Film fashion has not been the same, on and off screen, since Manish Malhotra’s debut as Bollywood designer. Chiffons and georgettes have never looked sexier on film. And stars, like Urmila Matondkar and Karisma Kapoor, admit to owing their soft and sexy image to his magical drapes. Arati Menon-Carroll speaks to the man who has revamped the wardrobes of our celluloid sirens

His studio is abuzz with activity even though dusk has long fallen. Animated young assistants bustle about; errands are meted out to peons, and a personal assistant frantically tries to contact the man in question. There is, however, no sign of Manish Malhotra (38) save for the trademark embellished garments in vivid colours that are a dead giveaway. The minutes tick on, and I am eventually ushered out of the office by his driver and transported to his Pali Hill home instead. Any impatience I sense with the delay, however, fades away on encountering the gentlemanly charm and easy manner with which he strolls into the room.

Circa 1995 – a Filmfare award for costume design is introduced for the first time in the history of the awards ceremony after witnessing Malhotra’s contribution to the film industry. Urmila Matondkar’s fetching (and rather risqué) wardrobe in Rangeela wins him the honour. Other prestigious accolades were to follow, in subsequent years. Chiffons and georgettes had never looked sexier on film and Manish Malhotra’s creative vision had done the trick. The wet sari look (under the ubiquitous waterfall) was done away with and flashy colours were eschewed for baby pinks and powder blues. Lurid make-up was toned down and poorly coiffured tresses were straightened out. (Remember Karisma Kapoor’s make-over in Raja Hindustani?) Costume design had never been so crucial to a film’s success; film fashion had travelled a long way from the days when Meena Kumari designed her own costumes in Pakeezah.

The young Malhotra was not groomed to be a designer. Groomed no, but destined? Evidently, yes. This fiercely independent child of conservative parents of modest means, had but one inclination – his overwhelming love for cinema. “My childhood revolved around movies. It wasn’t unusual for me to watch a film eight or 10 times.” However, it was the role of a film director (and not a fashion designer) that was the stuff of his childhood dreams. But, who in their right mind was going to provide a young inexperienced man, barely out of his teens, with the break he needed? So, with that hope dashed (for the time being), he set out to do a stint in modelling in order to earn a bit of money and keep body and soul together.

“The designer boom had just hit India at the time (1989), with designers like Rohit Khosla, Shahab Durazi and Rohit Bal entering the scene. I applied to NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology), which had just started, but they told me I would have to wait for six months, so I decided to work at a boutique instead.” That was to be his sole initiation into the industry – that one short spell as an assistant in a suburban boutique where he draped mannequins, helped with merchandising and stole a few minutes in between to sketch.

His single-minded focus, however, remained the movies. “The choices for me were between being an actor, a designer or a director.” Becoming a designer, he realised, was the thing he was best suited for. “I always had an inclination to be fashion-conscious. Even as a child, I would tell my mother to change her saris to match her jewellery…. It was a calculated strategy to start off with films because film fashion was extremely vernacular, copied by the masses and looked down upon by the classes. I knew I could make a significant change to that.”

The Metamorphosis

Some star transformations by Manish Malhotra

Urmila Matondkar – Rangeela

Karisma Kapoor – Raja Hindustani

Kajol – Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Madhuri Dixit – Dil To Pagal Hai

Manisha Koirala – Dil Se

Shilpa Shetty – Dhadkan

Kareena Kapoor – Asoka

Rani Mukerji – Hum Tum

Preity Zinta – Veer-Zaara

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