Vidya Balan puts plunge cholis on fashion map

Vidya Balan puts plunge cholis on fashion map

Many actresses have worn a 'Choli' (without a pallu of course!) in contemporary Bollywood movies, but nothing comes close to Vidya Balan's elan and confidence to pull off the quarter-sleeved, bright-coloured, pearl-embellished, and generous cleavage-revealing blouses in her latest film 'The Dirty Picture'.

The look is simple and sassy. Crimson reds, bold purples and pretty pinks paired with sarees and petticoat skirts have revisited the Indian film industry, and the style, looks like, is here to stay. Wide necks giving ample view of the cleavage and the hems done up in glitzy golden threadwork have suddenly gained popularity.
This glamorous transition is thanks to some of our leading Bollywood ladies who stole our hearts dressed in this flamboyant garment crediting it with sensuality and oodles of oomph. How can one forget Madhuri Dixit's 'choli ke peeche kya hai' that brought this submissive corset back into fashion with designers experimenting with the fabrics, cuts and style to lend it a modern visage. After Katrina Kaif's 'sheila ki jawani', Kareena Kapoor's 'Chamak Challo' and Malaika Arora Khan's 'Munni Badnam hui', the one actress who made the audience drool with her voluptuous body attired in cholis of audacious cuts and bold necklines is Vidya Balan in the film The Dirty Picture.

Choli ke peeche 'Bollywood' hai: The metamorphosis of cholis from being demure and sedate in the past decades to daring in terms of adventurous tailoring with innovative necklines such as halter, tubes, backless or stringed, is worth a mention. Often in her interviews Vidya Balan spoke about how the film gave her an opportunity to celebrate her body and sexuality, and the piece of wardrobe that contributed towards this realisation, as we would like to believe, is definitely the not-so-humble choli!
Fashion gets choli-conscious: Designers in the recent past have revived the choli in myriad avatars. Neeta Lulla, for instance, infused the technique of kalamkari into bridal creation at the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2011. She replicated the Srikalahasti style of kalamkari seen in paintings in temples of coastal of Andhra Pradesh in her silhouettes of the bridal line.Velvet cholis complimented with lace boleros added the tinge of archaic elegance to her designs.
Payal Jain's recent collection called 'Raga' witnessed a clothing line that showcased evening ensembles and elegant saris draped with romantic corsets and sequinned cholis in shades of passionate rouges and seductive blacks. Though her collection was reflective of western influence in the medley of textured silk jerseys, jumpsuits and cocktail dresses but the indigenous fashion sensibility became visible in the intricately embroidered corsets and cholis of varied symmetries and lengths, often changing into shredded and crepe look.
Piya Sharma, 24, Delhi-based consultant with a PR firm, says, "Bollywood governs our sense of style and fashion. We tend to imitate the look of our favourite actresses after watching a particular film. Vidya Balan in The Dirty Picture has put cholis back on the fashion map but I still feel that body size and an enviable figure are some requisites to carry a sensual garment like choli. I personally would not like my love handles dangling if I were to wear one."
International beauty pageants welcome the 'choli': The choli fever has not only caught on at the fashion runways and Bollywood, but has also made a dashing entry into the international pageants where Indian representatives have often been seen in exquisite lehenga cholis in fast-track competitions like the national costume round.
Ankita Shorey who represented India at the Miss International 2011 pageant recently concluded in Chengdu, China, dazzled in a Manish Malhotra creation which was a beautifully crafted lehenga choli in Kashmiri tilla embroidery embedded with traditional Rajasthani gota and zardozi work. Hasleen Kaur too looked ravishing in an Anju Modi outfit during the Miss Earth2011 pageant in Manila, wherein the choli was lavishly designed with peacock feathers to go with a collared neckline exuding poise.

Whatever the occasion, cholis have emerged as one of the first wardrobe choices among women. They are stylish, bold, sensuous, and what more...a carrier of sheer feminine beauty.