India designer revives Bollywood's lost poster art

By David Lalmalsawma

NEW DELHI (Reuters Life!) - The dialogue is steamy, the actors pout and smoulder, but this isn't a typical day at a Bollywood studio -- the movie icons are part of a fashion trend that's got Indians wearing their favourite movies.

Fashion designer Nida Mahmood's creations include jackets printed with memorable lines from classic Hindi films such as "Sholay" and "Don" while the faces of superstars such as Amitabh Bachchan adorn bright wraps.

Mahmood, who is showing at India's biggest fashion event this week, said her clothes were a throwback to the now outdated art of painting Bollywood movie posters by hand.

"Poster artists went out of work 15 years ago. My main endeavour is to get this art back into circulation," Mahmood said at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in New Delhi.

"In my own small way I would like people to remember what this art is all about."

Slick digital billboards or computer-generated images have replaced the large-than-life hand-painted posters which once provided a livelihood to hundreds of artists.

Today, only a handful remain and Mahmood has employed five of these artists to create her unique collection which also includes handbags, traditional sarees, keychains and coasters.

Business has so far been brisk, with many buyers picking up Mahmood's fashions at the event and from overseas.