The evolution of sweater vests in Indian cinema

How a humble home-kint became a Bollywood staple

The importance of certain costumes cannot be ignored in the Hindi film universe. The home-knit sweater vest is one of them. No one knows when the quintessential jersey, most often worn by sportsmen, with its v-neck, sleeveless style, and chunky knit, became a Bollywood staple — the uniform for the archetypal good boy. It now seems to be ruling Indian cinema with one hero after another donning it to portray a very specific image.

The latest on this radar of films is Tubelight, which since the release of its very first poster is creating a certain perception about the lead character. In the promos and in the songs as well, Salman Khan was seen wearing a button-up collared shirt with cross-pocket pants (something that modern-day male protagonists seldom wear) and a sleeveless, home-knit sweater vest. The touch of boots hanging from the neck added to the character and also strengthened our ideas about what the film might be dealing with.

What’s the big deal about a sweater vest, you might ask. In recent times, almost every actor worth his salt has worn it in a film at…