Cannes ‘sindoor’ show leaves mark on Kolkata fashion scene
Times of India | 23 May 2025
123456 Kolkata: The bold streak of ‘sindoor' adorning the red carpet looks of actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Aditi Rao Hydari at the Cannes Film Festival has significantly influenced the fashion choice of women in Kolkata. This comes at a time when merchandise symbolising Operation Sindoor have gained popularity in the city.Makeup artists and beauty salons are receiving queries to recreate this look. However, the motivation extends beyond a simple interest in tradition; it's more about the West's validation of a distinctly Indian aesthetic at the Cannes. While it's not out of character for Indian stars to wear a saree on international red carpets, many netizens have drawn a connection between this choice with a way of paying tribute to Operation Sindoor.Some have predicted that this piece de resistance will soon be a rage on other fashion runways and parties.Back in Kolkata, a similar trend emerged when Tollywood actor Paoli Dam wore a red-and-white ensemble at Cannes, earning the ‘princess' moniker. In May 2011, Sri Lankan film-maker Vimukthi Jayasundara's ‘Chatrak' was screened at Directors' Fortnight. "Paoli's white and red-bordered sari was a huge hit. In Kolkata, wearing such sarees during Pujas has forever been the norm. But after the Cannes look, there was a barrage of girls – specially youngsters – who wanted to flaunt that look even at events that were not strictly religious," said makeup artist, Aniruddha Chakladar, adding that the look created by Aishwarya and Aditi is also receiving the same reaction.Designer and stylist Chandrani Singh Flora also sees a surge in the interest of wearing ‘sindoor' among youngsters. "Cannes has seen many heroines in the past hogging the limelight for their style. The likes of Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sonam Kapoor have all been spotted at Cannes after they got married. But none of them chose to flaunt the sindoor the way Aish or Aditi did this year. I can see the excitement over this choice here in Kolkata.From photo shoots to party makeups, the ‘sindoor' look is here to stay this year," Flora said.Stylist Ajopa Mukherjee insists that Kolkata "fashion forward crowd" has been adopting the "sindoor look" for quite some time now by blending it with contemporary styles at parties and award functions too. "Women don the sindoor look with sarees at various parties, Puja functions and also for editorial shoots. I have even seen some social media posts where men have flaunted it. After Anushka Sharma and Deepika Padukone wore pastel shades for their weddings, we had Bengali brides following suit.I foresee a huge surge in the sindoor look now, reviving the tradition," she said.Some are also wondering if this ‘sindoor look' will gain currency beyond religious and marital borders. "Rekha has forever done it and made heads turn. But in general, I don't see other single women wearing sindoor at parties," said makeup artist Abhijit Chanda, adding that Cannes might give a fillip to the usual norm.