Designs on Bollywood

Top designers from the fashion industry are eyeing a shot at directing movies.

With ace stylists such as Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Manish Malhotra eyeing Bollywood with plans to direct movies, seems like fashion designers turning movie directors is quite the fad.

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Kolkata-based Mukherjee has said that he is ready with the script for his directorial debut and that he has also finalised the actors and producer for his venture. “The idea to direct a movie is not new. I wanted to do it for a long time and it is just a matter of right time.” Mukherjee, who designed for movies like Black, Baabul and Paa, said his film will be based on the life of a painter.

His colleague, designer Rahul Jain, is making a film on the fashion world and the idea struck him after he watched Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion. “After watching Fashion, I decided to go ahead with my dream. It was a very bad movie. I didn’t like it at all,” said Jain, who is currently working on the script and plans to work on post-production next year.

Celebrity designer Manish Malhotra too wants to join the bandwagon. “Hopefully, I will start the process next year. It will be a love story,” he said. Young designer Nitin Bal Chauhan says he prefers making a documentary. He directed Lost or Found (2006) that was nominated for best cinematography at The Art House in Singapore as part of the Asian Festival of First Films 2006. “I am more comfortable directing documentaries — they are short and to the point. They are the best way to express what you feel about certain topics and don’t require that much investment,” Chauhan said.