Revisiting The Golden Era Of Bollywood

Janhvi Kapoor met Manish Malhotra in the dreamscapes of Switzerland, in Gstaad Palace, to give a fresh spin to couture.

- Nupur Mehta Puri

Like many girls of my generation, I idolised Sridevi—her iconic voice, her high-voltage smile, her expressive eyes, and above all, her amazing ability to slip into fanciful costumes and daring makeup just like a dream. I’m still inspired by her inimitable sense of style and aura. So, when our cover star Janhvi Kapoor, the millennial muse met master designer Manish Malhotra, known for dressing the leading ladies of Hindi cinema over four glorious decades, in the meadows and valleys of the achingly romantic Switzerland, I saw the making of another dream, set in another era. Switzerland itself was a charming protagonist of the Yash Chopra-era films, and here our cover stars give a spin to the nostalgia of those chiffon saris and the glamorous song-and dance sequences. Think Chandni, for instance. On board the train journey and during the shoot at Gstaad Palace with our cover stars, I could catch a few glimpses of the iconic Sridevi, maybe a hint of the mannerisms, and yet, she is so much of a girl of today’s times. And thus started our heartwarming conversation on cinema of the romance era and its transition to films where content is the king, to Janhvi’s own sense of style. While Janhvi’s effervescent-yet-grounded bursts of opinions and optimism added sparkle to our day, Manish’s candid and nuanced take on fashion and Hindi films took me on a merry-go-round of sparkling wit and sweet emotions.

JANHVI AND MANISH SPEAK (TO MANISH) TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST TRYST WITH FILMS.

My association with films goes back to childhood. As far as I can remember, it all started at the age of six; as a child, I was attracted to films and film songs, so much so that I think my entire childhood was spent in a film theatre!

WHO IS THE FIRST PERSON YOU STYLED?