Blast from the past, Bollywood goes vintage

The old world charm has gripped Bollywood a key element of Indian cinema that is celebrating 100 years of its existence this year But it requires the right mix of research and vision to hit the bull39s eye as far as styling such projects is concerned designers say A retro look can be described as anything from the 1930s to the 1960s or even the 1980s said designer Pria Kataaria Puri who is responsible for actress Priyanka Chopra39s look in the remake of the 1973 film 39Zanjeer39 quotIt39s easy to pull off such projects provided you do a bit of research For example if you39re styling an actress according to the fashion of the 1960s you know the way they women wore saris and eyeliner and made the beehive hairdoquot Puri said There are different examples of films experimenting with some distinct looks of the past some focus on bellbottoms and some on fitted short kurtis while others are inspired by the Sadhana cut the bouffant the cat eye makeup the oversized glasses and the hairbands as well as the unique sari drapes Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha in 39Lootera39 39Lootera39 a period romance drama set in the West Bengal of 1950 spells the vintage flavour from the word go Ranveer Singh sports a cleanshaven hatted and neat look complete with crisp white shirts and chic braces to hold up his trousers His onscreen lady love essayed by Sonakshi Sinha is seen in simple saris teamed with quartersleeved blouses and a big round bindi Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor in 39Gunday39 Fashion from the past years also reflects in 39Gunday39 set in the Kolkata of 1971 to 1988 True to its time period the film39s lead actress Priyanka Chopra dons a stunning retro look with sensuous saris sleeveless blouses and long tresses Akshay Kumar in 39Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara39 Similar is the case for 39Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara39 with the story backdropped against Mumbai of the late 1980s In her new film quotBombay Velvetquot actress Anushka Sharma will reportedly go retro as the movie chronicles the evolution of Mumbai over a period of two decades The trend is surely up and coming Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone in 39Ram Leela39 Ace designer Anju Modi who has designed costumes for Sanjay Leela Bhansali39s period drama 39Ram Leela39 costarring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone said it is the quotromanticism of the retro lookquot which inspires filmmakers to dig into the past quotThey like to recreate the old world charm While there is no dearth of stories that they can derive from the modern era there is a certain glamour that constantly draws Bollywood filmmakers to the retro lookquot Modi said Globally known designer Ritu Kumar said of the trend quotIt is a measure of confidence in India39s history and identity that any industry goes looking back to recreate a bygone feel and touchquot Designer and stylist Pernia Qureshi who was behind Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor39s uber chic style in 39Aisha39 believed quotIndian films have now started taking fashion more seriouslyquot quotPeople have realised how styling can play a key role in portraying exactly what is neededquot Qureshi said quotTo go deep into a character the clothing accessories and the overall look are vital The retro look is about imitating the styles from the past without losing out on the modernity of the clothing and the looks so that it is relatable to the people of today39s day and agequot she added However Modi said designers and filmmakers must work closely to get the desired effect for such projects quotCreative freedom is a must which is also why most filmmakers prefer fashion designers assisting with the costumes for their movies A lot of research went into Deepika39s look for 39Ram Leela39 quotHowever since Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a very creative man it was interesting how he and I tried to create a different look by putting our minds togetherquot Modi said Filmmakers have also harkened to the bygone era in the recent past Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai in 39Action Replay39 Actress Aishwarya Rai played a 1970s39 girl in retro comedy 39Action Replayy39 and her attire was in tune with the theme Even Deepika Padukone spelt style galore in retro outfits in her Bollywood debut 39Om Shanti Om39 In 39The Dirty Picture39 Vidya Balan also sported colourful retro styles complete with the bandana and 39Once Upon A time In Mumbaai39 saw actresses Kangna Ranaut and Prachi Desai in some evergreen styles