As one enters the resplendent interiors of Manish Malhotra’s store in Mumbai, there is a certain frisson in the air—the crackle of excitement that the presence of an icon brings. Dressed in a regal gown, Sridevi is being intricately fussed over by Manish, as he smoothes out creases, hands over the right accessory, gives his final nod of approval before the photographer rolls. It’s a relationship of mutual trust that stretches back 25 years, with Manish having styled the clothes for her in countless films, and a friendship that endured long after. “The first time I met Sridevi, (photographer) Rakesh Shrestha had taken me to Mehboob studio where she was shooting for Pathar Ke Insan.” Sridevi smiles indulgently in the direction of this shoot’s photographer Rohan Shrestha, Rakesh’s son, who admits to having a pure fan moment on this shoot.
Manish continues, “I had just started my career then, it was around 25 years ago. Then I met her again at Rakesh’s photo-shoot with her where he gave me the reference of a brown jacket with lots of feathers around it that he wanted me to make and I went to Crawford Market to get it done. She liked that jacket so much that she asked me to make something for her in another song of hers,” fondly recalls Manish. “When I met her she was my favourite actress, already a huge star and I had loved her look in Chandni. She was always changing and evolving her style, and the last film before her marriage which we did together was Judaai. She’s quiet, she knows her craft, and I have tremendous respect for her. She carries a sari with such élan and style and also carries a gown with equal dignity and elegance, so I think if there’s one word for Sridevi’s style, it’s ‘elegance’.”
This story is from the September 2015 edition of Hi!BLITZ.
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This story is from the September 2015 edition of Hi!BLITZ.
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