When Rekha took the stage again last fortnight, all that glittered was gold. While she stunned audiences with her perfect taal and adaa, no one could overlook the fact that the jewellery bedecking her voluptuous figure was as real as it was heavy. It was speculated that as the tragic courtesan in Umrao Jaan, her mesmerising look was enhanced by the dazzling emeralds shimmering around her neck. It was rumoured that the haars, payals and jhumkas were all from her private collection. In fact, there was even talk of income tax raids after the film was screened. But nothing was confirmed. And Bollywood's Queen of Mystery never broke her silence.Now -- with the impending threat of a tax raid -- stars are more careful to let their adoring public know that the jewellery they wear are just paste-ups of glass and cardboard. For instance, Madhuri Dixit's bejewelled body in Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! matched Vyjayanthimala's in Amrapali and Waheeda Rehman's in Guide, gem for gem. But there was no doubt that the look wasfaux. Says jewellery-maker Tejas Jogani, "For Madhuri's `Didi tera devar' number, Anna Singh showed me the sari -- it was purple and embroidered with white kundan stone and golden threadwork. So, I made fake gold and white glass jewellery to go with the outfit.
" A look that he has repeated every wedding season as that sari is still a favourite with baraatis.
The jewellery of the stars has always been an important focal point. Not only did it represent the fashion of the time, it also set the standards for the stylish. Says Anna Singh, designer to stars like Madhuri Dixit, Pooja Bhatt and Aishwarya Rai, "Accessories are a very important part of the characterisation. After all, you are making a fashion statement." And even if the content was unreal, the language spoke eloquently to the masses. And the fact that the jewellery was fake helped. Audiences knew they could look like a star -- at a price that didn't touch the sky.
So, the era of black & white films with actresses like Madhubala and Nutandecked up in diamonds, spurred the white stone or glass paste-up rage. With the advent of Technicolour, the task got a little more complicated and easier. The designer just drew the entire rainbow on a single outfit coloured stones to resemble rubies, meena, pearls and sapphires were slapped on with a remarkable lack of restraint.
And, the halcyon era of the '70s and '80s gave the impression that stars did not come out at night without gold. Like the Southern star, Jaya Prada. She added several kg to her already-heavy persona by donning a ton of gold. A fact that did not go unnoticed by brides who tore her pictures out from magazines and gave them to the family goldsmith to replicate. The '90s was a lean period for those who turned to Bollywood for design inspiration. The minimally made-up look was the rage and leading actresses like Juhi Chawla in Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke and Pooja Bhatt in Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahin wore little ornamentation. In Dil To Pagal Hai, Karisma took thecrown when she wore no jewellery at all. "Trinkets were done away with first in Rangeela where Urmila hardly wore jewellery," says Manish Malhotra who designed Urmila's look for that film.
Those who remembered Meena Kumari's pearl-encrusted tikas and jhumars in Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam, shuddered at the shock. But the role of jewellery has changed forever. It is now added to complement, not complicate. Says costume designer Neeta Lulla, "Now it depends on the characterisation and the requirements of the scene. "
Jewellery has found a definite function. It is tailormade to enhance the heroine's skin tone and figure. And now each heroine has a signature look that dominates the jewellery, rather than the other way around. For instance, Rajkumar -- a period drama -- needed a lot of jewellery but today, people remember Madhuri's more for her dazzling smile. Says Jogani, "She had to look like a queen without looking over done. So we gave her headgear to enhance her height. But for her song with Anil Kapoor we usedflat head gear to balance their look."
Lulla, on the other hand, has favourite jewels for all her actresses. "Aishwarya has a pearl-friendly face while Juhi's complexion takes kundan and dull gold beautifully." But Sridevi is the most jewellery friendly of all. "She can take any kind of jewellery, light and heavy," she says. This fact was tested in Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja where, for the climax sequence, she wore an outfit made entirely from jewellery, including a jewelled hair-do. The entire outfit weighed close to 25 kg! But again, she is remembered more for her talent to make audiences laugh and cry with her.
Ultimately, jewellery can enhance an actress but her greatest asset will still be that ineffable star quality -- the ability to light up the silver screen with just a smile.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
