Silsila

This Yash Chopra flick had everything. Love and loss, marriage and an extra-marital relationship, exotic locales, a gorgeous Rekha. A great style start to the 1980s, though we don’t know what happened after that! Silsila showed Rekha as never before — sensual and sophisticated all at once, alongside a dapper Amitabh Bachchan. Special mention for Rekha’s make-up — a glossy maroon mouth and straight black hair — which had every woman in the Eighties trying to copy her look. The signature Yash Chopra style was born — soft pastels, solid colours and sheer drapes. Dreamy!

Chandni

Neeta Lulla’s first big flick, Chandni was a stunning style story. Sridevi justified Chandni in each and every frame. As a bubbly, bright beauty in the first half (remember her vibrant ethnic numbers matched with trendy trinkets?) and a subdued lady in the second half (those sheer saris and simple sleeveless blouses?), Chandni is still a visual treat. Even Maharani Gayatri Devi must have approved of the chiffon saris and pearls!

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

Manish Malhotra wove his magic wand on all six characters and made KJo’s film look larger than life, and the stars look starry and super-trendy. Bollywood discovered what bags and shoes can do to an outfit and Kareena Kapoor saw how great she looks slim. Kajol learnt smoky eyes are the right eyes for her and Jaya Bachchan found that you don’t have to be under 35 to dress up. The men weren’t left out either — though SRK and AB didn’t evolve significantly, at least Hrithik Roshan finally admitted that he could look good without a black polyester net ganjee!

Bunty Aur Babli

Aki Narula started out right, with a great recipe for superhit style. Take India-friendly silhouettes, throw in some vibrant colours, add trendy accessories, follow it all up with signature styling… and voila! A blockbuster look is born. B&B carried out the formula so fine that screen-to-street style found a brand new meaning. Rani Mukerji’s look was iconic in the film: the collared silk kurtas with brocade borders worn with flowy patialas and patchwork potlis, smoky eyes and lots of bangles. Bunty was no less with his rustic charm.

Devdas

Neeta Lulla took Brand Bengal to the world with this film. Drapes from Calcutta filled up the frames, complete with all the little details — puffed sleeves, sindoor bindi, shakha pala, dangling trinkets and wavy curls caressing their foreheads…. Aishwarya and Madhuri played Bengali beauties to the hilt and the country rediscovered a rich, all but forgotten palette. Parineeta tried to do a follow up, but failed fully, at least style-wise.

 

 

 

Om Shanti Om

A Bollywood film has never been a better fashion forecaster. Om Shanti Om’s retro look coincided with the ‘it’ look of 2008 — the 1970s. Deepika Padukone’s classic churidar kurtas — tight and embroidered — and SRK’s rasta appeal — bellbottoms and checked pantsuits — were a superhit with the masses. And as always, a good style film sets as many beauty trends as it does in fashion. Now you know where the extended eyeliner and bouffants came from!

Dhoom:2

Anaita Shroff Adajania outdid Dhoom with Dhoom:2. The stars have never looked so sexy and we’re not just talking about Ash’s clothes (and inhibitions) dropping act. Hrithik Roshan and Bipasha Basu also crossed their haute hotness quotient, looking their smouldering best. Luckily, the film packed in about as much substance as it did style.