BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE: Zeba Bakhtiar's Courtesan Style

We've all seen the golden olden Bollywood films from the '90s and I'm sure many of us are familiar with the classic Bollywood film Henna, starring Pakistani actress Zeba Bakhtiar as the lead. She did not appear in many other films since, and one of her rare outings was 'Jai Vikraanta', in which she played a glamorous courtesan. This film following the style of the '90s, has some quite classical looking suits and jewellery which can still be seen as fitting todays trands (although there are a few things which give away it's '90s look!)

Her first look which appealed to me was this traditional courtesan look, anarkali dress and all. What particularly appealed to me about this look was the traditional old-style jewellery she used, which really highlights the colouring of her face, as well as the simplicity of her style. I also like how the jewellery and make up was not overloaded, and nor was her outfit not too heavy (as apposed to the bridal style outfits in every song in today's movies!)

The next outfit which caught my eye was this pink one, which had a heavier, sparklier look. It kept to the style of her courtesan look, yet managed to look very feminine with the soft make up and the gold jewellery. I particularly liked the head pieces here (although they were quite similar to the previous ones!)

I also liked this next style, which went for a less traditional look, with the red turban style hat and the sparkly gold outfit. I'm not too keen on the actual outfit, but I think that the head piece is surprisingly flattering on Zeba, as again she has kept her make up subtle and her jewellery to the minimum. Although it could be argued that this is too minimal for her face, I think that it is a refreshing look for her, especially since she has fair skin and does not need to overload it with too much cosmetics.

Lastly the outfit which I thought was quite sweet was this very tradiational Punjabi 'lacha' style outfit, which is basically a long kameez top with a dhoti-type bottom (think of the green outfit Kajal wore in DDLJ!). Accompanied with the short royal blue jacket and the long plait hairstyle, this is a look which could still be pulled off today, especially at a function with bright colours. The outfit itself is not too heavy, and the general look of it is quite girly.

All images own by Art House International and respective directors

All in all, Zeba manages to look quite sweet in most of her look, I couldn't say that she looks sizzling in her role (and the film itself was quite terrible) but her innocent wide-eyed look works for her, which is enhanced by her simple make up.