Six yards of Oomph

Dressed in a kanjeevaram silk, Vidya Balan discusses her fascination for the sari and why it is important to support the weavers

October 07, 2017 04:49 pm | Updated 04:49 pm IST

Chennai, 06/10/2017 : Vidhya Balan, actor, at the Silk exhibition organised by the Silk Board in Chennai on Friday. Photo : S. R. Raghunathan

Chennai, 06/10/2017 : Vidhya Balan, actor, at the Silk exhibition organised by the Silk Board in Chennai on Friday. Photo : S. R. Raghunathan

“From childhood, I have always associated beauty with saris. I grew up looking at my mother and other women in the family wear kanjeevaram silks. They had enviable collections, and looked stunning in these saris,” says Vidya Balan, who was in Chennai recently to launch the Silk Mark Expo in the city.

Chennai, 06/10/2017 : Vidhya Balan, actor, at the Silk exhibition organised by the Silk Board in Chennai on Friday. Photo : S. R. Raghunathan

Chennai, 06/10/2017 : Vidhya Balan, actor, at the Silk exhibition organised by the Silk Board in Chennai on Friday. Photo : S. R. Raghunathan

Balan is draped in a Gaurang Shah designed kanjeevaram silk sari, light beige with a black border and red piping and gold colour thread work without zari. The brand ambassador for Silk Mark, she says she has a wide range of Indian handwoven silk saris, which includes kanjeevaram, Benares, Gadwal, Eri, Tussar, Bhagalpuri, Maheshwari, Uppada and Ahimsa silk. “But my all time favorite is kanjeevaram silks. I have a weakness for them. Certain colours such as ennai (oil), chandhanam (sandal paste) and deep maroon, are not available in any other silk weaving,” she says.

Chennai, 06/10/2017 : Vidhya Balan during the inauguration of the Silk Exhibition organised by the silk Board in Chennai on Friday. Photo : S. R. Raghunathan

Chennai, 06/10/2017 : Vidhya Balan during the inauguration of the Silk Exhibition organised by the silk Board in Chennai on Friday. Photo : S. R. Raghunathan

Vidya Balan’s dad got her her first kanjeevaram silk sari when she was in college; a cream sari with a simple green and pink border. It had no zari, only elaborate thread work. Her second one was a again a kanjeevaram silk in lavender which she got for her sister’s wedding.

“I first wore a sari when I was barely five years old. I had troubled my mom that I too want to drape a sari like her and my dad clicked a photo that day. I cherish that photo. I also have preserved some of my mother’s saris,” Balan says. “These days, I lose track of the number of saris that I have as everyone has started gifting me saris. There are so many that I give them off for auctions for charity fund raising, or I lend them to my family and friends to use. And if they like the saris, they can keep them too.”

Chennai, 06/10/2017 : Vidhya Balan, actor, at the Silk exhibition organised by the Silk Board in Chennai on Friday. Photo : S. R. Raghunathan

Chennai, 06/10/2017 : Vidhya Balan, actor, at the Silk exhibition organised by the Silk Board in Chennai on Friday. Photo : S. R. Raghunathan

Over the past four years, Balan says she has been wearing Gaurang Shah’s creations. She states that more designers should work with the weavers and revive traditional handloom. “It is amazing how the revival of weaving is taking place across the country. Many designers, including Shah are working with traditional weavers, and are actively involved in revival and innovations. We have to make weaving profitable for weavers. Only that can save the tradition. Recently, I visited the weavers who were working for Gaurang Shah, and they were totally involved in the design process and absolutely interested in their work. Our weavers need lot of encouragement, support and better wages,” she says, adding that “The cost of hand loom is high, because it is man made, and it takes much more time to create the fabric with intricate design. Most importantly it is niche.”

Silk Mark Expo
  • At the expo, artisan weavers from 15 states have come together to showcase their products in 50 stalls.
  • Walajah Road, Chepauk,
  • 10 am to 8 pm
  • Till October 12

So when it comes to choosing a sari, what does she focus on? “For me it is the fall. Though sometimes, when it comes to kanjeevaram silks, the design is so gorgeous that I compromise. I prefer handwoven saris made with natural dye yarns.”

Balan not only collects saris passionately, she also takes care to protect and preserve them painstakingly. She says,“First of all, I wear my collection of saris regularly. I air them, refold regularly and keep them wrapped in cotton cloth.”

What was Vidya wearing?
  • “Vidya has been wearing my creations in kanjeevaram silks for the past four years, and she is fabulous to work with. Her love for saris reflects in her choice of colour combinations, and how she carries herself so well in six-yards,” says designer Gaurang Shah. Vidya visited his store in Chennai on the same day. Shah works closely with weavers of kanjeevaram, and has shifted some of them to Hyderabad. “I have trained these weavers to work with organza and Tussar yarns. And this year we have been using Khadi yarn. The idea is to retain traditional designs and patterns unique to kanjeevaram silks, but we experiment with the yarns to create versatile fabrics, light and easy to wear,” says Shah

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