4 min readMay 1, 2014 12:34 AM IST
First published on: May 1, 2014 at 12:34 AM IST
Sure Revolver Rani is Hindi hinterland’s ode to Tarantino’s Kill Bill. But the dominating woman politician who has a Bollywood hero for a sex toy is a character that’s both sexy and kooky at once.
Revolver Rani sees Ranaut dress in Alexander McQueen-inspired rocker jackets, with chains and military buttons on them, and harem salwars. But underneath she wears bras that belong in the most expensive BDSM boudoirs, with crystals on the cups and spikes on the shoulders. They are used for pastiche, sadly, for what they are trying to say is tautly ensconced in fashion trends and social anthropology.
“My clothes come from Italy. No one understands fashion here,” Rani tells her spooked bed-warmer before jumping on him like a feline beast. Both Rani and Kangana speak here and they are right. But Ranaut’s incredibly talented and under-profile stylist, Gavin Miguel, is at work here. Miguel, who is based in Bandra, Mumbai, is Ranaut’s friend and partner in crime. Besides Revolver Rani and Krrish 3, he has styled her for events too.
The Dominatrix has been rocking the runways for the past few seasons, but mostly since Rooney Mara as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Dolce&Gabbana are constantly inspired by the powerful and sexy woman who dresses the part. Donatella Versace presented a ‘new punk’ line called ‘Vunk’ or Versace’s punk. Last year, Britney Spears’ dominatrix outfit was deemed as the most iconic fashion moment at the
VMA awards.
Domme fashion has been presented by Gaurav Gupta’s power shoulders, Amit Agarwal’s metallic corsets and Shivan Narresh’s slashed gowns. The edgy rocker vibe is said to be a petered down play of it too. Historian Anne O Nomis has averred the ancient goddess Inanna of Mesopotamia, the archetype of a powerful sexual female, who forced gods and men into submission, indulged in cross dressing too.
It did not take me long to realise that Ranaut is India’s strongest fashion queen. Ever since she was photographed showing up at events in shorts she picked up from H&M matched with a waistcoat or a tie — when everyone else wore bodycon cocktail dresses — one could tell here’s a
girl with an intense sense of projection.
Last year, I met her at the success party of Kai Po Che, where she showed up in a bra-front-revealing cocktail dress. She looked absolutely stylish and not the least vulgar, thanks to her petite frame but also her waif-like manners. She picked a comfortable corner of the restaurant instead of working the room and chatting with directors of the moment. She spoke only when spoken too, her dress did all the talking.
The most exciting bits of the supremely dull Krrish 3 were when she showed up on screen, in her next-level catsuits and snaking ponytails.
On Anupama Chopra’s very popular film review and chat show, The Front Row, Ranaut’s episode was singularly the most watched (judging by YouTube hits). In the show, Ranaut elaborates wonderfully why she loves fashion and how she uses it to her advantage. “I don’t come from a film family. I didn’t have a godfather,” she says. “But I felt I deserved to be here and I needed to look like I deserved to be here.” In that one statement, she nods at the lure of the movies as well as the strength of fashion.
It’s a pity she isn’t a fashion magazine’s favourite cover girl (she’s fronted Vogue just once). Fashion editors have been short-sighted in placing popular actresses on their covers — Kareena, Katrina, Deepika, Sonam and Anuskha regurgitated at a three-to-five-month cycle. When they want to experiment, they turn to Kalki Koechlin. Ranaut, for all her originality, has slipped beneath their radar. But with two major movies declaring her the Queen of Bollywood, Kangana Ranaut can ask for the moon.
namratanow@gmail.com
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