Film, Fashion & Consumption - Indian Film Costume, Oct 2024

The concept of stardom in contemporary Indian cinema is transforming. As stardom is a phenomenon that is linked to the social conditions of a region, the study of stars can reveal the complex political and cultural dynamics of a place. A visible component of stardom in contemporary Indian films and popular culture is a desire to reclaim the cultural past, particularly the styles and charm of the previous periods that can be termed ‘retro’. This retro sensibility is an outcome of negotiations between filmmakers and stars with contemporary politics rooted in Hindu nationalism. This article is an attempt to examine the formation of stardom of an actor, Dulquer Salmaan, selecting his non-Malayalam movies against the backdrop of the emergence of pan-India cinema. For this purpose, I analyse four movies, Mahanati (Nag Ashwin 2018), Sita Ramam (Hanu Raghavapudi 2022), Chup: Revenge of the Artist (Balki 2022) and the Netflix series Guns & Gulaabs (Raj and DK 2023), foregrounding costume, style and fashion in these movies. I argue that the study of costumes and styles in contemporary movies provides significant insights into the construction of stardom, which can also explore the complex relationship between pan-India films and cultural nationalism and its aesthetic manifestations.

The Indian film industry has been globally known for its glamorous sets, costumes and intricate dance sequences. This study delves into the world of costume designs in renowned filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period films. Bhansali is known for his meticulous attention to detail and historical nuances. Employing a costume analysis methodology, this study focuses on the cultural significance embedded in Bhansali’s costumes through the prism of Indian traditional textiles, shedding light on how well-established techniques have been transformed into modernized attire. The women in the cinematic world of Bhansali are powerful yet passionate characters, who are entangled in tumultuous journeys of love and sacrifice. The study analyses two of those women characters – Kashibai from Bajirao Mastani and Padmavati from Padmaavat. Both of these movies are based on real-life stories of an earlier era.

Costumes in folklore horror represent a community’s cultural identity and heritage, embodying the stories, rituals and beliefs passed down through generations. They breathe life into these narratives, making them tangible and relatable. Recently, the Indian cinematic gaze has shifted from Hindi-speaking cinema to pan-Indian cinema, where regional myths, traditions and folklore occupy narrative spaces, such as in Tumbbad (2018). This article aims to explore the essentiality of costumes in the film, which reflect changes in societal values and depict aesthetics and artistic techniques while maintaining a connection with the rich tapestry of tradition through the intersection of affect theory. Costumes become a medium for symbolic transformations in the films and evoke affective reactions in the audience. The article is constructed to theorize about the emotional and affective response generated through costumes. This study primarily focuses on the context of the affective atmospheres generated through costumes when numerous felt bodies congregate for performance, transcend the individual and create a sensory state where the community is experienced and highlighted. Lastly, to deconstruct and comprehend the affective prowess in costumes, the article also draws insights from the semi-structured interview conducted with the costume designer of Tumbbad.

This study examines how audience perception and interpretation of film costumes in Malayalam cinema shape their overall experience and engagement. Drawing on Barthesian mythology, the analysis focuses on specific examples from the films Celluloid (2013) and Premam (2015). The article elucidates how costumes carry cultural and societal values, reflecting historical periods, characters’ professions and social status. It explores how audience demographics, such as age, gender and socio-economic background, may influence their reading of these costumes as myths. Through this analysis, the study aims to deepen the understanding of the intricate interplay between costume design, narrative, cultural representation and audience engagement in Malayalam cinema. The audience’s engagement with the sartorial stories conveyed through costumes is central to the study. The article argues that Malayalam cinema employs costumes as myths to shape the spectatorial experience, with the audience playing a pivotal role in reinforcing the myth-making process. This study contributes to the growing body of research on the cultural significance of costume design in cinema, particularly in the Malayalam film industry. It offers a nuanced understanding of how audiences interpret and interact with the sartorial narratives presented on-screen, shedding light on the complex interplay between costume, culture and audience engagement.

The article discusses the culture of replicable fashion made popular by films and stars by studying the different styles of sari and their consumption. Sari has occupied a pivotal role, as it represents Indian indigenous culture, decency and aesthetics (Wilkinson-Weber 2005). Several genres of Bollywood films have associated it with eroticism, voyeurism, joyful abandonment and chastity. The article shows how Bollywood saris circulate and produce meanings that become aspirational and are emulated, though associated with fast fashion. The article studies this in two parts. Firstly, it constructs an iconography of the saris, detailing the styles and drapes that became popular and were replicated by fans. The second part discusses this trend through the portrayal and consumption of the recent ‘Alia sari’ in the film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani (2023). The responses were collected from sellers, audiences and relevant videos on social media platforms.