{"id":6022,"date":"2016-05-20T04:53:32","date_gmt":"2016-05-19T23:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=6022"},"modified":"2026-07-17T21:58:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:28:47","slug":"indian-journalists-fabindia-kurta-vikrant-massey-chhapaak-deepika-padukone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6022","title":{"rendered":"An Investigation: Do Indian Journalists Really Wear as Much FabIndia as Vikrant Massey in Chhapaak?"},"content":{"rendered":"\nI<\/span>f there is one thing that Hindi cinema has gotten down pat, it\u2019s in accurately capturing the universally acknowledged fact that Indian journalists can be whiny. According to Bollywood, patrakaars are people who vehemently believe that having close to zero work ethic is a substitute for a personality and are adept at making it seem as if they\u2019re doing a lot while doing nothing at all. Look, I can\u2019t argue with this description given that this is exactly how I describe \u201c<\/span>nationalist<\/span><\/a>\u201d TV journos to anyone who doesn\u2019t know them.\n\nLast week, there was another addition to the Bollywood journalist starter pack. According to Meghna Gulzar\u2019s <\/span>Chhapaak<\/span><\/i><\/a>, inspired by the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, Indian journalists wear too many FabIndia kurtas. In the film, <\/span>Vikrant Massey<\/span><\/a> plays Amol, a grumpy journalist turned activist (which let\u2019s face it, is the journalistic version of a gap year) and behaves like someone who looks down on everyone who reads The New Yorker on incognito mode.\n\n\"Vikrant_Massey\"\n
\n

In the film, Vikrant Massey plays Amol, a grumpy journalist turned activist and behaves like someone who looks down on everyone who reads The New Yorker on incognito mode. <\/p>\n

Fox Star Studios<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nLike any self-respecting, cynical journalist who is convinced that only they can save the world but are too lazy to actually do it, he doesn\u2019t earn much. He confesses that since he has taken up <\/span>activism<\/span><\/a> he hasn\u2019t had the money to purchase even a single <\/span>kurta<\/span><\/a>.\n\nExcept, there\u2019s a catch. Amol\u2019s wardrobe speaks fluent FabIndia. Throughout<\/span> Chhapaak<\/span><\/i><\/a>, he is dressed in a collection of kurtas, kurta shirts, and printed shirts that are straight off the FabIndia rack. That navy blue short kurta with a white rangoli pattern running all over it? Check. That mustard shirt that looks like it was a dupatta in its past life? Check. And, I hope you\u2019re sitting down for this because this is huge: He\u2019s also wearing a polka shirt that looks like it was overpriced even during a sale. Massey has basically worn more prints in the film than the number of print journalists in the country today.\n\n

Do Indian journalists really wear as much FabIndia as Chhapaak<\/em> thinks they do?<\/p><\/blockquote> \n\nI\u2019m not one to nitpick, but for a breed of people who often get paid in \u201c<\/span>exposure<\/span><\/a>,\u201d instead of actual money, this is an allegation we can\u2019t take lying down, despite our favourable stance on procrastination. So in honour of my unused journalism degree, I decided to embark on an investigation: Do Indian <\/span>journalists<\/span><\/a> really wear as much FabIndia as <\/span>Chhapaak<\/span><\/i> thinks they do?\n\nI started off my investigation at the sacred spot of \u201cI wish I could buy this but my bank account laughed at my face\u201d, aka FabIndia, to check first-hand whether any of the people shopping inside were journalists. I usually don\u2019t talk about my struggles publicly so you, dear reader, might not be aware of this, but I happen to work five minutes away from a FabIndia store. It\u2019s beautiful and torturous. Anyway, I digress. A quick scan inside the pleasant-smelling paradise was enough for me to conclude that none of the people inside had any idea about either the sacred five Ws or the one H. Each of the shoppers had an inexplicable smile plastered on their faces for far too long, which is a clear indication that they have never set foot inside a <\/span>newsroom<\/span><\/a>.\n\n\"Chhapaak\"\n

\n

Throughout Chhapaak<\/em>, Amol is dressed in a collection of kurtas, kurta shirts, and printed shirts that are straight off the FabIndia rack.<\/p>\n

Fox Star Studios<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nThen, I gathered my friends, colleagues, and countrymen still stuck in the trenches of journalism and showed them a <\/span>video<\/span><\/a> of a track from <\/span>Chhapaak<\/span><\/i> that featured Massey serving looks as if it was Patrakar Fashion Week. In what came as a surprise to no one, they were all dressed in black T-shirts and jeans, like they\u2019ve been for the last 365 days. I thought I had my answer as I watched their eyes widen in horror as the video unfolded. Some of them dispersed speechless, while some of them had a few questions. \u201cDid he buy these clothes on <\/span>EMI<\/span><\/a>?\u201d, \u201cDoes he not have a deadline to miss?\u201d \u201cHow does he have the time to fall in love when the country is going to the dogs?\u201d.\u00a0\n\nBut I suppose, the precise moment when I decided to conclude my investigation came when a reporter friend dubbed Massey\u2019s FabIndia wardrobe \u201c<\/span>fake news<\/span><\/a>\u201d (said friend was wearing a t-shirt with holes and chappals). There\u2019s no better answer to the question than that. But then, he took a pause, thought for a moment, and went, \u201cWait a second, maybe he got an <\/span>appraisal<\/span><\/a>?\u201d Because truth be told, we journalists shop at FabIndia as often as <\/span>Modi<\/span><\/a> ji gives interviews \u2013 maybe once a year.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Chhapaak, Vikrant Massey plays a journalist turned activist whose wardrobe speaks fluent FabIndia. In a video track from the movie, Massey serves looks as if it is Patrakar Fashion Week. Did he buy these clothes on EMI? Does he not have a deadline to miss?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":6026,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4382],"tags":[141,9912,1281,9956,4386,9957,9958,3595],"class_list":["post-6022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fashion","tag-bollywood","tag-chhapaak","tag-deepika-padukone","tag-fab-india","tag-fashion","tag-indian-journalists","tag-kurtas","tag-vikrant-massey"],"yoast_head":"\nAn Investigation: Do Indian Journalists Really Wear as Much FabIndia as Vikrant Massey in Chhapaak?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Chhapaak, Vikrant Massey plays a journalist turned activist whose wardrobe speaks fluent FabIndia. In a video track from the movie, Massey serves looks as if it is Patrakar Fashion Week. Did he buy these clothes on EMI? 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