Several Bollywood A-listers including Karan Johar, Kajol, Asha Bhosale, Hema Malini, Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee and Zoya Akhtar took to ramp for renowned designer Manish Malhotra, who showcased his distinct collection celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema, at the Lakme Fashion Week here. As Manish paid homage to the distinctive styles of every iconic period in Indian cinema, the theme was set right with dramatic music being played in the background last night. Also an AV was run showing highlights of the Hindi film industry.

 

The show began with all the four directors walking the ramp in black outfits. Karan wore a black kurta and white pyjama; Anurag wore a black bandhgala with white pyjama; Zoya was seen in a black and white suit and Dibakar walked the ramp in a black silk bandhgala on the first day of LFW 2013.

Later models took to the runway displaying the entire creation of Manish which was inspired from the different eras of Bollywood.

Manish recreated the magic of the past by showing the black and white era, the burst of colours with anarkalis, fitted salwars, polka dots, the flower power and saris etc. Even actors like Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra who were dressed in white shirt and trouser sported blue and pink collar jackets respectively while Priyanka Chopra was seen in a lemon green sari on the ramp.

“This is the 100th birthday of the film industry and it indeed deserves a celebration. If Indian cinema is a cake then Manish Malhotra is like the cherry on it,” Priyanka said.  She also called on to the ramp three legends from the world of cinema and design– actress Hema Malini, playback singer Asha Bhosle and costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, the first Indian to have won an Oscar.Dressed in a off-white sari with detailing, Bhosale took to the ramp towards the end of the show, accompanied by Hema who wore a pink colour sari with embroidery work along with Athaiya, Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra, Priyanka Chopra and Manish.

The  who has designed many outfits for Kajol and Karishma for their films also invited them to walk the ramp with him. All of them were dressed in Manish Malhotra outfits.
Dressed in a stunning grey colour sari with netted full sleeves back colour blouse was Kajol while Karisma Kapoor wore a dress and walked the ramp with Manish.

“I have grown up watching Indian cinema. I have loved cinema and cinema has loved me back. It has made me what I am today. When I got this opportunity to celebrate 100 years of cinema, I had to embrace this milestone and create a memorable collection reflecting my equal love for cinema and fashion,” Manish said.

There’s perhaps no better contemporary designer than Manish Malhotra to talk about fashion in Bollywood. The designer — who was one of the pioneers of film styling with Rangeela (1995) — is now paying tribute to the industry in a fitting manner. His show at the upcoming Lakme Fashion Week will pay tribute to 100 years of Indian cinema. We got him to look back at the various trends set by films over the century. Here is an interview conducted by www.hindustantimes.com:

I’ve been in love with cinema since childhood. Today, costume designing has carved a niche for itself, unlike earlier, when it was not taken seriously. I always wanted to bring some change through my abilities — which happened with Rangeela — and I still try my best to work magic with every look I envision. Movies play a pivotal role in my life, so I had to do something special to mark this occasion.

You’d be familiar with the past few decades of Indian cinema, but how did you study the initial years — the ’40s, ’50s etc?
I never studied fashion and cinema intentionally. It’s only for the love of cinema, that I started noticing trends from the ’40s and ’50s.  However, it was the ’60s that fascinated me most, with women draped in beautiful chiffon saris and men in smart suits and bow ties. The entire era had a magical effect on me.

What were the fashion statements of each decade?
Every decade has witnessed one fashion trend that we all love. Be it the ’50s black-and-white, the ’60s splash of colour, the ’70s hippie trend and flower power or the ’80s disco bling. When I started working on films in the ’90s, chiffons, pastels and casual formals were big.

Special thanks to www.deccanherald.com for their great coverage of the event, and www.hindustantimes.com for the         interview they did as well!! Please do feel free to join us at our facebook Prem United group to post your comments and join our conversation!!