Be it fashion or filmmaking, celebrity favourite designer Manish Malhotra said it’s all about storytelling for him.
Malhotra, whose career spans 35 years in showbiz, said he always wanted to start something that didn’t have a direct connection with clothes and that’s where his banner ‘Stage5 Production’ comes in.
“When I want to work on something - which has nothing to do with clothes - what could it be? In my case, it would be movies. So, I’m here to stay as a producer, as a designer and I will work hard to curate and create some interesting stories,” Malhotra told PTI on the sidelines of the ‘Lakme Fashion Week X FDCI’.
The ace designer announced the launch of his production banner in September 2023 and its first project is the suspense drama ‘Saali Mohabbat’, which marks the directorial debut of seasoned actor Tisca Chopra. Also in the lineup are films such as ‘Bun Tikki’, starring Shabana Azmi, Zeenat Aman and Abhay Deol, and ‘Ul-jalool Ishq’, featuring Vijay Varma, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Naseeruddin Shah.
Malhotra said that his fascination with cinema began at the age of six and it continues till date. “It’s been 35 years. So, I’ve closely watched producers and directors. I’ve also been friends with a lot of directors. I’m very interested in the screenplay. So, for me, films seem home,” he added.
The 58-year-old, widely regarded as the designer who blended the star power of cinema and fashion, started his costume design career in 1990 with ‘Swarg’ and designed the complete look of Sridevi in ‘Gumrah’ (1993). Over the years, Malhotra designed costumes for popular Hindi films such as ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, ‘Raja Hindustani’, ‘Dil Toh Pagal Hai’, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ and ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…’. He won his first Filmfare Award for the 1995 film ‘Rangeela’, where he created looks for Urmila Matondkar.
Producing a film is not easy but he somehow feels he can do it. “For me, it’s my passion. It’s not about profit or money-making, but it’s as much about backing the story, which many top producers won’t probably do because maybe it’s too intimate or small for them. But for me, it’s about the story that should be told. So, I’m enjoying doing that, looking into and curating the entire film, whether it’s costume, art, dialogues, casting - all of it. We are now working on our next three projects and so it’s an interesting journey,” he added.