Manisha Malhotra is a well-known name in the Indian entertainment industry. He has mesmerised people with his traditional and contemporary couture and with his costumes for several Bollywood films. Over the course of his decades-long career, the 57-year-old designer has designed costumes for hundreds of films, including Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Mohabbatein, Dhadkan, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and many more.
Manish Malhotra reveals how Akshay Kumar reacted when he told him to trim his chest hair
Recently, Manish Malhotra had a long conversation with Nikhil Taneja on YouTube channel We Are Yuvaa’s talk show. Be a man, dude! He spoke at length about his childhood, how he started his career and his experiences working with several A-list celebrities. During the conversation, the designer recalled an incident on the set of Dhadkanin which Suniel Shetty, Shilpa Shetty and Akshay Kumar played the lead roles.
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While sharing his thoughts on how he styles Bollywood actors, Manish recalled the time when he was in Switzerland to shoot a song for the film. Dhadkanand he had suggested Akshay Kumar to trim his chest hair because he had to wear a white shirt. Talking more about this incident, Manish said:
“I remember we were in Switzerland shooting a song for ‘Dhadkan’ and I told Akshay Kumar to trim his chest hair because he was wearing a white shirt. And he was horrified. It was for ‘Dil Ne Yeh Kaha Hai Dil Se’. And the director, Dharmesh Darshan, was very supportive and said, ‘Yes, this is the right thing to do.'”
Manish Malhotra reveals he was tasked with making a heroine look sexy at a funeral
Manish further revealed that he always got the same brief for his heroines, which was to make them look sexy on screen. He also recalled a brief where he was asked to make the heroine look sexy even though she was attending a funeral. This got him thinking and finally Manish’s tailor informed him that the makers wanted the heroine to wear well-fitting clothes.
Manish Malhotra tells how he became friends with Karan Johar
In the same conversation, the fashion designer shared how he felt a connection with Karan Johar. Manish mentioned that he first met Karan on the sets of the 1993 film. Gumrahwhich was produced by KJo’s father, Yash Johar. He also revealed that he would often call Yash Ji’s house and Karan would pick up the call. Manish recalled how Karan once asked him why he never said ‘hello’ to him and added:
“When I would call Yash ji to ask him questions, Karan would pick up the phone. I would just say, ‘Can I speak to Yash ji?’ One day he would just say, ‘You never say hello.’ And I said, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. Hi Karan, how are you, can I speak to Yash ji?’ That’s how it happened. And then I met him a few times on the set and one night we decided to go out for dinner and we were chatting. That’s how we became friends.”
Don’t miss: Manish Malhotra tells how Karan Johar became his friend and talks about their fight over a lehenga
Manish Malhotra says working with a friend can be difficult at times
Manish described Karan as a “very warm” person and called their friendship “genuine”. He also mentioned that he was grateful to be friends with the filmmaker because it helped him come in contact with Aditya Chopra, which in turn gave him an opportunity to work in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le JayengeManish said that working with KJo was not easy and said:
“He tries hard. It was through him that I met Aditya Chopra. I am grateful to Karan for that. Dilwale came about through him. Our relationship is honest. That’s a difficult thing. It’s very rare for friends to work together for so many years. Because Karan is Karan Johar and not many people would be comfortable telling him if something isn’t working out.”
Manish Malhotra talks about his fight with Karan Johar over a lehenga
Manish Malhotra then recounted an argument he had with Karan over a lehenga. When asked if they really “had a pillow fight with a lehenga” as KJo himself said earlier, the designer laughingly revealed that the filmmaker might have exaggerated the incident a little. He recalled the incident that took place during the shooting of “The 4000”. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and mentioned that he was hurt when KJo didn’t like his choice of lehenga. Manish added:
“No, we didn’t throw the lehenga at each other. Not at all! He’s just exaggerating. So I brought this lehenga to his office all agitated and he looked at it and said, ‘I don’t like this’. That hurt me personally. I turned red in the face. I was very upset. And I just walked out of the office. I may have slammed the lehenga on the table.”
You can see the full interview here.
What do you think about Manish Malhotra’s revelations about Akshay Kumar?
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