Posted on Trivia – The Spice of Life on 23/12/2023
It is said that on Holi all your clothes look new and on Diwali all old! Well, women are more fastidious about not repeating outfits, especially when the same people who saw you wearing the outfit the last time are going to be around again. That explains why a woman’s closet more often than not is bursting at the seams. However, sustainable fashion is the in-thing. Sustainable fashion is an umbrella term for clothes that are created and consumed in a way that can be, quite literally, sustained, while protecting both the environment and those producing garments. Even celebrities who generally do not like to repeat outfits are veering towards it. The emphasis is on quality and not quantity. We have the paparazzi going berserk upon finding celebrities repeating outfits. Such news of course is like icing on the cake on Page 3. This is quite understandable, for celebrities are identified by their looks and style quotient, with clothes contributing substantially to this.
Perhaps this explains why all films have costume designers and costumes are exclusively designed for each film. Have you come across a film where the outfit worn in another film has been repeated? This is not easy to spot in the case of black and white movies. However, in the colour movies, one could attempt this. It is important to note here that making a film is a very expensive proposition. Meta-films like Sone Ki Chidiya (1958) (remember Dhumal playing the calculative film producer?) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) highlight the concerns of the producers about the escalating cost of film production.
It is here that the partnership of producer N.C.Sippy (1926-2001) and producer- director – editor Hrishikesh Mukherjee (1922-2006) comes to mind. This duo gave cinema lovers some delightful evergreen films like Anand, Mili, Bawarchi, Golmaal, Chupke Chupke and Khubsoorat which are sensitive, humorous and relatable. They shared a great equation whereby they focused on their respective core competencies.
N.C. Sippy himself ducked limelight so much so that he even refused to attend the Filmfare Awards function when he secured the Best Film Award for the movie Anand. Instead, he asked a family member to get the trophy for him. Sippy focussed on raising funds for films, sold them and secured a good release for them, leaving the creative part completely to Hrishikesh and never interfered in it. He would however try to ensure that Mukherjee got all creature comforts. But Hrishikesh Mukherjee was an extremely down to earth gentleman who would always dissuade any such attempts. He preferred to stay grounded. He continued to live like the common man even when he was well-to-do. This simplicity is reflected in the films that he co-produced with Sippy and those that he directed for Sippy. His films did not have elaborate props and costumes. Thus, the film as a whole looked like a slice of our own lives. In all the films he directed, produced/co-produced with Sippy (and others as well) he was extremely conscious about the financial implication, even if it was something as minor as class of travel or accommodation that was offered to him.
It is against this background that the rest of the post must be read and understood. Some weeks ago, a retro movie channel was airing all of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s classics. I managed to watch Guddi (released on 24th September, 1971) and Bawarchi (released on 7th July, 1972) on consecutive evenings. As you would have noted, these films were released in two consecutive years, Guddi coming first. While Guddi was an out and out meta-film, the dialogues before the song Tum Bin Jeevan Kaisa Jeevan also poke some innocent fun at tropes used in films.
While watching the song Tum Bin Jeevan Kaisa Jeevan sung by Rajesh Khanna on screen, I noticed that in the song Jaya Bhaduri who imagines herself as an unhappy bride is wearing the same saree that she wore in the birthday party song of Guddi, which also marks the climax of the film. This is not something that is commonplace in films. I looked at both songs and the saree in particular very closely to doubly ensure that I was not mistaken. Below are the screenshots of the two songs (from Guddi and Bawarchi respectively) followed by the YouTube videos as well.
These two songs can easily be called a shining example of sustainable fashion which was silently advocated as early as the 1970s by two visionary film makers, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and N.C.Sippy. For them, it was substance that mattered more than packaging. One must also praise the heroine Jaya Bhaduri whose consent I presume would have also mattered. The make up is different but the saree is the same in both the songs. Also interesting is the fact that in one of the posters of Bawarchi, Jaya Bhaduri is shown wearing the same saree but the look is of Kusum (of Guddi) and not Krishna (of Bawarchi)!
Poster Courtesy : https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068257/
This aspect of Hrishikesh Mukherjee – N.C.Sippy movies helps us appreciate how this duo stood apart from the rest of the fraternity and heralded progressive practices in various aspects of film making. This is yet another reason to watch and re-watch their films.
Disclaimer
anitamultitasker.wordpress.com, claims no credit for any image, screenshots or songs posted on this site. The images and screenshots are the copyright of their original owners. The song links and screen grabs are shared from YouTube/ Daily Motion and other platforms only to make the post audio-visual. The copyright of these songs, images and screen shots rests with the respective owners, producers and music companies.
Trivia 
You have touched up a very interesting and new subject of Sustainable fashion. The cultural tradition of not repeating outfits aligns with the growing concern for sustainable fashion. While the desire for new clothes during festivities persists, the shift towards eco-friendly practices in the fashion industry is encouraging. Sustainable fashion offers a responsible and stylish alternative, emphasizing environmental consciousness and ethical production.
Enjoyed reading.
Gandhi Vadlapatla
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Thanks a lot for reading and finding the post enjoyable! We can all try to be more ethical in our own small way.
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This is so interesting (and, coincidentally – just the other day, on Instagram, I was advocating sustainable fashion). Incidentally, talking of people repeating clothes in films, while most such ‘do not repeat an outfit’ applies for women (possibly because men’s clothes are also often less distinctive?) I have actually seen one actor repeat a fairly distinctive T-shirt. In the song Dekho ji dekho from Singapore, Shammi Kapoor wears a particular T-shirt:
…which he also repeats in the climax of Professor:
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What an observation Madhuji!
Hats off!
Amazing.
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Wow, Madhuji! Your observation skills are excellent! You are right about men’s clothing not being very distinctive. Incidentally, both the films you have mentioned have been produced by F.C.Mehra (Eagle Films). The links below have some interesting information about him. https://www.facebook.com/Cinemaazi/posts/cinemaazi-remembers-fakir-chand-mehra-better-known-simply-as-fc-mehra-the-founde/903600610125265/
https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/fcmehra
F.C.Mehra seems to be in the league of N.C.Sippy.
He also seems to have worked quite often with Shammi Kapoor. In fact he hailed from Peshawar which is where the Kapoors also trace their roots to.
It is also worth noting that there is very little focus on producers in the posts that all of us pen though they are the ones financing the films and making them a reality.
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Anita,
This is a very important post on an interesting theme. You have caught on the women’s dilemma – they wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the same saree that they wore five years ago in a function with common guests. Men have no such problems. The light coloured shirt and dark coloured trousers are our fashion statement day in, day out.
Your reference to Hrishikesh Mukherjee is an interesting coincidence. Right now I am going through “GULZAR: Actually…I met them”. On first impression one thinks it is his biography, but the subtitle indicates it is his reminiscences of people he worked with. One of the glowing tributes is to Hrishikesh Mukherjee and his simplicity. Often he would repaint two walls of his drawing room and make it into a bedroom. For ‘Khoobsurat” he asked his art director to think of creating a theatre scene without costing too much. Thus the the roof with water tank, pipes and open space became the theatre space “to heighten the warmth of the familial vibes on display”.
I am sure mothers like Leela Mishra, Nirupa Roy, Leela Chitnis must have repeated their dress in films. It is up to the audience that if we notice similar dress, we admire their concern for environment, rather than smirk with delight as if we have discovered a faux pas.
AK
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Thanks for reading and finding the post interesting, AKji!
The light coloured shirt and dark coloured trousers are our fashion statement day in, day out.
Well, for women, there are more hues on offer and that perhaps explains the love for clothes.
As regards the simplicity of cinema (which however was never sans depth), this was perhaps drawn from Bimal Roy. Basu Bhattacharya, also a protégé of Bimal Roy, made films on shoe string budgets and in fact shot in his own house. Anubhav (1971) was shot in Tanuja’s apartment.
Here is an article which tells us more about Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s love for chess, his dogs and the reason why he shot at his place most of the time.
https://www.mansworldindia.com/entertainment/cinema/the-legend-of-anupama/
Also N.C. Sippy his producer friend had his house being used for many films like Chupke Chupke. This is the same house which Big B now stays in (Jalsa) which was once owned by N.C.Sippy.
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Very interesting concept and the post.
All of you seem to have very keen observation. I may never notice these things, or I may. I can’t say.
Though I am not afraid of repeating my outfits, I’m fond of shopping new shirts in particular.
If I happen to visit a store for buying a single shirt and like a few of them, I tend to buy all of them. My inability to choose a single and decline other choices also gets reflected in my posts. I tend to select many songs and then present them in parts.
Anyways, that’s not the topic.
Anup
🙂
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Thanks for the appreciation, Anupji! When I watch any movie, especially an old one I tend to look at the outfits as I love handloom. It is also interesting to note how sartorial tastes have changed or evolved over the years in films.
As regards love for clothes, I am sure all of us have our own favourite things that we like to spend on a little disproportionately. ☺
My inability to choose a single and decline other choices also gets reflected in my posts. I tend to select many songs and then present them in parts.
A series based on one theme is a good way of exploring any subject thoroughly.
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It could be an interesting topic if we do a review of attires of the main lead of Hindi films decade wise.
Need a watch many films though, it would be a fun too!
Let me think over it!
Anup
🙂
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