| Dear celebs, the Indian wedding called — it wants the colour (and the cheer) back One evening recently, Rishabh in my team at HT City told me over a video call how he was “full-on convincing” his girlfriend to pick beige and ditch red, her favourite, when they get married. That was when the fear washed over me. As someone who celebrates colours and thus dreads checking pics of every celeb wedding in the news, I constantly wonder: what if someone gets married wearing a grey sharara one day? The unbelievably stunning work that designers and artisans put into it, not to mention the exquisite aari and zari work and hundreds of man-hours that go into their crafting For generations, red has ruled as the auspicious symbol of matrimony, as the colour of love, passion and prosperity. But lately, pastels and whites seem to be peaking like never before, fuelled undoubtedly by the celeb brigade for whom muted shades have become the de facto order of the day. From Kiara Advani’s soft rose and Athiya Shetty’s pastel pink lehengas earlier this year to Alia Bhatt’s ivory saree some time ago, the rising affinity for the colour scheme is baffling. This was freshly confirmed when Parineeti Chopra recently picked a beautiful champagne lehenga for her wedding. Make no mistake, she looked drop-dead gorgeous but some demanding fans on social media dubbed the look “too white”.  But what if the larger trend has worn out its welcome? Ostensibly, this is to exude a royalty-meets-chic-glamour look and embrace “one’s own unique personality”. Ironically enough, I often wonder if young people today must feel the peer pressure to wear peach and light mauve even if it is deep yellow and bright red that their heart is set on. If so, my request to all you dear prospective brides and grooms is, please embrace your own unique personality, even if the trend says otherwise. Because if there’s any sense to the significance that we assign to colours and aesthetics, weddings and festivity should probably be reserved for the most expressive occupants of the colour wheel. The day you get married, I want you to look no less than giddy with happiness. And that's how I continue to grapple with the fascination with pale hues, flinching every time I see the internet back to declaring things passé — from dissing bright colours as garish to calling for a complete pastel takeover of the luxurious Indian wedding ensemble. Worryingly, the single-minded obsession to look understated and edgy has also translated into photoshoots and weddingwear advertisements with scowling and frowning faces. Where did the happiness go? Why, in order to be fashion-forward on one’s big day, does one have to look pale and morose? My heart goes out to the bold gods of the colour pantheon, whose cultural import couldn't be more synonymous with the Indian festive ethos. The unapologetic brilliance of these hues also compliments the many shades of our skin tone. And anyway, ours is a saat janmon ka saath with colours — so, to our dear film stars who seem to be the inspiration behind the trend, aren’t we the industry that gave people “laal ishq”, “gulabi aankhein”, “basanti chola” and “dhaani preet ki chaadar”? Recently, we saw Ranveer Singh, with his trademark disarming charm, show off his “rani pink” sherwani to Alia Bhatt in the final moments of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. On that note, here’s hoping for the day when a beloved Bollywood actor will walk hand-in-hand with their significant other, donning a blazing crimson outfit, at their wedding — to fans and news outlets proclaiming, “Woah, did they just bring back red?” Till then, I will try and convince Rishabh to leave the colour of his girlfriend’s lehenga alone. Let her go for the brightest and dreamiest colour possible for that Italian countryside wedding, if that's what she wants. |
