The Indian Express | 1 week ago | 19-03-2023 | 11:45 am
Bharat and Bharatvasis made our point. It happened the moment M M Keeravani and Chandrabose, the composer and lyricist of the Nattu Nattu song from S S Rajamouli’s Telugu film RRR stood on the stage holding the Oscar for the Best Original song.It was proof that India and Indians make great music. Also, that we can dance so unselfconsciously that it is almost like we think no one is watching!Most important: we make movies that are so entertaining that logic never enters into it!The song is a banger, as Deepika Padukone, the Indian actress who introduced the song to the audience at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, said in her short, crisp speech. Deepika captured the confidence of today’s India. She spoke without an affected accent or a Hollywood drawl.Yes, she wore a Louis Vuitton black, velvet ballgown, paired with a sparkling Cartier neckpiece for the event. And no, she did not drape herself in a Kanjeevaram sari and cover every inch of her face and body in temple jewellery to establish her Indian heritage, much to the outrage of our culture belchers who continue to believe that heritage can only be expressed through the clothes we wear.Deepika stood tall, confident, and proud in her off-shoulder gown. A lot like how most of us felt at that moment watching the award show on television. That is the spirit today’s global Indians bring to the international stage: the pride in who we are.Yes, perhaps it is true that many of our films are about escapism; about running around trees, about beautiful women and love and romance. Yes, the hero will beat the pulp out of a thousand villians in a blink, and will arm-wrestle (CGI) tigers and lions. But let’s stop apologising for that. Our films spread joy and happiness. And their energy is infectious: the Oscar audience was on its feet for Nattu Nattu.These are the very concepts that were until recently scoffed at by our true-blooded Indian ‘adda intellectuals’, film critics and Kurosowa guzzlers, who would hold forth on our failure to make it to the international awards because we are not raw, gritty and real enough.RRR is none of these. Nor is the song Nattu Nattu with its vertigo-inducing choreography. This is unadulterated Indian entertainment in all its glory — fantastically unrealistic. And proudly so.RRR is not the first film to do any of this, but it is the first that Hollywood recognised for its central theme: film-making is really about fun and entertainment. And that has no borders.This is exactly what Deepika Padukone did in her black gown which she later followed up with a pink fluffy feather mini dress from Indian-American designer Naeem Khan at the Vanity Fair after-party.Deepika underlines the fact that we as Indians belong within the global space, not on the fringes, and can prove our worth without shouting our heritage from the rooftops or in this case from behind six-yards of fabric.Why stop at the sari? Why not the mekhela-chador, mundu-veshti, nauvari, Salwar-Kameez, Chorno & Chaliya Choli? For a few of us (in fact, for a lot of us Bharatvarsh ke vasis) these are intrinsic to our culture, heritage and legacy.Our traditional attire is an expression of who we are, and we embrace it with pride. Fashion takes inspiration from many cultures and traditions and the curiosity and inclusivity has only increased with time.The Madras Checks (the humble lungi from south India) is one amongst several Indian fabrics and prints that impacted global fashion when Ralph Lauren introduced it to the global runway with his Madras collection, later to be followed by several fashion giants including Hermes as recently as its 2019 Resort Collection.Indian cotton and silks, our weaves, our jewellery, filigree, enameling, embroidery have all given the world a piece of Bharat and given India its identity and place on the world stage.The culture bigots weighing their nationalism on the train of Deepika’s gown may want to take pause and Google or YouTube the depth of India’s cultural influence.Be proud. Be confident. And the world will applaud us for what we are.The writer, former Editor-in-Chief of Marie Claire & L’officiel, is a fashion and sustainability consultant
Share:
