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Gift of the garb

Manish Malhotra. Click for bigger pic!

He has designs on the heroines. And the way Manish Malhotra's plans work out is outrageous, discovers Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

In 1991, Manish Malhotra, just 24, started his career as a fashion designer. Six years later, he has worked with almost all the heroines in the industry and has is credited with resurrecting the careers of some. The stars he has adorned include Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Urmila Matondkar, Karisma Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty, Kajol, Manisha Koirala, Raveena Tandon, Juhi Chawla, Namrata Shirodkar and Twinkle Khanna.

Born in a middle-class Punjabi family in Bombay, Malhotra had no formal education in fashion design. But after Swarg, in which he designed clothes for Juhi Chawla, he bided his time before wowing the industry with a jazzed-up Urmila Matondkar in Rangeela and setting off a trend in the Indian film industry. Excerpts from an interview:

How did you become a dress designer?

I was interested in it since childhood. I used to tell my mother which sarees did not suit her, which did. I also used to sketch a lot of clothes. So, designing is an inborn talent. I never thought I would pursue this as a career since my family always opposed it. In college, I used to model for pocket money, but never did I think I would be a designer. After finishing my graduation I changed my mind and joined a boutique. After working for some months I got my first break in Swarg since I was related to David Dhawan. I designed Juhi Chawla's clothes. I took a break for a year till photographer Rakesh Shreshta asked me to join him. After a year I got involved actively in films.

Urmila Matondkar in Rangeela. Click for bigger pic!

How has your experience of working in the film industry been?

I saw that the film industry never gave importance to fashion. They didn't know anything about fashion. In my first year, I felt, "Oh! God what am I doing here?" I felt people were just bothered about themselves. They do not understand anything about fashion. Later, I came to terms with it.

Were you disappointed with the film industry?

Yes, initially, because I thought that people understood little about fashion. Even the directors were not very bothered. Later on, after understanding industry culture, I could convince them. If you see the films of the late '80s and early '90s, you will see the dresses never matched the scenes. I think I am one of the first designers who bothered to read the script and then dress the heroine accordingly.

In Khamoshi I gave Manisha a simple cotton dress because she was from a poor family. The director of the film interfered and told me not to use it. I asked him how she could wear expensive clothes when she was supposed to be from a poor family. I am very happy with the industry now since it has now given me a lot of recognition.

How did you change the attitude of directors to fashion?

You just be honest. Don't tell lies. Whenever you are speaking to a person you must know what that person is thinking about you. Otherwise, it is very difficult working.

Karisma Kapoor in Raja Hindustani. Click for bigger pic!

You have to be honest. Why did Urmila and Sridevi both trust me in Judaai? Because they knew I would not be partial to either of them. In the same way, Madhuri trusted me because she knew I wouldn't favour Karisma in Dil To Pagal Hai.

How did you decide that in Rangeela, Urmila would wear the kind of clothes she did?

A lot of credit goes to Urmila, who co-operated with me. She did whatever I told her. She changed her entire outlook. She put in a lot of effort. I felt she had a good body that could carry those kind of clothes. But today, you see every girl wants to wear short skirts like her, even if those kind of clothes do not suit their bodies. That is bad. Sometimes when people see some girls wearing short skirts on screen, people think I have designed their clothes. Come on, yaar, if any girl wears short skirts, you can't blame Manish Malhotra.

You don't take credit for Urmila's success in Rangeela?

No. I won't say I am the only person who did it. A major effort was put in by director Ram Gopal Verma and Urmila herself. The case was similar in Raja Hindustani. Director Dharmesh Darshan was very keen that I give Karisma a Sadhana look. Of course, Karisma has a body to carry that off. When I told Karisma to wear different clothes and lenses, she did it because she trusted me. So I feel it is important to have a good director and a good artiste.

Which has been your most satisfying assignment?

Sridevi, Urmila and Anil Kapoor in Judaai. Click for bigger pic!

My most satisfying assignment has been the upcoming Yash Chopra film, Dil To Pagal Hai. It was always my dream to work with Yashji ever since I saw Kabhi Kabhi. Yashji gives a lot of importance to costumes. And there are very few directors like that. In DTPH, Karisma is a very rich girl and looks very non-filmi. And Yashji was keen that I work with Madhuri. So I gave Madhuri a very upmarket Indian look. And since this is my first film with her, one can see Madhuri looks different from her other films.

Who are the designers you admire?

Bhanu Athaiya and Rohit Bal are the two people who are very good.

What do you think Indian actress lack?

(Laughs) Now we have a Miss Universe and a Miss World in films. I feel every actress can carry a particular set of costumes. You cannot compare one heroine to another. Today, the audience do not see the actress, they see the costumes. If they see a little fat here and there, they say, "Oh! My God she has put on so much weight." They are not bothered about acting. I am so upset about it. People must understand that heroines are there to act; they are not models to show their bodies. Interestingly, Urmila claims I am responsible for this. Even Shah Rukh tells me, "Sab heroine log ka dimag kapde pe hi chalta hai (All heroines think only of clothes). And it is Manish who is responsible."

'I love Karisma's body'