The fashion disasters that our soaps are

Hit international shows like Gossip Girl and Sex And The City were sometimes more in the news for the wardrobes than their actual storylines. Unfortunately, our desi soaps offer no such inspiration.

Our female leads are portrayed as intelligent domestic goddesses who can even transform into business leaders if the need arises. But when it comes to the style stakes, they  are a disappointment.
Pragya, the female lead in Kumkum Bhagya may be married to a rockstar but you could never tell by her wardrobe. Spectacles, sindoor, garish saris and boring salwar kameezes are her wardrobe staples.

Arzoo, the talented designer in Humsafars is  a creative genius but she dresses in tent-like salwars. Even her boss in the show comments on her poor taste, but she shuts him up by asking him to concentrate on  her work. But aren’t you expected to dress the part at your workplace?

Then there is Roli in Sasural Simar Ka. She may be in her early twenties, but her jewellery and saris belong in the wardrobe of a 40-year-old.

The list of dowdy soap heroines is endless and no youngster in urban India would want to dress like any of them.

Then why do directors make their leads look like fashion victims? Producer/director Rajan Sahi argues that soap leads dress to please their loyal audience. “The audience may like to see Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif dressed in Western wear on the big screen, but when it comes to TV, they like the leads in Indian wear because they begin to consider them as family as they see these shows every day and want the girls to dress conservatively.”

Indian clothes are not the problem, drab or garish  ensembles are. To this another popular director, Santram Varma, counters, “TV shows are mostly watched by an audience which belongs to the interiors of India and they easily connect with the protagonist. Our loyal audience, which consists of elderly ladies, do not go to cinemas often to see movies, they see TV regularly and like the leads to look like how their girls dress at home.”

Since their shows are hits, most directors don’t agree that the wardrobes are disastrous, but the good news is that some shows are making an effort to ensure that the protagonists look chic.
Ajeeb Daastaan Hai starring Sonali Bendre is one such show. Sonali plays Shobha, the wife of a rich Delhi politician who is holding her family together after her husband goes to jail.

In the show Sonali wears Maheshwari, Kanjeevaram saris and skinny jeans teamed with cool cotton kurtis. She accessories her look with colourful Kholapuri chappals, stoles and a tan coloured tote that she often repeats.

Akanksha Gajria, the stylist behind the look says, “Shobha is the stylish and cultured wife of a rich politician who is a happy person and a go-getter. These are the qualities that are reflected in her clothes.” Akanksha previously worked with Manish Malhotra for six years and has styled actors like Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri in movies like Student of the Year, Rockstar etc.

When she came on board with Balaji, she reveals that one of the first things she insisted on was to allow Shobha to repeat clothes in the show. “No matter how rich you are, everyone repeats clothes like nightwear. Repetition is not boring, it’s real.”

Another interesting facet is, because in TV shows a lot of headshots are taken, Akanksha ensures that the kurtis sported by Shobha are high-necked and have colourful stoles to go with them.
Shobha’s look is something most working girls will like to ape and the good news is that the clothes are inexpensive. Sonali’s saris don’t cost more that Rs 4,000 and the kurtis cost Rs 400 - Rs 500.

Akanksha says, “Expensive clothes don’t matter, how you style them is important. For example, team a classic white, cotton kurta with a blazing red stole, worn-out navy blue jeans and purple Kholapuris and just see how lovely you will look.”

In Laut Aao Trisha as well, the star cast looks the part of a billionaire business family based in Mumbai. Hopefully more shows will follow suit and smarten up their wardrobe department.