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All I earned was Rs 500 a month: Manish Malhotra on life struggles, his inspiring journey from boutique worker to ace couturier
In an interview with the Instagram handle, Humans of Bombay, the 53-year-old model-turned-couturier revealed that he grew up in a typical Punjabi household and was always fascinated with Bollywood, he also shared that he made it a point to watch every single film that was released.
Bollywood’s favourtie fashion designer Manish Malhotra on Friday opened up about his life story starting from his childhood, initial struggles, and how his mother encouraged him to pursue his dreams. In an interview with the Instagram handle, Humans of Bombay, the 53-year-old model-turned-couturier revealed that he grew up in a typical Punjabi household and was always fascinated with Bollywood, he also shared that he made it a point to watch every single film that was released. The official humans of Bombay shared the interview on Instagram in a post.
Manish also touched the point where he stated that he began his career in fashion by starting as a model and working at a boutique, where he earned Rs 500 a month and also revealed, “I grew up in a typical Punjabi household, where my mom always encouraged me in all that I wanted to do. Growing up, I was always fascinated by Bollywood films and made it a point to watch every single film that was released. But I wasn’t a very good student and found academics boring.”
He added, “In the 6th grade, I remember joining a painting class -- I enjoyed it so much! From watching films, to painting, and being surrounded by mother’s clothes, my love for fashion grew. I used to even give fashion advice to my mom on her sarees! When I got into college, I started modelling, and began working at a boutique. I was there for a year and a half, and all I earned was Rs. 500 a month, but it was worth it. I couldn’t afford to go abroad and study fashion, so that was my school in a way. I’m completely self-taught -- I used to sit and sketch for hours! Finally at the age of 25, I got my big break -- I worked on a film starring Juhi Chawla!”
Talking about the turning point of his career which was the 1995 movie Rangeela featuring Amir Khan and Urmila Matondkar, which won him a Filmfare Award for Costume Design, he said, “Rangeela was a turning point for me -- I won my very first Filmfare award for it! But there were challenges -- I remember producers would get so irritated when I’d ask multiple questions about the storyline. The only brief I had was to make the heroine look glamorous. But I wanted to do more! That’s how my name started going around. I started travelling the world, designing clothes, and then launched my own label in 2005.”
Talking about the death of his dear friend, the late actor Sridevi, he said, “But it hasn’t been an easy journey… When Sridevi passed away, it was probably one of the worst moments of my life, professionally and personally. But through it all, my work kept me going.”
In the end, he expressed pride about being a fashion designer working with the fourth generation of actors, and on completing three decades in the industry this year.
He said, “I began as a costume designer, and today I’m a fashion designer who’s working with the 4th generation of actors! And this year, I’ll complete 30 years in the industry. But the one thing that hasn’t changed is that, even after all this time, I still get nervous before fashion shows! And I want that to remain the same, because that’s my identity -- it reminds me of who I am, where I’ve come from, and what I’m meant to do.”
