Ghanchakkar: The mystery behind Vidya Balan’s eccentric looks

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan who has made a mark in the industry with strong woman characters in films like The Dirty Picture and Kahaani, is all set to look weird in her new character in Ghanchakkar. A lot of curiosity is doing rounds around her unconventional looks as a loud Punjabi housewife, Neetu Bhatia.

Her outfits are bright and colourful and her unusual fashion statement has been created by designer Subarna Ray Chaudhuri, who gave her a completely different look in her Bollywood debut Parineeta. In the film Neetu is fond of high-street stores and branded apparels but can’t afford them. She gets inspired by popular actresses and models in the matter of her dresses and asks her tailor to stitch her dresses according to the modern trends. Not only in the films but also in the promotional events Vidya has dressed up in her Ghanchakkar outfits. Chaudhuri said, "The brief given to me by Gupta was that Vidya's character in the film is that of a middle class housewife, who leads a dull life with a lazy husband around. Colourful and fun outfits keep her happy. What she wears is a bad copy of the current trends, because the tailors end up tweaking her clothes in their own style.” She added further, "It was a big risk. As a designer, one can come up with stylish looks. But mixing up a variety of prints and colours, and still managing to make the actress look good is difficult. I love how Vidya has managed to pull off all the outfits.”

While talking about her inspiration for Vidya’s look in the film, the designer revealed, "My friend's wife Guneet loves wearing quirky outfits. I have seen her carry off bright and neon hues with leopard prints. I've also come across many middle aged Punjabi women, who love pairing up multiple accessories with slogan tees and floral bell-bottoms.” Vidya’s clothes will be added with more flavour by accessories like kids’ earrings, hair-clips, t-shirts with smileys, dresses in psychedelic prints, and shoes with cartoon designs. But reality show star Dolly Bindra was nowhere in the scene as an inspiration while designing the outfits, as told by Subarna, "It's impossible for me to use Dolly Bindra's style as a reference for Vidya's character Neetu in the film. She does not fall in the same age bracket as Bindra. It is Neetu's funny, child-like behaviour that reflects in all her outfits.” It’s quite interesting that the hero of the film, Emraan Hashmi will be seen in dull, used up T-shirts throughout the film, which has happened due to his wife Neetu’s carelessness. Meanwhile Vidya has also joined the Bhatts’ club for a love story to be directed by Mohit Suri.