Fashion is making news

Today’s newsroom fashion statement is: jackets and coats please, we’re Indian. Not just for the men either. Women anchors across channels have climbed out of saris and salwar kameez (always supposing they ever wore either) and climbed into coats.

For men nothing much has changed: kurtas remain a no-no but bandhgallahs make a periodic appearance (remember Vinod Dua in the Ritu Beri-designed oneson Chunav Chunauti?). The result: people have begun watching the news more seriously and stopped commenting on the attire. What’s there to say about a blue jacket, a brown jacket or a black one?

But then, that’s the intention. “The basic principle is that the viewer should not get distracted. Accordingly, flashy clothes, dangling jewellery, bright colours are all avoided by news presenters,” says Indira Mansingh of STAR TV. And while no Indian channel, other than Doordarshan, has a dress code, they all follow this basic rule.

But what’s wrong with being Indian, looking Indian? The choice of what to wear, say TV channels, is left to the anchor, but the trend is distinctly western. While STAR does it for the “business look”, Zee India keeps a wardrobe with jackets and scarfs in its office for the women to choose from. No saris.

“At Zee India, the only ground rule for clothes is no salwar kameez or chudidars. Though saris are permitted, the emphasis is definitely on a western image. Further,no frivolous clothes are allowed. After all, we are not doing an entertainment programme. The choice of clothes is left to the anchors, but they are expected to keep the background chroma in mind when they choose their colours,” says Richa Sharma, a producer-cum-anchor of Zee News.

STAR also has a distinctly western outlook. But for them the reasons are different. “Most of our anchors are very young and feel comfortable in western clothes. Others like Amrita Cheema worked at ABNi and are used to wearing such clothes. It is left to the anchors to decide what to wear, as long as they follow the basics of not distracting the viewer,” explains Mansingh.

The one exception to the “business look” is Mrinal Pande who recently left NDTV. “I have always worn a sari. Nobody told me what to wear and nobody objected to what I was wearing. Before every bulletin I would go home and wear a new sari,” she says.

At Doordarshan the thinking is that a sari goes down better with the Indian viewer. “At AajTak we have no rules at present. However, if we were to put down the guidelines on paper we would certainly want our women anchors to wear saris. We are a Hindi bulletin,” says Rahul Dev who heads the Aaj Tak team. Dev, who confesses that he feels more comfortable in a kurta, did try wearing one on a couple of his initial bulletins. The technical crew thought it didn’t look too good on screen, after which Dev went back to the coats hanging in his office closet.

The preference of Indian anchors on satellite TV channels for the western look is a strange phenomenon. Some say it is dictated by the fact that these channels are seen in other countries as well so there is an effort to achieve a pan-identity. This may be true but what about the other fact: that serials on the very same channels have actresses in both western and Indian clothes. And nobody appears to be objecting.

At least Indian anchors on these channels have a choice. Their BBC counterparts are apparently told that nobody shall beallowed in the studio if they are unsuitably dressed (read a sleeveless dress or some such); no face shall appear on the screen that is not caked with make-up guests no exception.

So viewers might want some variety and Indianness on the news bulletins, but as far as clothes are concerned they’re unlikely to get it. And since we’ve been robbed of the fun of looking at who is wearing what, channels might as well come up with a uniform for their anchors…..Just a thought.