The Hours

‘‘It’s one of the most special occasions in your life, especially if it’s your debut film,’’ says actress Sushama Reddy, who turned heads at the premiere of Chocolate. Reddy outshone her co-stars in a gold Neeta Lulla sari and a sexy blouse that showed off her perfect back.

Although her look in the film was Western chic with highlighted curls, she ditched them on D-day. ‘‘My wild curls look too Western for a sari, so I ironed my hair,’’ says Reddy, who kept her accessories to a bare minimum to avoid looking like a Christmas tree. And since she didn’t want to tower over the crowd, she chose beige sequinned mojris for a comfortable, quiet tread.

Designer Reza Shariffi will vouch that the sari is a hot favourite these days for premiere-wear. ‘‘It makes a woman look graceful and she can choose to look either grand or sexy,’’ says the man who has dressed Shilpa Shetty, Priyanka Chopra, Madhuri Dixit and Kim Sharma in saris for their big filmi evenings. While some of his clients give him a generous five days to come up with something original, others expect him to cough up a completely accessorised outfit in less than 24 hours.

Sharma, who’s usually in jeans or tiny skirts, draped a heavily embroidered sari because, ‘‘I love saris, so what better occasion than a premiere?’’ She wore her mother’s rubies since her film Taj Mahal was also a period piece.

For some, the issue of sari versus the world is a question of geography. For the premiere of Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, actress Koena Mitra turned out in a glittering Gavin Miguel churidar-kurti. ‘‘Had the premiere been in London, I’d have worn a gown. Had it been in Kolkata, I would’ve asked Sabyasachi for one of his bright saris,’’ she says. ‘‘But in Mumbai, what works best is Indo-Western.’’ Her never-fail mantra: Play up the eyes with kohl.

Most stars try to make a style statement at a premiere—and it has nothing to do with the real self. ‘‘Since the entire industry is present, the idea is to play down your weakness and showcase your assets—be it your face or your figure,’’ says Lulla, a favourite with Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukerji and Amisha Patel for pre-release evening wear.

In the case of theme premieres, it’s challenging to look different without sticking out like a sore thumb. But Sophie had no such problems at the baraat-theme premiere of her debut Shaadi No 1. ‘‘I knew I didn’t want to look completely dulhan, and I wanted something younger and trendier than a sari,’’ says Sophie, who wore a Rocky S lehenga-choli, with her grandmother’s jewellery to bring in ‘‘the Indian wedding feel’’. Her favourite make-up artist, Anil Chinappa, popularly known as Bondu, got into action and used baby oil to get some glow on Sophie’s back, abs and cleavage.

As premiere evenings turn into full-fledged, highly visible red carpet events, with budgets that climb to lakhs, designers now have a whole new fashion market to cater to.