T-town Actors are Completely Transformed in Mumbai

Apart from their popularity, one thing that changes drastically when an actor moves to Bollywood from Tollywood is their “look”. Take Tamanna for example, she looks stunning in the stills of Himmatwala in contrast to her appearance in Rebel. Now, when spotted at events in Mumbai, she looks very chic.

Similarly Ileana, though she was a simple girl in Barfi, she looked so elegant.

What is it about Bollywood stylists that T-town actors are completely transformed in Mumbai and become not only glamorous, but also less “tacky”?

Pernia Qureshi, who styled Sonam Kapoor in Aisha, says that a lot depends on the budget of the movie. “It’s got more to do with the film than the industry they are working in. In Bollywood, a lot of attention is given to the kind of clothes that the actors wear.

So it all boils down to the budget and the money allocated for styling. If it’s a Salman Khan or Kareena Kapoor movie, then you are going to have an amazing group of stylists and the output will reflect on screen.”

Taapsee Pannu, who’ll be making her Bollywood debut with Chashme Buddoor featuring Sonu Nigam, Rishi Kapoor, Juhi Chawla and Siddharth, has a different point. “A lot depends on the director. The main idea in a Tollywood film is for an actress to look sexy and that automatically means shedding clothes. But in Bollywood this is not the case. David (Dhawan) sir too, wanted me to look sexy for the movie but that didn’t include any skin show, all I was made to do was keep my hair straight and wear girly clothes,” says Taapsee, adding, “I have often tried to get this point across in Tollywood that actresses don’t necessarily need to show skin to look beautiful on-screen.”

Stylists here, on the other hand say that they deliver what people want. “When people come to watch Tollywood movies, they want to look up to an actor and not see someone as ordinary as themselves. So while Bollywood will go for a minimalistic look, Tollywood will be loud. Not just in the clothes, but in all aspects of filmmaking. So there’s a lot of glitter, accessories, gold, etc. and that’s what T-town fans connect to,” says Tollywood stylist Lipsa Jain who had worked in films like Orange, Shadow, Mogudu, RGV’s Lovely, etc.

Says Aleykya, actor Tarak Ratna’s wife, a designer herself, who also designs for her husband, “In Tollywood, the stars are often bigger than their wardrobes. People come to watch the actors and are least bothered about what they are wearing. So even if Chiranjeevi is wearing a lungi, he’ll have his own style and will be able to carry it off.”
“Bollywood on the other hand is very style conscious and the stylists and actors there are very involved about what the clothes they wear on-screen. I’m sure in Tollywood, actors and actresses wear whatever is given to them and perhaps they are not so involved,” she says.

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