Bollywood Fashion: A Westernized Evolution

This assignment analyzes the evolution of fashion in Bollywood, highlighting the increasing influence of Western trends. It examines how films from different eras reflect this shift, using examples like 'Aashiqui,' 'Kaho Na Pyar Hai,' and 'I Hate Luv Storys.' The paper also discusses the impact of globalization and the desire to appeal to a wider audience on this trend, ultimately exploring the consequences of Westernization on Indian fashion and culture.

Running head: Bollywood Sociology
Bollywood Sociology
Topic: How Fashion Changed Over Time in Bollywood
Student’s name:
Name of the university:
Author’s note:

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Table of Contents
Indian Fashion and Culture..............................................................................................................3
Bollywood is losing its culture of Indianness..................................................................................4
Westernisation of Bollywood fashion.............................................................................................5
Globalisation and Bollywood..........................................................................................................5
Reference List..................................................................................................................................7

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Indian Fashion and Culture
Indian culture can be defined as one of the richest and oldest as India has an ancient
heritage. Now, India has more than 1 billion population and there are many festivals which
happen each year. This diversity makes the Indian culture manifold and India has long fashion
history. As there are many groups, tribes and religious people live in India, the fashion sense of
Indian is distinguished. Indians have an ancient clothing fashion tradition; moreover, the 90s
witnessed rapid growth in fashion sense. Increasing exposure of westernisation and global
fashion impacted the Indian culture. Economic liberalisation is one of the reasons of society's
growth in fashion. Post-independence society mainly focused on traditional design and textile
that led to the fashion of ethnic dressing. However, in recent times, Indian society and Indian
Bollywood industry follow the adoption of western culture and fashion. Bollywood films are a
huge part of the culture of India and these show different aspects of Indian culture and its fashion
senses (Desai et al. 2015). Of late, Bollywood is getting more modernise with the touch of
westernisation.
Bollywood is losing its culture of Indianness
In the early stage, Indian cinema set its Bollywood style of fashion through Bhanu Athaiya as he
started experimenting with Indian costume designs. His works of fashion in Sahib Bibi Aur
Ghulam (1962), Teesri Manzil (1966) set the trends in Bollywood and Indian mass market
followed the fashion style. Since the time of Anarkali Suits, Sadhana Cut (body-hugging
sleeveless salwar), Mumtaz Saree, Retro-style Bell-bottoms, Bobby Print, Bollywood always
created new using Indian fashion and culture. In recent times, Indian female actresses are now
following the retro style and imitated the old fashion. Chiffon Saris was in fashion for old days

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and still, it is one of the trendsetters in Bollywood. However, with the time, western outfits are
stealing the fashion from Indian culture. Sonam Kapoor, arguably best-dressed actress in recent
time in Bollywood uses western dress to exhibit her graceful looks. Priyanka Chopra follows the
western dressing sense to cope up with Hollywood culture and movies. Indian heroines are trying
to make skinny looks, glowing skin and a great smile. Their grown, candy-coloured dress, minis
and least saris make the Bollywood divas westernised. However, the touch of Indian culture is
getting lowered in Bollywood films and heroines preferred short dresses, slender legs and high
heels make them less Bollywood, more westernised. The Recent fashion sense of merging Indian
ethnic wear with western culture is in vogue (Singh and Gupta 2014). Kareena Kapoor’s Patiala-
ShahiSalwar with long T-shirt is one such example of this and Indian audiences like this by
making this trend a huge hit. Long kurta with blue denim for the Indian actress is famous pair of
dresses in onscreen, along with this Bohemian styling is new fashion trends for Indian cinema.
Lack of Indianness is proven the fact with melting towards the multiethnic group with open-
minded fashion is obvious. Fashion in dress is not all, Indian film stars are following westernised
haircuts and in music, the sound is more like the Western song.
Westernisation of Bollywood fashion
In a previous time, When Indian actors and actresses wore simple dresses and Indian
masses could identify them with fashion and culture. Now, Indian people are more educated and
they are getting more used to with Westernised culture. Mass people want to see such western
touch in Bollywood films also and Bollywood fashions and name movies are westernised also
(Arora 2014). The silver screen of Indian cinema halls and televisions are ruining the traditional
fashion sense. Traditional dhoti-kurta is bygone days and jeans, t-shirts and suits are in fashion.
Lifestyles of people are changed now and style of fashion in daily life is changed also.

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Bollywood fashion designers like Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Vikram Phadnis and
Suriley Goel believe in merging western and Indian fashion sensibilities. Indian film industry
made itself free from the bondage of British influence and made its own identity, however, in
recent influx of westernisation, the independent culture is getting submerged (Skeptikai.com
2017). The language, the dressing, the storyline and even the names of the movies are influenced
by the western culture in Bollywood. Indian cinema is becoming westernised not for targeting
the global market nor to appeal foreigners, but to target mostly the Indian people. Indian culture
and society are mainly demand western fashion, culture, music and style. As stated by Davis
(2014), fashion generally as a style or system of dress that encodes presentation of the body.
Moreover, fashion mainly concerns of presentation of body and the messages it bears through
this. Bollywood industry is trendsetters in India for fashion and public follow the trend in the
mass market.
Globalisation and Bollywood
Bollywood becomes global as the number of released cinemas in India is increasing and
the market is expanding. Bollywood is competing in the International market. Bollywood is now
appealing to wider audiences through western touches to Hollywood movies. An example of
1990s Bollywood blockbuster film was Aashiqui and on that film, young adults wore
westernised clothes and female characters wore dressed that passed her knees. In 2000, another
blockbuster movie named Kaho Na Pyar Hai, lead film stars wore westernised dress and skin
was revealed. Most importantly, heroine wore bikini tops. In recent times, another trendsetter
movie was I Hate Luv Storys (2010), the name also suggested the western touch. The attire of
leads was extremely western and it mimicked what typically be seen in films of Hollywood.
Recently, Indian award-giving functions are held in abroad where many western celebrities

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remain present. The dressing style of actors and actresses more like westernised, it shows
western culture has a detrimental effect in Bollywood. India has famous media to connect to the
public that is film and Bollywood are trying to do the justice of this. However, Western culture
and influences are too many and Indian traditions are lost. In a previous time, fashion, culture
and soulful music were the heart of Indian music, for now, this touch of the heartbeat is missing.
The desire to follow western-like themes has directly affected the westernised fashion in films.

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Reference List
Arora, S., 2014. Globalized Frames of Indian Fashion. Global Studies Journal, 6(1), pp.23-29
Davis, F., 2014. Fashion, culture, and identity. University of Chicago Press.
Desai, J., Dudrah, R. and Rai, A., 2005. Bollywood audiences editorial. South Asian Popular
Culture, 3(2), pp.79-82.
Rao, S., 2010. "I need an Indian touch": Glocalization and Bollywood Films. Journal of
International and Intercultural Communication, 3(1), pp.1-19.
Singh, J. and Gupta, K., 2014. Bollywood and Fashion Trends in India: A Longitudinal Study.
International Journal of scientific research and management (IJSRM), 2(1), pp.491-495
Skeptikai.com. 2017. Bollywood Zombies and The Westernization of Indian Pop Culture |
Skeptikai. Available at: http://skeptikai.com/2013/04/10/bollywood-zombies-and-the-
westernization-of-indian-pop-culture/ [Accessed on 19 Sep. 2017].