Discover how Bollywood’s evolving relationship with fashion has influenced ethnic wear in India, as designer Ravi Bajaj reflects on decades of stylistic trends, personal experiences, and the industry’s future direction…
The Symbiotic Relationship between Bollywood and Fashion
In an appearance-centric industry like Bollywood, fashion plays a pivotal role not only as an employer of people from all walks of life but also as an authority figure, governing trends and setting agendas. Bollywood is revered as the place to be for every designer, stylist, and makeup artist, making the fashion and film industries irrevocably intertwined.
Early Days: Experimentation and Creativity
I remember when I first started as a designer in the 1980s; there was immense scope and possibility to move around and experiment. Actors and directors were relatively unaware or rather unexposed, and a designer could easily imbue their vision onto the blank slate of their films. From the likes of Meena Kumari in Pakeezah, Zeenat Aman in Don, Parveen Babi in Namak Halaal, Sharmila Tagore in Amar Prem, or Neetu Kapoor in Kabhie Kabhie; Bollywood style has always been emblematic of their characters.
The Apex of Character-Driven Fashion
The industry during its apex across the twentieth century focused on stylistics that directly expressed the qualities of their characters. For me, this era was when Bollywood reflected a certain reality rather than being simply aspirational. Slowly, Bollywood ventured into the world of Yash Chopra, where films became detached from the real world. Actors and actresses became heroes and heroines clad in chiffon saris prancing around the slopes of Switzerland, styled and readied by the likes of Manish Malhotra and Micky Contractor.
The Era of Yash Chopra and Karan Johar
For me, this era of Bollywood opened up a gap; to explore the amalgamation of class and timeless beauty with refreshingly aspirational aesthetics everyone would strive for. I remember the era of Yash Chopra and Karan Johar films spanning across the early 2000s where every character displayed a complex humanity but was also extremely stylish. It was thoroughly inspiring for me to see a certain shift where the fashion industry started to flow from and back into Bollywood where designers, stylists, makeup artists, actors, and directors formed a prestigious nexus and built long-lasting relationships.
Modern Bollywood: Iconic Relationships and Influence
Today, I see those relationships manifest in the likes of Sonam Kapoor and Rhea Kapoor with Namrata Soni or Deepika with Anaita or even Abu Jani and the Bachchans. Bollywood weddings and their close obsession with Sabyasachi Mukherjee have also furthered Bollywood’s stronghold on the industry, permeating into every girl’s dream to have her Sabyasachi bridal entry.
The Evolution of Style: Personal vs. Formulaic
I’ve been a witness to this slow yet drastic change ever since I started in the industry where style was more personal than formulaic. In today’s atmosphere, a Bollywood actor’s main imperative is how they look and present themselves to the media, and it is of utmost importance that they have their stylists, photographers, and makeup artists intact and credited across their handles.
Social Media and the Fashion Discourse
What adds fuel to the fire is the tremendous social commentary I see on Instagram about which I am often informed by my team. One misstep by the stylist or designer is excessively scrutinized and blown up by the internet. I’ve realised that this irretrievable and even codependent relationship between both industries has its pros and cons.
Nostalgia and Modernity: Blending Eras in Design
As far as my perspectives are concerned, I do miss the days of Rekha, Zeenat Aman, Jaya Bhaduri, and Tina Munim, but the current open and progressive landscape has allowed me to coalesce these perspectives with my design inclinations.
For my Spring Summer 2021 collection, for instance, I wanted to focus on my subdued yet consistent love for Indian cinema and more specifically Bollywood. I dared to venture into a throwback to the glitz and glamour of 60s/70s Indian cinema. Fundamentally inspired by the likes of Shammi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Helen, and Sharmila Tagore, I made sure that once again I was able to bring two distanced worlds together. Combine the world of a long-gone Bollywood and its simple yet impressionable sartorial choices with the more daring modern world. I knew, however, that I could never let go of my modest and subtle approach to the growing rise of exaggerated ethnic wear. I wanted to retain my classic sari and continue to devote myself to menswear but all under the umbrella of one of my first loves—Bollywood.
Balancing Exaggeration and Wearability
Bollywood has often acted as a guiding north star for my designs and creations. However, I’ve also felt that over the years ethnic wear and its relation with Bollywood has developed a tendency to be unnecessarily exaggerated and solely meant for the screen. As the creative head of my label, I still want to make clothes that are special and tailored to perfection but still immensely wearable. Throughout thirty-seven years of being in this industry, I have always gravitated towards a certain timeless elegance vividly expressed through my designs.
Crafting Timeless Elegance
I have never been fazed by trends or fads. My love for a slowed yet rewarding creative process is best reflected in how I bring two seemingly unrelated worlds together: my unmatched love for Indian silhouettes blends with my passion for worldly, modern techniques and imagination. I hold a special place for the diverse world of Bollywood and continue to take constant inspiration from it, but I also ache to add a touch of delicate wearability and aspirational reality to my ‘filmy’ ways of perceiving and creating.
Innovation and Global Aesthetics
To cite a few examples and points of inspiration, I admire how each designer has a distinct individualistic style of draping and reworking the saree and how Bollywood has been able to spin the quintessential salwar, kurta, and lehengas toward a more worldly perspective.
Similarly, I also feel that my creative duty is to explore beyond the confines of generic suits, shirts, salwar kameez, sharara, and lehengas. It’s all about orienting the Indian taste towards a more universal, global aesthetic—a task for which I have made myself equipped through the years.
Redefining Traditional Crafts
With the advent of Indian designers into the boundaries of film, traditional crafts spun on its head, creating a more cosmopolitan take on our textiles and embroidery techniques. Instead of making basic kurtas, the chikankari from Lucknow has been woven into more modern silhouettes as seen in Karan Johar’s cult favourite K3G. Similarly, we have started experimenting with zardozi on menswear, and gota-patti on cocktail gowns. Indian designers are no longer afraid to break the barriers and present themselves as anchored yet experimental and contemporary to their counterparts abroad and Bollywood becomes their perfect exhibitionist platform.
A Personal Journey in Fashion and Film
If there is one thing that is clear to me, then it is my love for curation and amalgamation—bringing different techniques and moods together and encouraging both industries in that process. For my recent collection Encore, I built on my strengths, experimenting with my best-selling saris and furthering my unmatched expertise in menswear.
I would want anyone wearing my name to move through life with an inexplicable ‘je ne sais quoi,’ jazzy yet put-together, vibrant and versatile yet classy and everlasting. Rooted across Indian culture yet aware and ever-evolving, something that I see commercial Bollywood cinema get better at.
Looking Forward: Innovation and Continuity
All through these years, I have found meaningful inspiration and even relationships through the world of Bollywood. However, as the years go by I have also realised that beyond the world of commercial targets and coverage, it’s very important to me to keep my clientele content and continue to enliven my contemporary take on the Indian sari and my stronghold on men’s attire. As the industry grows and novelty starts to become increasingly difficult to come by, I want my creations to speak of years of quiet confidence. For me, I always aspire to transform ethnic conventionality into modern experimentality, reverberating self-assuredness and a desire to consistently express my core value; understated yet exquisite.
