Kitsch Capital

With Kangna Ranaut dressed as a 1970s’ glam doll in Milan Luthria’s Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Akshay Kumar’s new look in their forthcoming film,Vipul Shah’s Action Replayy is being revealed,fashion pundits are already betting on the revival of kitsch in popular fashion. At the same time,artist Krsna Mehta’s home décor lines,inspired by Mumbai,have continued to be popular over the years for their bold and quirky designs.

Historically considered as ‘the poor man’s art’,kitsch has been integral to the Mumbai culture. If the world perceives Mumbai as the loud,crowded,colourful,bustling city,there is little Mumbaikars do to prove that wrong. Instead,they take their arts and model them to suit that image of kitsch that the city inspires. Be it Bollywood’s latest trends,restaurant interiors or over-the-top home décor lines,there are elements of kitsch almost everywhere across the city.

“In the words of artist Gita Mehta,who also authored Snakes and Ladders: Glimpses of Modern India,‘When you’re living in a society that is always pushing towards homogeneity,flamboyance has an inescapable allure’,” notes Rushi Sharma the stylists for Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. “And Mumbai,with its melting pot nature,is homogeneous which results in the many quirks of the city. It is these quirks that lend to the kitsch culture,” adds Manoshi Nath,Sharma’s partner.

The duo has given Ranaut the Bohemian chic look with cat- and jump suits,cowl necks and bold colours inspired by Andy Warhol,designs that they say “stake their claim on freedom.” Shabina Khan,too,puts down her sensibilities for Action Replayy to the same as she explains,“Mumbai is known for its glamour but at the same time it respects personal style,which will be considered abstract till it becomes a trend. Here,you are hardly judged by what you wear,which is the perfect breeding environment for kitsch.”

However,Amlani feels that kitsch is no more ‘downmarket’ as was considered a decade ago. “People like fashion designer Manish Arora and artist Raja Ravi Verma have given kitsch a quirky edge and made it famous worldwide.”

As artists like Mehta,Anjolie Ila Menon (with her funky furniture line a few years ago) and fashion designers like Masaba Gupta take kitsch mainstream in Mumbai,a new,hybrid,more contemporary form of kitsch-inspired by mundane elements that are symbolic of the city is also emerging parallely. From T-shirts with Bambaiya Hindi artwork to cutting chai shot glasses or Bollywood-inspired cushion covers,Mumbai is increasingly finding itself on sale and ready to be lapped up.

“Mumbai is known for its slang Hindi,the rickshaws and cabs with bright neon lights and the Bollywood posters which are a mix of colour,drama,action and dance,” says Sneha Raisoni,the proprietor of Tappu Ki Dukaan,a home accessories store in Fort that stocks Mumbai merchandise. “All of this reflects that we are a rebellious city with a ‘We are who we are’ attitude. Isn’t that what being bohemian is all about?”