Village Belles

These are not the bells that ring in temples. But they are damsels who wear Loreal or some equally well-known brand's makeup, along with a ghagra choli of the Rajasthan, colourful kind. They exude charm and seem to be extroverted, and are all the time filling water from the river. This of course puts them in a good position to meet the visiting Pardesi from the big bad city who promptly falls in love, with a song opportunity for the film's director.

They also tend to sing songs such as 'Bindiya chamkegi, choodi khankegi,'  'Lelo re lelo babu peelo nariyal pani,' or 'Dekho dekho dekho, baiscope dekho,' or 'Jhumka gira re, Bareilly ke bazaar mein.' There is also a village bumpkin or villain who wants to marry her, but the arrival of the hero from the city puts paid to those plans.

But with the coming of Karan Johar and westernised/realistic directors, these cute combos of village attire and MNC cosmetics are severely endangered. Bhag Milkha Bhag probably had the last one. Will someone save us from sophistication in Hindi films, please? Or are we to assume that the bells have tolled for these belles?