Even superstar Rajnikant couldn’t resist his work. Voted as one of the most good-looking men in India, his effervescent personality and insatiable desire to think out-of-the-box, puts Manish Malhotra on the priority list.

Recently in City for a fashion event, Metrolife engaged in a conversation with the model-turned-designer-turned-film director on styling actors, fashion as a profession and more.

On Bangalore...
I am here for a Nerolac event to showcase colours of the season. It’s interesting because colour is an important part of my work. My contribution to cinema is colour. Style is immense but the buying power isn’t high in Bangalore. Bangaloreans are educationists, who aren’t fashion-conscious.

Styling Bollywood...
Classes never looked upon films for fashion. The 70s and early 80s were the glorious days in the film history. The late 80s and early 90s was a strange period. Those side ponytails and pedalpushers were obnoxious.
I was not a fashion student and I didn’t have money to start a boutique or  study fashion abroad. So, I plunged into costume designing for films.

Designers being glorified tailors...
My parents never opposed my professional choice. Me being a boy made it worse. Designers were tailors for them. But every profession is glorified today. Even a businessman is a glorified hawker!

Working in the South...
Sometimes I feel that I was a South Indian in my last birth. I love their culture. They are intelligent and are great listeners. The film industry in the South is very organised.

My forte is women’s wear but ‘Sivaji’ starring Rajnikant, gave me a chance to work on men’s wear and how! I have already worked in the South with Sridevi, Shilpa Shetty (‘Sagarkanya’) and films like ‘Nayak’ and ‘Indian’.

There is abundance of colour, which tends to get over the top. The only downer is that the films sell only regionally. That has also changed with ‘Sivaji’. The Tamil version is a hit even in Mumbai!

Styling Rajnikant...
In the North, achievers throw a lot of attitude. It’s commendable to see people here being still down to earth. Rajnikant is one such achiever.

On Rani choosing Sabyasachi over him for ‘Babul’, Kareena with Aki Narula for ‘Tashan’ and SRK with K Jo for ‘Om Shanti Om’...
I am not at all upset. People need to work with others. I am working with Priyanka Chopra.  Working on full films is time consuming and doesn’t pay well either. Been there, done that. I was the one who started this 15 years ago. It’s time for me to move on.

Designing for Lord Krishna...
I have always been fascinated with Iskcon. I got a call from Iskcon, Mumbai and I accepted immediately. For the Radhanavmi, I unveiled my designs for Lord Krishna and Radha. I have used a lot of blues because besides it being the colour of my label, it’s also the colour of Lord Krishna.

I have used beige with blue flowers. I used pink for Radha, which incidentally happened to be her favourite. The whole look is very bridal. It took 100 karigars 10 days to complete the work. 

Directorial debut...
I don’t have time to even design right now. But I will begin my film in 2008. I had decided to make a musical. But now I have two or three things on my mind. And rumours about a film with Kareena and Shaahid are completely false.

Acting...
I got the offer to play the role of a fashion designer in Ajay Devgan’s movie ‘Shikhar’. But I declined and the role went to Ash Chandler. I got an offer to work in ‘Jhalak Dikh La Ja’, which I declined.

My mother thinks I look like a hero. But that’s what every mother with a Punjabi puttar believes (laughs).