It is with great pleagret (our awkward new portmanteau for a mixture of pleasure and regret) that we announce that Chennai Express (a movie that gives us a feeling akin to acid reflux every time we think about it) is going to usher in a new fashion trend: the female lungi. We spotted Deepika wearing one in the trailer and were already puzzled. But there was no way to read the tea leaves then.
Then came this song:
If you don’t want to watch the song (which we totally understand, the South Indian kitsch makes it a 2-minute eyesore), here is the relevant still:
Now it’s a full-fledged thing. She is explicitly talking about a “lungi look” and we feel obliged to call this trend for you. So, stock up. Here is why we had mixed feelings.
Negative-ish:
1) Knowing Bollywood these days, it’s probably orchestrated by a tie-up with Big Bazaar and soon our stores will be flooded with overpriced ugly lungis.
2) We (or rather one of us) had planned to spend all “autumn” in lungis, just to deal with rainyness and humidity. So what was earlier going to be worn-to-shock is going to just be boring and on-trend.
3) Women wearing lungis is hardly new. So there is a limit to the amount of amnesia-fueled hipster rediscovery a girl can take.
Positive-ish:
1) Whether or not it is a corporate consipracy, more women wearing lungis can’t exactly be a bad thing. It’s high time trends pushed non-heavy, non-synthetic and non-size-specific clothes on us.
2) The gender-bending angle can be a lot of fun.
3) You can still buy that Rs 150 lungi – and I guarantee if you look enough, you’ll find a super-hep looking one. Like, Fabindia will be jealous of your look.
4) Someone might mistake you for Aung San Suu Kyi. Okay, maybe not.
But that is enough to resolve our mixed feelings on the side of a positive-ish outlook.