Okay so they've done image makeovers for the Indian cricketers, dressed tennis stars, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati, as also Wimbledon winner, Richard Krajicek. Arthy Muthanna Singh figures, however, that styling superstar Amitabh Bachchan for Kaun Banega Crorepati 2 (KBC-2), has brought designer brothers, Shantanu and Nikhil Mehra, unprecedented fame; and criticism.

Despite the fact that the designer duo, Shantanu andd Nikhil Mehra, credit the assignment of dressing Indian cricketers, for their change in fortunes, it's the makeover of superstar Amitabh Bachchan for Kaun Banega Crorepati 2 (KBC-2) that's getting them the praise and the brickbats. For here, they are not just playing at making Sehwag look suave; they have the ultimate clotheshorse in the country, the fashion icon of the decade, playing muse.

SHANTANU SPEAKS

Ah, Bachchan: "What we've done for Amitabh Bachchan is take back to those nostalgic days - the 1970s," says Shantanu, intoning over the 24-hour World Space Radio in Noida. "We are in the world of remixes and remakes and since KBC-2 is positioned as a younger programme this time round, the lead was pretty clear. The idea was to give him a youthful feel, yet not take anything away from his signature. So, the look is; lots of leather, lots of corduroys, flannels....

Plum Assignment: We had done an assignment with TV host, Siddhartha Basu - a quiz show called Bluff Master, which was pretty well received. And we'd done the makeover with the cricketers that had caught Bachchan's attention as well. All that put together helped us get this project. Dressing up Amitabh Bachchan is, like they say, the peak of dressing anyone in Bollywood. Forget Bollywood, he is one style icon who is known probably all over the world. The one Indian superstar! I don’t think it can get any bigger than this.

Signature Style: Our Indian clothes are always inspired by a western silhouette. Even our ethnic collection has a lot to do with the western silhouette. The coming fall/winter collection is going to have a lot to do with luxury and glamour but with strong hints of sportswear. You will see a lot of sporty details - through stitching, appliqué, piping, cuts, rivets.... We try to wear as much of our own clothes as we can.

NIKHIL SPEAKS

Cricketing Designs: We've been getting a lot of work that involves changing a person's style - the cricketers to start with. I think Sehwag is a hard cookie. Getting him to look a certain way was challenging. The fun guy was Zaheer. The guy is fabulous, very focused. He knows how good he looks, which makes our job much easier. Bhajji (Harbhajan Singh) is a crazy guy, a lot of fun to work with.

Controversial Moments: Many! Krishna Mehta, to begin with. This was in 2001. One of our outfits landed up on the ramp in her show! Recently we did a show inspired by the Akalis. We started getting letters and petitions from Canadian Sikhs saying they were very disappointed. It wasn't intentional and we respected their point of view.

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