Sushmita Sen in ‘Main Hoon Na’
Sushmita Sen (Source: rediff)
Sushmita Sen, the lady who won the Miss Universe Pageant in 1994 and gave Aishwarya Rai a tough competition has always been a force to reckon with when it comes to her fashion choices. Her entire personality, when combined with an ordinary outfit, adds so much glamor and pizzazz that it turns into a fashion statement and a trend for the new generation. She has inspired a lot of trends in the country through her various roles in movies and otherwise, however, her style in ‘Main Hoon Na’, a blockbuster movie by Farah Khan simply blew everyone away. Sushmita played the role of Chandni, a Chemistry teacher, in the movie that is always seen in chiffon flowy sarees and sleeveless blouses. Sush’s black and red polka dotted sari became a rage and had the entire womenfolk following her footsteps!
Origin
Sushmita Sen with Shahrukh Khan (Source: rediff)
Main Hoon Na was a 1994 flick that was written and directed by the multifaceted Farah Khan and was her debut film that starred a bevy of stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Sushmita Sen, Sunil Shetty, Zayed Khan and Amrita Rao as the main cast. The movie was produced by SRK’s production company Red Chillies Entertainment and their collaboration earned them resounding success in the first film itself!
The movie is a cocktail of all the necessary ingredients that are required in a blockbuster Hindi masala movie ranging from comedy and romance to action and drama. Apart from being a huge success both in India and overseas, this movie also created a new trend with the hot and happening Sushmita Sen, who started a new fashion trend with the chiffon saris that her character Chandni wore in the movie. Sushmita became a style icon overnight with the sensuality that her saris infused into the character that she was playing. Her black and red polka dot sari became iconic and was perhaps the most widely copied style statement during that year. In fact, the way she carried herself in the saris, gave a new and modern twist to the garment and made it very trendy.
The Style
Most of the credit for Sushmita’s style in Main Hoon Na has to be given to Manish Malhotra who designed her entire look and turned her into the ultimate style diva. In fact, Sushmita already had a distinctive style of her own which was refined and sophisticated, and with the sari she managed to look uber sensuous to the extent that she gave her much younger co-star Amrita Rao a huge complex. Sushmita caught the nation’s fancy as the sophisticated and stylish teacher with flowy saris and vibrant colors and prints!
Sushmita Sen has always made a style statement by lending her clothes a new dimension that complemented her towering personality. In fact, it was Sushmita who popularized the chiffon saree that was only the trademark of Yash Raj movies till now and gave them a turnaround. The vibrant patterns and bright colors were a fresh change from the plain sarees worn by the Indian film heroine up until then. Her designer Manish Malhotra experimented further and brought in elements from the 60s with the Mumtaz and Sharmila Tagore styled knotted sleeveless blouses that added more sensuality to the entire garment.
Sushmita had always been seen in western outfits post her Miss Universe stint and was never given a chance to show her ‘Indianness’ which came to life with her character ‘Chandni’. Sushmita manages to saunter through the saris with great grace and dignity and redefines feminity and sensuality with the sari.
References
Categories: Bollywood & Beyond, Indian Cinema