Fashion is an inherent part of movies and media, and Telugu Film Industry is no exception. We have come a long way defining the sense of style with nativity. Be it the clothing, the hair style or the colours used, our actors have developed their unique style statement. Be it Megastar Chiranjeevi or Rana Daggubati, our stars have their own way to convey a style statement. Take the recent look of Pawan Kalyan in Attarintiki Daredi or Mahesh babu’s ‘Jason Bourne’ treatment in 1, or Ram Charan Tej’s retro fashion in Yevadu or Allu Arjun’s classic cut in Arya 2, these idols of youngsters have invented and reinvented style from time to time. Nagarjuna is one such highly evolved spirit when it comes to great looks. Be it his long haired grungy get up in Hello Brother or a neatly chiselled ‘frenchie and spikes’ in Greeku Veerudu, the man has opined his looks in a very unique way. The same holds good for our actresses from decades. Be it the likes of Savithri, Jamuna or Vanisri from seventies, wearing short pallus and huge sun glasses, or Soundarya and Amani who showcased the traditional girl of Andhra avatar with long hair and silk sarees, or lately, the likes of bold and dashing Anushka to petite and cute Samantha, the leading ladies have taken their own space in looking great and stand out in what they wore.
Another section for the female leads in fashion is the hairstyle evolution. While the seventies, eighties and nineties saw buns, fringes and long braids, the later generation in two thousand saw poker straight hair ruling the screen. Sonali Bendre is one of the many heroines who nationalised straight hair along with Priety Zinta and others. Young women took to straightening when they saw their favourites jiving in smooth silky long straight manes. Incidentally, the straight hair fashion is again taking a back seat with the likes of Nithya Menen and Taapsee flaunting their original curly hairs and defining their own statement coupled with some great performances on screen. In the men’s section, the likes of Allu Arjun, Ram Charan, Junior NTR and Mahesh have all experimented with streaked hair, curly hair and long hair. The rising heroes of tollywood influenced the younger crowd to go bold and try something new to a great deal.
Same holds good for the Tattoo revolution. Nag inked himself a sun on his arm while Trisha went all the way to get a girly one on her bosom. Mummaith Khan, the dancing queen of item songs this side is a moving tattoo central. Tattoos are not a sensation in just Bollywood or Hollywood – even Tamil and Telugu industry carries it off with style and attitude.
So, be it the cut, or the looks, or the shoes, or even so, the personality, Telugu stars have claimed their special zone in fashion statement. While some like it hot, some like it not. Fashion is always upgraded to the most in Telugu Film Industry and will continue to do so.
Deepa Balasubramanian – Team Chitramala
