Style ghar ghar ka

A jewellery maker recently launched a line specifically targetting viewers of Indian soaps.

Not surprising, since the female protagonists in some of the serials have been responsible for setting fashion trends. Be it Ramola Sikand€™s outrageous bindis, Komolika€™s halter blouses or Jassi€™s made-over look, they€™ve all managed to catch the fancy of viewers as well as designers. So what makes these accessories so popular?

€œWe launched the collection on June 4 and it was a huge success,€ says Roli Malhotra, marketing manager of the jewellery store that launched the jewellery line for serial viewers. €œWe€™ve always been associated with television and Bollywood. We worked for serials like Baa, Bahu Aur Baby, Bidaai, Kyunki... and Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin and decided to bring to the audience the jewellery lines they see the stars wearing on television,€ she says.

But isn€™t the jewellery worn in soap operas a bit over the top for regular wear? €œYes, and that€™s the reason our designs aren€™t a replica of what is worn on screen. We have kept the essence alive and made some changes to suit the needs of our clients,€ says Roli, adding, €œWe did jewellery for Om Shanti Om and that was a huge hit with lots of girls wanting to look like Deepika. It€™s the same with characters in soaps. Women want to look like Tulasi or Jassi.€

College student Gayatri Srinivas loves the look of Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki€™s Parvati. €œI love Parvati€™s make-over when she turns into Janaki Devi. Her sarees, jewellery and accessories look great. It€™s perfect for the modern woman,€ she says.

But fashion designer Deepika Govind believes the look of characters in the saas-bahu serials are more popular up north. €œPeople down south don€™t believe in over-the-top dressing. These serials are more popular up north and people there relate more to the dress style of the TV stars. I would call it a fad rather than fashion,€ says Deepika.

Rita Garg, owner of a popular jewellery store agrees. €œPeople here don€™t go for the look shown in the soaps. They relate more to the south serials, in which the look is more traditional and simple. That€™s one of the reasons our temple jewellery is a huge craze among women,€ says Rita.

But Deepika feels soap opera designers should work towards creating new looks. €œThe truth is, all the characters look alike with the same traditional jewellery and loud make-up. They need to create different looks that also relate to the theme of the programme,€ she says.