Journalism of Courage
When the makers of Chennai Express unveiled the films first look in January this year,it drew instant appreciation. The quirky poster has a number of men,seemingly South Indian,standing against the backdrop of a train with both Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone dressed in pop-coloured shirts,paired with lungis. It wasnt so much the boys but the leading ladys ability to pull off the look with panache that had people hooked.
But even as fashionistas rave about Padukone having made the humble checkered piece of cotton cloth seem chic threatening to spark off a trend Bangalore-based fashion designer Deepika Govind points out that Zeenat Aman glammed up the lungi in Hare Rama Hare Krishna,establishing it as a bohemian staple. It was easy to wear and roomy; the lungi was paired with short kurtis. And for women,it felt like they were breaking away from the convention of dressing in saris or salwar-kameez, explains the Bangalore-based designer,who researched the garment for a collection she worked on last year.
The lungi has been part of almost every culture across India. In the north especially,where it is worn knotted and called the dhoti. While its use is on decline,the lungi continues to be not only the staple wear,but also an integral part of the culture across most South Indian states,especially in small towns and villages.
Govind,who grew up in a household where all men wore the checkered version at home,has used the print and silhouette several times to create skirts that can be teamed with either kurtis or fitting blouses. She says,The structured silhouette of the lungi makes it versatile it can be worn held up using a statement belt,stitched plain or patterned or worn with a leather jacket and boots. Indians should take pride in wearing it for it can be hugely fashionable. She points out that traditionally it is worn by men whose work involves physical labour the unstitched nature makes it a comfortable garment and sometimes,women borrow it from them while doing the house work since saris tend to be cumbersome.
Adds Chennai Express director Rohit Shetty,This is visible in their (South Indian) cinema too,where the hero and villains all wear lungis. To lift it up is a sign of aggression,almost as if issuing a challenge. This also comes through in the poster where Deepika is standing with her lungi tied up and arms folded.
Interestingly,however,as Padukone has proved,the lungi looks better on women. Indian designers seem to have taken note of the fact. Several of them have contemporised it for the runway. While Goa-based Wendell Rodricks has often dressed men in lungi-skirts and women in lungi-inspired pants,couturier Tarun Tahilianis Spring/Summer 2013 collection for Lakme Fashion Week had several silhouettes that reinvented the humble garment.
