Manish Malhotra On How He Has Stayed Relevant Over The Years

Costume designer Manish Malhotra on how he has stayed relevant over the years.

- Priyanka Bhadani

It is quite the feat to have friends from your industry eulogising you. In the last couple of years, costume stylist Manish Malhotra has seen an almost un-precedented adulation of this kind. Malhotra, who came to prominence in the 1990s with his costume designs for some of the more popular Hindi films, is now an epitome of fashion, finding his name mentioned in many film credits.

Last year, Rajkummar Rao, who plays a tailor in the horror comedy Stree, is referred to as ‘Chanderi ka Manish Malhotra’. When I mention this to Malhotra, he chuckles, and adds a few more instances. Like how the judge (Saurabh Shukla) in Jolly LLB 2 tries to convince his daughter to settle for Harish Malhotra instead of Manish Malhotra; or how Shraddha Kapoor in Batti Gul Meter Chalu aspires to be a competitor to Manish Malhotra. “Even Bhuvan Bam, one of the stars of YouTube, used my name,” he says, almost ascertaining the fact that he is enjoying it. “It feels good that I have made such a… I would not say name as much as mark.”

Malhotra was 23, an ardent cinephile working in a Mumbai boutique, when it struck him that, if he wanted to become popular, why not do fashion styling for films? One thing led to another, and he cemented his position in the industry as the go-to person for the designing of western wear. In 1995, Filmfare Awards started a category for best costume design so that Malhotra could be awarded for his refreshing costumes in Rangeela. Almost 30 years later, he still remains on top of his game. He says his core idea is to always remain relevant.