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I am not sure if it's posted already but if it mods please close the topic!đ WE DON'T know, really, why these TV serials are called soaps. Because there's nothing fresh about them. Whether it's the plots or the dialogues (actually, make that monologues), the intrigues or the time leaps, they're all the same. And that includes the costumes as well.
True, given the subject matter of these serials, TV fashion may not have many options. As Nim Sood, stylist for Balaji serials, explains, "How much experimenting can we do with a bahu's character? We have a definite image of how a good bahu or girl from a good family should look. Which means the vamp has to look the very opposite in every way." But that doesn't explain why the styles must be so over the top. There's simple, and then there's simplehammered-home. There's vampy, and then there's vampy-with-a-sign-over-the-head â "Look, I'm a vamp." Perhaps, as designer Narendra Kumar Ahmed puts it, it's because TV fashion is only in phase one of a possible evolution. "Eventually, as in the movies, this will get toned down," he says. "Meanwhile, the set-up is so loud that the garments have to be louder, otherwise the look of a character will get lost in the whole scene!" But there is hope. Some actors and actresses have managed to break a few of the standard-look rules. Here's a lowdown on some in-your-face soap styles, and the characters that flaunt them.
BAHUS The clan: Tulsi, Parvati, Prerna, Ganga, Baani Standard look: Mangalsutras and sindur are mandatory. Straight, jet black hair if you are between 16 or 60 (only the Baas are allowed streaks of grey, but then they are all between 90 and 100) with a neat parting, kohled eyes, nude lips and a traditionally draped saree or a salwar-kameez. Deviations: When Saakshi Tanwar got tired of wearing the same attire for three years, she got a fashion break. But not until the scriptwriter got her 'lost' and then 'found' â wearing pretty skirts, no less! Her wish granted, the skirtwearing avatar was sent packing, Saakshi was back again as the prim and propah Parvati.
Nim seems to think there are deviations enough. "We keep changing the look according to the story track. We have given bahus like Tulsi and Prerna a bun. And when Parvati was out on an avenging mission, we made her wear sarees in different shades of red." And here you thought soaps were unsubtle! Colours seem to be the main form of experimentation when it comes to bahus. Says Rashmi Sharma, creative head of Saat Phere, "Saloni is a perfect housewife and a perfect daughter, so we dress her in simple clothes and simple make-up. But we do experiment with colours. For instance, when the bahu is happy, she wears solid and happy hues." Ashlesha or Tara of Saat Phere is the only one to stand out. She drapes her saree differently (neither seeddha pallu nor ulta, somewhere in between) and apparently the viewers love it. "It was an accident. The pallu had got burnt and I had my shot ready so I just draped it that way. But it became such a hit with the unit that we decided to stay with the look," says Ashlesha.
But the only contemporary-looking good bahu is on the verge of becoming a vamp. So there goes the last hope for the bahus. Suggested makeover: Fashion designer Sonam Dubal says that bahus and good girls can wear handloom sarees. "They need the classic touch, something like the Abraham and Thakore sarees maybe. The emphasis should be on elegance instead of loudness."
INDUSTRIALIST HEROES The clan: Mr Bajaj, Jai Walia, Mihir and Sujal. Standard look: Mr Bajaj has a soft corner for grey business suits while Jai Walia in Kasamh Se likes black. And in Saat Phere, Nahar and his elder brother are perennially in business suits. To unwind, a silk dressing gown is essential.
Argues Nim, "When a character is supposed to be a well-heeled businessman, he should look the part. As grown-up men with a certain status, they can't wear contemporary clothes. Business suits give their personalities the aura of intelligence and success." Ram Kapoor (Jai Walia) is not picky about his reel wardrobe. "I liked the role. If they'd asked me to wear jeans and T-shirt, I would have done so," is what this brooding hero has to say. Suggested makeover: A casual look. Smartly cut trousers and crisp shirts in solid colours or stripes.
BAD BOYS The clan: Prem, Rishi, Ansh Standard look: This is one category where deviations are the standard. Take for instance, Akashdeep Saigal or Ansh Gujral of Kyunki... When he appeared on the small screen as Tulsi's long lost son, he took the bad boy look a step further with his streaked ponytail and stylish suits. Then again there is Shabeer Ahluwalia, Rishi in Kahiin To Hoga, who changes his hairstyle before you can say Kashish. Tousled, gelled, pony, you name it, he sports it.
The newest bad boy is Manoj Bohra who plays Prem in Kasautii Zindagii Kay. With chunky jewellery, low-slung jeans, large Tshirts, and spiked hair, he is certainly more with it than any of the good 'uns. He says it was the image he caught when he first heard about the character he was to play.
"My girlfriend Teejay fleshed it out for me and on the day of the shoot, I just walked in with the swagger and this look and the director was fine with it." He was the first one to bring the hood in the picture. Hoodies became fashionable thanks to the underground music culture in Europe and the US. But when there was a leap in the serial, the raggamaffin look had to grow up, so Bohra turned up in a contemporary suit, slick pony and a hat, a carved walking stick and kohled eyes. Deviations: See above. Suggested makeover: Normal. A V-necked white T-shirt and fitted denim jeans and some great acting perhaps. Good idea, na?
VAMPS The clan: Payal, Ramola Sikand, Komolika, Kaveri and Jigyasa. Standard look: Basically an exaggerated look. They have to roll their eyes often so the eye-makeup is crucial. As Ashwini Kalsekar (Jigyasa of Kasamh Se) says, "In TV serials, most of the emoting is done through eyes. That's why it's essential for the eyes to have exaggerated makeup. And a vamp especially has to show most of her emotions through her eyes, so the make-up must be loud. The dark lips add to the character." Says Sudha Chandran of the elaborate bindis and magenta lips fame, "When I started it was something new. Ramola Sikand was a hit because of the way she dressed. The look was very loud, in terms of both make-up and clothes. It was an instant hit." Sudha is now apparently taking the same look to Tamil television.
But Aanchal (Kaveri in Saat Phere) insists that vamps are the glamour element in a serial. "I have modernised the look a bit by wearing net sarees," she says. "They look very stylish when worn with smart blouses." Deviations: Jiji (Nivedita Bhattacharya), the newest entrant in Saat Phere, is dressed elegantly and has simple make-up. The only element that shows that she might be a vamp is the elaborate bindi on her forehead. Suggested makeover: Jiji has shown the way. Others could follow the simple, elegant style of dressing and show their negative feelings through their acting.
INDUSTRIALIST HEROES The clan: Mr Bajaj, Jai Walia, Mihir and Sujal. Standard look: Mr Bajaj has a soft corner for grey busi- ness suits while Jai Walia in Kasamh Se likes black. And in Saat Phere, Nahar and his elder brother are perennially in business suits. To unwind, a silk dressing gown is es- sential. Argues Nim, "When a character is supposed to be a well-heeled businessman, he should look the part. As grown-up men with a certain status, they can't wear con- temporary clothes. Business suits give their personalities the aura of intelligence and success." Ram Kapoor (Jai Walia) is not picky about his reel wardrobe. "I liked the role. If they'd asked me to wear jeans and T-shirt, I would have done so," is what this brooding hero has to say. Suggested makeover: A casual look. Smartly cut trousers and crisp shirts in solid colours or stripes. BAD BOYS The clan: Prem, Rishi, Ansh Standard look: This is one catego- ry where deviations are the stan- dard. Take for instance, Akashdeep Saigal or Ansh Gujral of Kyunki... When he appeared on the small screen as Tulsi's long lost son, he took the bad boy look a step further with his streaked ponytail and styl- ish suits. Then again there is Shabeer Ahluwalia, Rishi in Kahiin To Hoga, who changes his hairstyle before you can say Kashish. Tou- sled, gelled, pony, you name it, he sports it. The newest bad boy is Manoj Bohra who plays Prem in Kasautii Zindagii Kay. With chunky jew- ellery, low-slung jeans, large T- shirts, and spiked hair, he is cer- tainly more with it than any of the good 'uns. He says it was the image he caught when he first heard about the character he was to play. "My girlfriend Teejay fleshed it out for me and on the day of the shoot, I just walked in with the swagger and this look and the di- rector was fine with it." He was the first one to bring the hood in the picture. Hoodies be- came fashionable thanks to the un- derground music culture in Europe and the US. But when there was a leap in the serial, the raggamaffin look had to grow up, so Bohra turned up in a contemporary suit, slick pony and a hat, a carved walk- ing stick and kohled eyes. Deviations: See above. Suggested makeover: Normal. A V-necked white T-shirt and fitted denim jeans and some great acting perhaps. Good idea, na? VAMPS The clan: Payal, Ramola Sikand, Komolika, Kaveri and Jigyasa. Standard look: Basically an ex- aggerated look. They have to roll their eyes often so the eye-make- up is crucial. As Ashwini Kalsekar (Jigyasa of Kasamh Se) says, "In TV serials, most of the emoting is done through eyes. That's why it's essential for the eyes to have exaggerated make- up. And a vamp especially has to show most of her emotions through her eyes, so the make-up must be loud. The dark lips add to the character." Says Sudha Chandran of the elaborate bindis and magenta lips fame, "When I started it was something new. Ramola Sikand was a hit because of the way she dressed. The look was very loud, in terms of both make-up and clothes. It was an instant hit." Sudha is now apparently tak- ing the same look to Tamil televi- sion. But Aanchal (Kaveri in Saat Phere) insists that vamps are the glamour element in a serial. "I have modernised the look a bit by wearing net sarees," she says. "They look very stylish when worn with smart blouses." Deviations: Jiji (Nivedita Bhat- tacharya), the newest entrant in Saat Phere, is dressed elegantly and has simple make-up. The only element that shows that she might be a vamp is the elaborate bindi on her forehead. Suggested makeover: Jiji has shown the way. Others could fol- low the simple, elegant style of dressing and show their negative feelings through their acting.
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