Fashion gets big on the small screen

Fashion gets big on the small screen

TV's old-fashioned saas-bahu duo has become chic with saris and jewellery that are giving their much younger bachchas a run for their rouge.

From staid, old fashioned clothes with the mangal sutra firmly in place, to wearing designer clothes, tele-serial actors have finally donned a new avataar. One that makes them hip 'n' happening.

Whether it's Mallika in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin or Anya in Jab Love Hua, these actors have undergone a complete transformation as far as their wardrobe is concerned. What's more, there are a number of fashion designers who've taken to designing clothes for television artistes.

Ravi Chopra, producer and director of Virasat and several other popular serials, comments on the need for using well-known fashion designers for serials. "We prefer having costume designers for all our serials.

A specific character needs a specific look, be it a negative character, or a do-gooder. Hence it is always better to have a trained person to work on that look. Clothes make the character look more realistic."

A thought dittoed by Tony Singh, producer of Jab Love Hua and Jassi.., "Characters on television have become youth icons now. It is important for them to have that special look which the youth can follow. And to create that look, we have to seek the help of specialised people."

But how do the designers feel about this shift to the small screen? It's obviously a plus for them, why else would bigwigs like Satya Paul (Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin) and Neeta Lulla (Jab Love Hua) among several others, turn their attention to the idiot box?

Nisha Sagar, the costume designer for Virasat and Dharti Ka Veer Yodha Prithviraj Chauhan, takes this opportunity as a challenge: "Television is a very big market these days with a vast audience.

Productions are done on a much larger scale and as a result, designers get a lot of exposure and recognition. There's a lot of variety which provides immense creative satisfaction to designers."

Nishka Lulla, designer Neeta Lulla's daughter, has designed a costume for Priya Badlani's character in Jab Love Hua. She says, "A designer maybe required for a special look the actor has to portray.

TV producers themselves approach the designers, but it's a win-win situation for all since television now has a very large viewership base."

Nikhil Mehra, of the Shantanu-Nikhil duo fame, responsible for creating the youthful look of Amitabh Bachchan on Kaun Banega Crorepati 2, says, "It was an honour for us to have designed clothes for Amitabh Bachchan.

The look we gave him was greatly appreciated and very well received by the public. As for designers working for television, the fact is that television now is a very big medium with so many celebrities also associating with it.

That's why one can find so many designers turning to it." Actor Sangeeta Ghosh, speaking in sync with the others, gives her take on this: "Designer clothes do enhance a person's character.

They add to the glamour and give a distinct look to the character. It's always better to have custom designed clothes and I prefer wearing them in my serials."

With the glamorous leading lady speaking thus, is it any surprise that designer wear is so much in demand on the small screen? It has many eager takers, keeping the designers busy and the actors looking pret and pretty.