Bollywood’s style icon

Jasmine Singh

‘I use Cinthol, do you’, dashing actor Khanna threw the question to the viewers in 1986 when he appeared in the brand’s advertisement. Even though, it was a soap meant for men, every woman secretly wanted to get one, just to see if this could get them closer to Vinod Khanna (in dreams). He was one of the first few metrosexual stars of Bollywood, the man who created style statements at a time when filmmakers wouldn’t focus much on dressing. 

Today, this actor breathed his last at the HN Reliance Hospital in Mumbai, after fighting cancer for long; bringing an end to chapter that read style, entertainment, living in awareness, humility and creating one’s own path.  

As we look back on what made the actor the most suave villain and stylish actor, the first picture that knocks our mind is the one from the Bollywood film Mere Apne (1971).  Blue shirt, tight pants, and square framed glasses, Vinod Khanna as the angry ‘Shaam’ looked every bit appealing. “I saw Mere Apne during our film and theatre workshop in Jabalpur,” shares theatre actor Mreenal Singh, “and I fell in love with Vinod Khanna from the word go. How could someone look so dashing, cleft chin, thick tuft of hair parted sideways, and all shades of glasses covering half his face... here was the fashion icon of Bollywood.” 

At a time, when actresses were creating styles with their high buns, cat eye liners, tight fitting suits, here was an actor who was trending the ‘stylometer’. But of course, he was a brilliant actor blessed with an intense onscreen gaze. 

In fact, no one could carry colours better than Vinod Khanna. Who can forget his green jacket and yellow bow tie Aan Milo Sajna (1970), or all kinds of neck ties in Anokhi Ada (1973). Vinod Khanna was that daring hipster who wore a purple pant and belted shirt in the same movie with flair, only he could do such a thing. 

These were just styles out of the ordinary, but it was Vinod Khanna’s look in Qurbani (1980) that made women go weak in their knees. And men, to copy pasted the style. His white track shirt in the song Hum Tumhe Chahte Hain Aise, was a total trendsetter on the fashion circuit.  To popular designer Sammy, Vinod Khanna was one of the few stars who could carry off everything pretty well, “even swimming trunks that he wore in Maha Badmaash (1977). I haven’t seen any actor who can look so suave in formal suits, which he wore in the movie Parvarish or the open- spread collared shirts, and especially the aviators that he wore in so many films. How can one man carry so many styles with such panache?” he adds. 

As long as he was doing films, one would see Vinod Khanna in a new style in almost every film. It was in between when he left films to join his Guru Osho Rajneesh that his fans missed the macho hero’s onscreen presence. He later did return to be seen in films like Bhagwan, the recent ones like Wanted, Dilwale, Dabangg. His fans can never forget the actor who created bold styles that will never go out of time. 

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