Vidya Balan: Personal style is timeless

The actor on why the sari has the potential to be a global silhouette and staying away from trends

- Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran

There aren't many contemporary personalities who own the sari like Vidya Balan does. In fact, the actor, who recently starred in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, has become so synonymous with it that references to her almost always have you conjuring up images of her decked in a lush Kanjeevaram or a breezy linen sari. At the recent launch of the Bengaluru store of ethnic fashion brand, Shobitam, of which Balan is the brand ambassador, she was surrounded by fans—dressed in saris, no less—and flooded with questions around her favourite garment. The 46-year-old, dressed in a purple tanchoi Banarasi silk sari, recalled memories of being gifted her first sari by her grandmother, and of growing up in Chembur in Mumbai where women in the neighbourhood wore simple cotton chungidi saris.

When asked by Lounge about the elements that attract her to a sari, she said, "It's a combination of colour, the way the fabric falls, and the kind of work on it." Now, talking of sari lovers, there tend to be two camps: those who are finicky and stitch blouses for every sari and then there are those who don't mind mixing and matching things up. Which camp does Balan belong to? "It's not practical to have a new blouse for every sari. And the thing with the blouse is you can mix and match and make it more sustainable. You could pair it, for instance, with a skirt or a pair of jeans or any other garment too. So, while I love blouses, I am not finicky about them," she replied.

In an email interview that followed after, Balan dived right into questions about her sari collection, her personal style, styling for her movies, and if sari can be a global phenomenon. Edited excerpts: