Influence of Bollywood on Fashion and Film

crop of Bollywood on flair and FilmFilm, Fashion, and Beyond The Influence of Bollywood.The relationship between the world of fashion and the world of cinema is complex and intertwined. Film allows us the opportunity to escape for a few hours into lives that argon non our ownlives that may be, in fact, quite different from our own. In a similar vein, fashion gives us the opportunity to re-invent ourselves by constructing our external appearance to lenify the shift in self-image. These shifts in image often reflect the icons we admire in the movies. Perhaps we cannot become them, but we can become like them. whizz way in which we do this by following their lead by adopting the distinctive fashion styles associated with them. Some times, this can be something simple, such as buying a new pair of designer jeans. At other times, this can mean embracing a culture that may be foreign to us. This is how Hindi styles urinate begun to take hold in mainstream fashion.The latest word in filmand in fashionis Bollywood. Bollywood is used informally to refer to the film industry in India. It was coined as a shortened form of Bombay plus Hollywood. Bombays name has since changed to Mumbai, but the name Bollywood is here to stayas is the industry The film industry in Bombay. . . is the fully growngest in the world. It makes almost double the number of movies and sells a billion more tickets each year than Hollywood (Boyk 2004).The influences of Bollywood are ubiquitous they can be seen in everything from haute couture fashion to music, often blurring the line between high and low art. In addition, the popularity of Bollywood movies has led to a high demand for the kinds of clothing worn on the big screen. Traditional Hindi dress has become a sought-after commodity all over the world.The fact that Indian-style clothing has become so in-demand is quite a contrast to years past. Until Indian films became popular, western clothes were the preferred attire, and they dominat ed the fashion world. Western-style clothing was most often what was worn in movies, and mainstream culture responded to that. Hindi garments, on the other hand, were considered unattractive and out-of-date. This began to change when Mumbai-based movies began to receive acclaim. The stars of these movies wore Indian garments, and this made Hindi-style clothing seem glamorous. Bollywood fashions are no longer regarded as gaudy or unstylish, because theres top talent working behind the scenes (Melwani 2005).This is a clear example that demonstrates the power of celebrities. Many celebrities are idolized by their fans. Because of this idealistic status, the clothing they wearing takes on positive associations. Thus, fans who admire them will naturally indirect request to emulate them. They do this by using the same intersections the stars endorse. At times celebrities will publicly endorse a product, by appearing in a magazine advertisement or a commercial. At other times, however, they do not need to make an effort to sell the product or style of clothing. The mere fact that they are wearing or using it is considered by many to be endorsement enough. Each time peerless of these stars appears in a film, the clothing they wear becomes a desired commodity. This includes accessories, footwear, and jewelry. In addition, the way they wear the garment can become a trend in itself. For example, if they do something different or daring, chances are that this, too, will be copied by their fans.In fact, it has been assert that each film is a brand in itself, and as each film releases we have a fresh new brand of fashion and life style products pushing fashion among the masses (Bansal 2005).It seems clear that the film industry is closely intertwined with the world of fashion. After all, selling fashion products is a perception game. While the product needs to be inherently good and wearable, the aspiration value comes from its association with a leading personality wh o the masses idolise and look up to (Bansal 2005). It is through the subliminaland not so subliminal messages of film that we grew accustomed to designer names like Tommy Hilfiger or Fubu. The increasing popularity of Hindi films has had a similar solvent on our likes and dislikes, as the fashions associated with them have become highly marketable.The most popular role models of Bollywood include such superstars as Bipasha Basu, Madhu Sapre, Katrina Kaif, Dino Morea, and John Abraham The movies themselves are popular for a variety of reasons. First of all, they are usually entertaining, with compelling scenery and appealing musical backgrounds. In addition, they are the types of movies that allow viewers to escape from their own lives and be wrapped up with what is on the screen. Generally they have a plot line that is some variation on the rags-to-riches theme. thither is usually some select of romance, and of course, the boy always gets the girl in Bollywood. These movies to a fault have an appeal that reaches all ages as well as all ethnicitiesperhaps because most lot like a happy ending.However, Bollywood films may appeal to young Indians on a deeper level. The actors who star in them are true role models, because the films mirror issues that are specific to them Increasingly these films are about the schizophrenic worlds that contemporary young Indians live in, the worlds of airplanes, blended cultures and the east-west embrace (Melwani 2005). Thus, young people recognize and respond to this. They, too, want to be strong and independent. They express their admiration by modeling themselves after their icons in addition, they tacitly express their aspirations by emulating the very people who embody them.The salvo of Bollywood fashion has also increased cultural knowledge, as new terms for specific garments filter into other languages. The sari (also spelled saree) is an unstitched piece of cloth that is draped virtually a womans body this, of course, the most well known. Other words have cropped up as well, such as salwar-kameez and dupatta. The salwar-kameez refers to a womens suit that usually consists of a kameez (tunic), a salwar (pair of loose pants), and a dupatta (matching scarf worn in various ways). These garments, traditionally worn by women of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, are now becoming globally known.In fact, the fashion world within India itself has undergone a transformation. According to fashion designer Ritu Kumar, in India, the fashion scenario was in confusion as it was a troubled period of conflicting ideologies, when the consciousness of an Indian national identity was beginning to find political expression and the struggle for Indian independence was getting momentum. Fashion trends prior to Bollywood were dictated by higher echelons of society. This, in turn, was strongly influenced by the British. In addition, the body image of the femme fatale of Hindi women has undergone a similar transformation. Formerly voluptuous and wide-hipped, a new standard has become the rule. The desirable image is now sleek and slim the high visibility of the indigenous fashion industry also changed the look of the screen siren and shaped a new body image (Rao 2003). The influence of film has played a huge role in changing that. Film clearly has a symbiotic relationship with fashion. What is shown on the silver screen often makes its way into our own lives on some level. There are a number of dynamics at work here. As Entwistle has asserted, dress is tied up to social life in more than one way it is produced out of economic, political, technological conditions as well as conditions shaped by social., cultural, aesthetic ideas (2000111).The link between cinema and mainstream fashion is easily apparent. What is seen on the silver screen by movie viewers one day, will often end up being a popular commodity the next. Movies propose an outlet for viewersa chance to step out of their own lives and int o the lives of otherusually glamorouspeople. Fashion does this in a similar way, allowing its adherents the granting immunity to re-invent themselves. Often, the selves they try to emulate are those of the icons they admire in film therefore it seems natural that they emulate the style of dress of those they consider role models. As Joanne Entwistle has so aptly stated it, fashion opens up possibilities for framing the self, however temporarily (2000139). The establishment of the Indian cinema also proved to be the strongest influence on the fashion in the decade.Due to the western influence, the use of angarkhas, choghas and jamas diminished considerably by this time,although the ceremonial pagri,safa and topi were widespread as ever.ReferencesBansal, Richa. 2005. Styling a fashion-propelled retail trail. http//www.imagesfashion.com/Cover_story_styling_jan05.html Accessed November 25, 2005.Boyk, David. 2004. Bollywood for the Skeptical. http//www.ocf.berkeley.edu/dboyk/bollywood/ blurb Accessed November 24, 2005.Entwistle, Joanne. 2000. The fashioned Body Fashion, Dress, and Modern Social Theory. Cambridge Polity Press.Rao, Maithili. 2003 A Decade of Dizzying Changes. Humanscape Magazine, Vol. 10, Issue 11.Melwani, Lavina. 2005. Bollywood is getting some well-earned respect, finally. http//littleindia.com/august2003/Bollywood%20Graduates.htmAccessed November 25, 2005.