly why is ASR's dressing style made to look like a cross between that of Shivaay and Omkara Singh Oberoi's style from Ishqbaaz? The shirt/t-shirt with vest and harem pants look is a clear rip off of Omkara's style.
Earlier it was quite evident that Advay is out for vengeance and he was styled accordingly. The dark and sober colors, the t-shirt plus vest sans blazer and normal trousers/jeans styling, and not to forget the bearded look and floppy hair which aided his angry young man avatar but retained his boyish charms made Advay relatable. The current look and styling of Barun Sobti makes you ponder whether the revenge drama will ever see the light of day? However there were some looks that suited the actor pretty well; for e.g. the pink blazer-white shirt look especially when compared to the jail style striped suit.
Shivani Tomar who plays Chandini Yash Narayan Vashisht is a really pretty girl. Though her initial look with flip curls, deep-dark kohled eyes, big bindi and even bigger accessories was horrendous; the stylist soon revised the same. It is true when they say that the right make-up can do wonders. When the flip curls were replaced by soft waves, big bindi by a smaller one along with the use of minimal kohl and subtle make-up; Shivani's appearance changed dramatically and she looked much more appealing than when she was introduced. Now if the costumes would bid adieu and something more suited for a girl of this year & century would be opted it would be Sone pe suhaaga'. For instance her attire and the way she was styled during the almost Roka ceremony was a clear winner !!!
This seems to be the young actress' costume from an upcoming pre-wedding ceremony in the show and to say it is shocking is putting it mildly!!! Going all glam, wearing your gorgeous designer outfit and being the center of attraction is something every bride-to-be looks forward to. But the chances of any bride-to-be opting for something like this is slim. And what's with the overdose of accessories? Did the show change to Lakme Fashion Week (Pun intended) ? One would wish to look pretty during a pre-wedding celebratory function, and that is definitely not this.
Jhanak
