TRACING THE SARI'S EVOLUTION ON THE SILVER SCREEN

While the clingy, wet chiffon sari has been a metaphor for sensuality, its silk and embroidered variants have denoted femininity and family values on the silver screen. From Rekha in Silsila to Sridevi in Mr. India, or Priyanka Chopra Jonas in Dostana—the sari has always cast a spell. India's leading costume designers and stylists discuss the love affair between Bollywood and the nine yards.

It was Rekha starring as Chandni in Yash Chopra’s Silsila [1981] that inspired several generations of filmmakers and actors to experiment with the virgin yardage. From white chiffon signifying purity, to its red variation implying seduction— Rekha’s character, Chandni, essays her moods through her drapes in the film. Later, Sridevi in Chandni [1989] and Mr. India [1987] draped her inimitable sensuality in an array of chiffon saris...either getting drenched in the rain or flowing in the breezy Swiss Alps. Over the years, the sari has been an anthropological piece signifying seduction, romance, rebellion, and power.

A case in point being Madhuri Dixit’s beaded, deep-purple sari, worn with a backless, tie-up blouse in Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! [1994], which conveyed volumes about protagonist Nisha’s playful mood. Costume designer Ana Singh recalls that the sari hues showcased on women back then were primarily pinks and reds. “Sooraj ji (the film’s director) wanted a sexy edge to Madhuri’s sari, so I gave her a backless blouse. Even her wedding outfit was tan. When we conceptualised the look, we didn’t think it’d become so iconic,” he shares. Filmmakers like Yash Chopra, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and to some extent, Karan Johar, empowered designers and stylists to experiment with the sari and push the envelope. "It can be a provocative outfit and can be used to push limits. Back then, every film used to feature at least one rain song. The whole idea was to highlight a chiffon sari clinging to a woman’s body in the rain. However, it was Mr. India that truly set the trend,” says Ana.