From saris to mini-skirts: The best of Bollywood fashion
It's hard to think of the Indian film world without envisioning fashion. And like couture everywhere, fashion in Bollywood is constantly changing. Here is a decade-by-decade snapshot
1950s British India was celebrated in all its glory. Case in point: Nargis Dutt, who exuded youthfulness in tight pigtails, a crisp white shirt and jeans or would get gloriously decked out in a sari with just a hint of bling via a brooch or a choker. The other big look on screen was care of Madhubala - a girl next door with waist-length braided hair and a natural look. Pictured: Nargis Dutt Hina P. Ansari is editor-in-chief of ANOKHI Magazine (www.anokhimagazine.com).
1960s While the Beatles were exploring the ashrams, Bollywood was taking cues from Jackie O - tight kurtas were worn with even tighter cigarette-pant pyjamas and accessories included cat-eye shades and pearls. For actresses such as Saira Banu, Sadhana and Mumtaz, wig pieces and a liberal application of eyeliner were also musts. Movie bad girls, meanwhile, traipsed around in groovy miniskirts. And male stars mixed British Mod with an Elvis-style suaveness in pencil-thin pants and pointed shoes. Pictured: Helen Jairag Richardson
1970s Perhaps the most famous look of the decade came by way of Amitabh Bachchan - whose mob boss in Don, for example, was dressed up in a kaleidoscope of suits and bow ties finished with pointed-toe platform shoes. This decade also saw also the cinematic debut of the two-piece: In the teen romance Bobby, young starlet Dimple Kapadia lounges by the pool in a bikini. Pictured: Saira Banu
1980s Good guys wore the white suits, villains were the men in black - but all screen stars fearlessly flashed gold chains and rings. Heroines, meanwhile, took their fashion lessons from the Joan Collins school with shoulder pads and glossed-up lips. Fashionable films of note include Qurbani for gorgeous Zeenat Aman's sexy two-piece numbers and Yaarana for Amitabh Bachchan's pause-worthy electric jacket. Pictured: Shabana Azmi
1990s This was the decade when a wedding film - Hum Apke Hain Koun (Who Am I to You?) - triggered a mass spike in traditional formal wear. Collegiate-inspired sporty looks also became the rage after screenings of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Pictured: Shah Rukh Khan