Let TV heroines wear what they want

Kannada serials are stuck in an age where the good girl wears langa davani and the bad girl jeans. Rules don’t apply to men, of course

Although actresses can be seen flaunting western clothes in Kannada movies, the trend hasn’t quite caught up on the small screen as yet.

The leads of daily soaps, who are supposed to leave a “positive impact” on the audience are always seen wearing traditional wear, like sari, salwar and langa davani. This seems to be the case even if the serial is set in a city.

Not that dresses and jeans have been eschewed altogether. They have been saved for the more twisted characters in the series. This norm is hardly ever broken.

Take the example of the serial ‘Kannadathi’, which was launched last month. The pro-Kannada lead of the film is always seen sporting a sari, while a successful entrepreneur is seen in dresses and formals.

An actress playing the role of a nineteen-year-old girl staying in Bengaluru is seen wearing salwar in the serial ‘Jothe Jotheyali’ and her boss, who is snarky and mean, is seen wearing skirts and formals.

This seems to send out a message to the audience that a woman who wears dresses can’t be associated with the Kannada language. And that sari is a homely wear, not fit for professionals.

These stereotypes are reiterated by serials that are screened back to back on channels.

Rachana, who plays the character of Anika in ‘Kamali’ serial, says there does not seem to be any overt attempt to establish a sanskari dress code.

She, however, did not deny that this is a phase that the industry is stuck in.

She plays the role of a rich, spoilt girl who is born and brought up in a metropolitan city, who is frequently dolled up in modern dresses.

“Costumes are used to exaggerate our characters. But its really sad that in the movie and television industries, and even in the IT sector, hospitals and practically everywhere else, girls are judged based on their choice of clothes,” Rachana added.

She also spoke of how serials come with a certain commercial aspect and they mostly cater to the interests of village audiences, and for them, to accept the story and its characters, traditional dresses must be given to the female leads.

This commercial move only serves to reinforce the stereotypes. The fact that most of the actresses, no matter what sort of role they perform, are comfortable wearing western attire and even flaunt these on their social media handles shows that soaps are missing a slice of life.

Norms are drastically different for the male leads in the television industry — they are treated like movie stars. They have greater liberty to try on different styles irrespective of the characters they don.

There is no male lead who does not have the liberty to wear jeans or other modern clothes. These are considered a staple of men’s clothing whether in the city or the village.

One parent this reporter spoke to was worried that if the girls start wearing modern clothes, they may also pick up the ‘culture’ that comes with it.

“I would be excited to see an actress playing the positive role appear in western attire on screen. Acceptance would definitely take time but it will happen some day,” said Rachana.