If there ever was a Badshah of Bollywood costumes, only one name would come to mind, drumroll please – Manish Malhotra! The man seems to have dressed everyone who’s anyone and he manages to hit the spot every time he does.
We’ve come up with a list of his most iconic looks from Bollywood and girls; we know you’ve dreamt about owning at least one of these; if not all.
1995: Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
Since they make the perfect actor-designer/stylist pair, we thought it was only fitting to start with Kajol. Every time the song ‘Mehendi laga ke rakhna’ pops up on the radio or at a wedding, the first thing you picture is the parrot green ensemble she wore. And you can’t deny it, after the movie released, most weddings that year and for a couple of years after, had at least one member of the family aping the look.
1997: Dil To Pagal Hai
The casual salwar-kurta was re-defined after Madhuri Dixit wore it in this flick. The pristine whites, dupattas placed around her neck in a simple yet sexy way and not to forget the lehengas with the just-about revealing blouses. Manish made the girl-next-door go from cutesy and adorable to va-va-voom.
1998: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
Moving on from the lehengas and salwar suits, let’s talk about Rani Mukerji in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. How many times did you get sent home from college or school for your skirt being too short – after the movie release of course? The mini dresses and barely-there skirts made her character (and her outfits) the object of envy for girls all over the county.
2001: Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham
Kareena Kapoor Khan and Malhotra’s friendship seemed to blossom after this movie. And with good reason – he made her look absolutely stunning in every scene. One outfit in particular was the lehenga she wears during ‘Bole chudiyan’ – it was a lehenga but up close, it was what we call the sharara-pants; an outfit so iconic, characters in certain movies today still make references to ‘Kareena’s bole chudiyan lehenga’.
2013: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
Deepika Padukone can put on a potato sack and still look sizzling hot. Put her in a Manish Malhotra sari and that’s taking ‘hot’ to a whole new level. As the girl-next-door gets transformed into a total hottie, the transformation doesn’t hit you too hard. Why you ask? She doesn’t go from overalls to skimpy shorts. No, she dons a beautiful blue Manish sari with his signature backless blouse and voila! Traditional but with a sprinkle of sexiness.