Designer don and his leading ladies

Bollywood's badshah designer Manish Malhotra talks to t2 exclusively about his famous five women and one famous man (of the moment)

Rani

By the time we were working out the look of Dil Bole Hadippa!, I was fed up of kitsch. So though the film did demand a certain kitschy sensibility, I tried my best to stay away from the Bunty Aur Babli feel. There is colour and energy in her look and also a certain kind of prettiness. Her salwars are narrow; we have stuck to only two pleats to make Rani look slim. The signature look she is sporting throughout Dil Bole… is the koti that has received interesting response from a cross-section.

Sonam

Sonam is so beautiful. She is a vivacious girl, has a super figure and a stunning smile. But I do think she is too young to be wearing couture. She should be dressed chic. So much couture will alienate young guys who might want to date her!In I Hate Luv Stories (A KJo film being directed by Punit Malhotra, Manish's nephew) she will be dressing her age. The filming is yet to begin but we did a photo shoot. Her look is all jeans and tees. Casual and cool.

Konkona

I worked with Konkona for the first time in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag where I styled her Western portions and we were back together for Wake Up Sid. This film's look I would say is a meeting point between Konkona's earthy world and my glam world.

Her clothes are mostly cottons and her signature look is kurtis that almost always come with a Benarasi border. So we have retained the Indian touch. The other consistent feature in her look is a crushed cotton dupatta that we have styled like a stole. You see her wearing fitted jeans in the film. I love her hair in Wake Up Sid. It's cut in steps and then out-curled. I think she's looking quite glamorous.

Kareena

No more bikinis for Bebo, in Raj Kumar Hirani's Three Idiots she will be portraying a 'real' look. Her wardrobe will be dominated by easy drawstring pants and casual tops and the sexy somethings will be reserved only for romantic songs!

Kajol

My Name is Khan is a very different film. It's quite intense and hence Kajol isn't playing a regular Karan Johar heroine (she's de-glam here). Her look is very wintry as the film is set in the cold months of San Francisco. The first half of the film is all jackets and scarves and though the second half becomes lighter tones like beige, it is still heavy with layers, sweaters and mufflers. I have been working with Kajol since 1993 so our comfort level is legendary!

On Karan Johar turning designer...

Karan has always been so interested in clothes and styling and I am so glad he is making a debut with menswear. We chat about fashion all the time and I am always there to support him, just as he is there for me…Aww, maybe there is hope for Kanish after all.