Gone are the days when Tollywood actors had little to say about how they looked on-screen. The industry has come a long way from the era of shiny nylon prints and the grungy 80’s look in Eastman colours. Actors and stars in their own right – Akkineni Nagarjuna, Allu Arjun, Kajal Agarwal and Anushka Shetty are among the many actors who are making a conscious effort in their styling. Willing to experiment, the actors are increasingly giving preference to the character and its look over their own persona.
“Previously, Tollywood stars had a set image that they had to follow, but the younger generation is creating a new image for themselves through experimentation,” says Deepa Chandar, considered one of the pioneers of styling in Tollywood.
Deepa burst forth on the fashion scene in the industry with the film Missamma in 2003. Styling Bhoomika Chawla as the domineering head honcho of a business enterprise, the clothes, as well as the movie, were a break away from the gaudy sequined clothes we had become used to.
“Actors are taking special care and want to get the look right for every movie,” agrees Mawle Ashwin, who recently finished styling actor Allu Arjun for his upcoming movie Iddaramayilatho. Sporting a semi-grunge rocker look in the posters for the film, it shows that actors are now open to challenging their own persona with new looks and hairstyles.
With film scripts also willing to move away from the typical middle-class mass hero to more sophisticated characters, it has helped the look evolve with greater finesse.
While Bollywood became extremely fashion conscious with filmmakers like Karan Johar opting for stylised sets and an overall stylish feel, down South, our movie makers were just beginning to warm up to the idea of even trying a radically different look. However, there were some who took a head start.
“Nagarjuna has always been a well-dressed man who can even carry off mass characters with style,” opines designer Ganesh Nallari.
Known for styling films like Life is Beautiful and Gundello Godari, he was all praise for the actor who's managed to re-invent himself in most every movie off late. Be it the sagacious Sai Baba or the middle-aged love struck Greeku Veerudu, Nag’s been a good competitor for his much younger contemporaries.
Among actresses, Kajal Agarwal has managed to be a trend-setter of sorts. Be it as the quirky naivehaughty princess style for Magadheera or the boho-chic look for Businessman, she’s part of the new breed of actors who are not frightened of experimentation.
Prabhas, who tried out a hip-hop look in Mr Perfect, and Mahesh Babu’s double shirt or Pawan Kalyan’s double-pant style in Gudumba Shankar shows that experienced actors too are willing to change their established screen persona. And it isn’t just the clothes – the new hair-do trend that is being seen in Baadshah and Greeku Veerudu is also garnering much appreciation.
So sure, we’ve improved our style quotient on-screen, but stylists say we’re way behind our Hindi counterparts. “A probable reason is the acceptability of the audience that varies drastically from Bollywood,” says Mawle Ashwin. Ganesh however believes that the difference is huge and very difficult to bridge. But the most important difference, and the defining one is the attention stars pay to their attires off-screen.
Prabhas may have looked dapper in his latest movie, but the actor is often seen wearing a regular shirt with baggy pants and a devil-may-care attitude.
“Men wearing denims for weddings is really bad. Our stars should start dressing up for the occasion,” Deepa points out. She emphasizes that actors need to put in more effort for their public appearances as it adds to their personal style which is quite important if they wish to be seen as style icons.
Nevertheless, a huge part of the credit goes to professional stylists. What was earlier just the barber who cut the actor’s hair and the make up man who caked their faces with foundation, today, stylists are being appreciated as a sophisticated workforce resulting in a better style sense. “Tollywood now sees stylists as essential for a movie,” says Deepa, with the last word on style.