There aren’t a whole lot of period dramas in India though they turn up now and then, often in Bengali cinema with Tagore stories being remade often. I am not a stickler for detail in period drama neither do I know the finer points of period detail. Still its not hard to see that the costumes are rarely meticulously created. Part of the problem is that the handloom weaves we are accustomed to were not always in use. There was in fact a good deal of imported material in use including chiffons, georgettes, laces and the like in the early part of the 20th century. The indigenous handlooms and silks tend to be fine and plain with gold borders or stripes. Separate lace pieces for draping over the head were common in the 1900s/1920s. The way the saree was draped differed. The construction of the blouses looks different from modern day blouses. Hairstyles were different and sometimes mirrored fashions in the West, especially in the 20s and 30s. A bit of lace on a blouse and a cotton saree therefore does not equal period.
Today’s post is pictures from Gora, that has just started screening on Doordarshan and was written in 1909. I doubt that the purple sari was common though the green sari and blouse looks closer to photographs I have seen.
Vintage Indian Clothing 