Ananya Panday and Manish Malhotra – the muse and the designer – come together to unveil a scintillating chapter of embellished evenings set against a dazzling destination for First Look.
Actor Ananya Panday turned up as muse for the master of Indian couture, Manish Malhotra as they came together to create a sartorial dream at The Leela Palace Udaipur, only for the inaugural issue of First Look. We had a gala time shooting with the duo. Over to them for an invigorating chat. (Edited Excerpts)
ANANYA PANDAY SPEAKS
FL: Could you tell us about your experience of shooting at The Leela Palace Udaipur and wearing MM couture?
AP: It was my first time in Udaipur and it was magical from the moment we got there and The Leela Palace Udaipur made the experience so special. The food was divine, every room and corner of that hotel was exquisitely done and the stafi was so lovely. It’s always a beautiful experience dressing in MM with just Manish
“I think people really appreciate vulnerability and authenticity, I
know I do. I’ve always tried to just be real whenever I’m posting on
Instagram and show my goofy self.”
– ANANYA PANDAY
being his lovely, warm, kind, encouraging self and making every person who wears his creations feel so comfortable and stunning. The clothes are just gorgeous, I got to wear Indian, Western, Indo-western in such fun and different colours, designs and materials.
FL: Three years running in Bollywood – How has the experience been?
AP: It’s a blessing waking up every day and doing what you love. Just being on a film set fills me up with so much energy and magic. As for the journey, I would say it’s been like the most fun roller coaster. The ups and downs included.
I have big big dreams for myself and I want to keep working hard every day, bettering myself, and never wanting to feel stagnant.
FL: Could you tell us about your association with Lakme as one of their Gen Z brand ambassadors?
AP: Lakmé is an iconic brand. I feel so lucky to be associated with them for the last three years. We’ve had so much fun with all the TVCs we’ve shot, and they’ve been memorable in their own ways.
FL: What do you love about beauty?
AP: My favourite part about beauty is how it means something different for everybody. Beauty to me could be just a feeling after I perform. Beauty is subjective and there’s so much more to it than just external attractiveness. Being kind, curious, empathetic and honest are qualities I find beautiful.
FL: Could you tell us about your personal beauty regime?
AP: I’ve suddenly become huge on skincare. I actually look forward to waking up and doing my morning routine and my night routine betore I sleep because it’s my ‘me’ time. I just put on some music, a cute headband and I’m sorted. I swear by rose water, tonnes of moisturiser, vitamin C, sunscreen and lip balm. Along with that I actually feel my skin is at its best when I’m hydrated so I lug around my 2.2 litres of water everywhere I go so I’m constantly reminded to drink it. Along with that, I love DIY face packs and sheet masks for a mini spa day at home. Always remember to take off your makeup before you sleep and give your skin those days in the middle where you don’t put any products and it can naturally detox.
FL: When not wearing couture, what is your personal fashion code?
AP: Sweatpants, my tiny shorts and an oversized hoodie, gym clothes and my night suit – literally!
FL: You appear to be a travel buff. What are your favourite destinations and what kind of a traveller are you?
AP: I love travelling. When I was younger I would love to go to amusement parks. But since the last few years, I’ve really enjoyed just exploring new cities – walking around, eating at the local places, not going to the typical tourist spots and definitely trying one adventure thing. One of my favourite places that I’ve visited is Maasai Mara because I love seeing animals in their natural habitat. Japan is also an exciting place with such diversity and culture. Also, Maldives because I’m a huge water baby and I’m hoping to become a certified scuba diver soon!
FL: You are an Instagram sensation. What would you like to say about acing the Insta influencer act in times of fleeting attention span?
AP: I just take Instagram for what it is, which is fun. The trick is to not take it or yourself too seriously when you’re on it and I think people really appreciate vulnerability and authenticity, I know I do. I’ve always tried to just be real whenever I’m posting on Instagram and show my goofy self. People are constantly being fed with content that makes them doubt their self-worth, which I think is really unfair because no one posts their failures on Instagram, so you only see the good days. I think you have to snap out of it sometimes and just look around at your life beyond these things, the real connections you have in the real world.
FL: What is your dream role and what are your upcoming projects?
AP: I can’t put a finger on what my dream role would be because I want to try everything. There’s so much left to explore and so many people I want to work with and so many stories I want to tell and so many emotions I want to tap into and so many genres I want to try. Coming up I have Shakun Batra’s untitled next, which has Deepika Padukone, Sidhant Chaturvedi and Dhairya Karwa. I’m also shooting Liger, which is a pan-India film with Vijay Deverakonda, directed by Puri Jagannadh Sir, which is a full-on masala film, my favourite kind, which I’ve grown up watching and loving. I also will be starting Kho Gaye Hum Kaha directed by Arjun Singh, which features Sidhant Chaturvedi and Adarsh Gaurav.
FL: Did you pick up any hobby during the pandemic?
AP: I got back to my habit of reading. When I was younger I would walk around with a book everywhere I went. Sometimes during school because of all the studying, I kind of stopped reading as much as I used to but I rediscovered my love for it again and I don’t think I’ll ever give up on that. I also fell in love with yoga.
FL: Finally, what are your views on love and romance?
AP: To put it simply – I love love. I’m very big on romance and small gestures that show that you’re thinking of someone like the small notes or creating a playlist or sending flowers. But for me love isn’t just tied down to one person romantically, love for me is the magic of cinema, love for me is reading a good book and not being able to get it oft your mind for the next week, love for me is laughing till my stomach hurts with my friends, love for me is making my parents proud, love for me is discovering a new city, love for me is eating my comfort food.
MANISH MALHOTRA SPEAKS
FL: You are a fashion and couture empire unto yourself. Could you tell us about the milestones?
MM: It’s been 31 years since I started my journey in the world of costume design and styling for films. My love for my job and my passion took me forward on a very interesting journey for which I am eternally grateful. Many films later, 16 years ago I started my label where I ventured into couture, which was again accepted whole-heartedly. Things just rolled on from there. Today my work family consists of over 700 people. I have three flagship couture stores in Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad, the last two being two of the largest couture stores in the country. We launched the first virtual couture store last year and this year we entered the world of blockchain with our non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that got sold out in seconds. Next year, I will debut as a director. Furthermore, our merger with Reliance Brands Limited is going to see us broadening the horizon.
FL: What would you like to say about Ananya Panday as your muse?
MM: Ananya is a trailblazer for millennials and Gen Z – the audience I deeply admire – their outspoken nature, their reverberating personality, and experimental style. She’s acing it all. One look at her social media account, and you would realise that she raises the bar for fashion. She perfectly resonates with the ethos of the Manish Malhotra brand that stands the test of time yet marches ahead of it.
FL: You have been dressing Bollywood heroines for the last 31 years. What have been the defining fashion characteristics of the decades?
MM: From biker shorts at leisure to casual to bridal looks, I’ve created an array of looks, whether it was for Urmila (Matondkar) in Rangeela, Kareena (Kapoor) in Jab We Met to
“Ananya is a trailblazer for millennials and Gen Z – the audience I deeply admire – their outspoken nature, their reverberating personality, and experimental style.”
MANISH MALHOTRA
Jhanvi (Kapoor) in Dhadak, I have always made it a point to move with the times and experiment with a mix of fabrics and play with colour. This is what I have loved to do and that just went on to become my signature.
FL: Any quick words on the look of the season?
MM: Geometrical patterns, symmetry glam, contemporary cuts and seasonless and timeless collections.
FL: How was the experience of shooting at The Leela Palace Udaipur for First Look?
MM: Stunning views, iconic architecture, ornate décor, bespoke services, and thoughtful touches of royalty are just some of the reasons why shooting at The Leela Palace Udaipur (my second home) is always so special. This location has a place and a venue to meet all the desired looks, from small intimate affairs to larger-than-life celebrations to becoming the perfect location for my fashion films.
FL: As Reliance Brands picks a 40 percent stake in MM styles, this marks the first external investment for the brand. What can we expect out of this strategic collaboration?
MM: Expansion plans are under the way; we shall reveal the details soon. There could have been no better strategic partner to accompany us on our journey of global reach, business diversification, and renewed creative growth.
FL: You debuted in the NFT universe at Lakme Fashion Week. Could you tell us what led to you becoming the first Indian fashion designer to drop NFTs, and how do you think it would change the fashion marketplace?
MM: NFTs are undoubtedly a game-changer for luxury brands. Blockchain is an ecosystem to drive creators to incorporate NFTs into their business strategy and open avenues to reach a broader audience base. As a brand, we have always believed in constantly staying relevant to our audience and this seemed like the next natural to take.
FL: You are all set to make your directorial debut with Dharma Productions. What should we expect from MM, the director?
MM: Cinema has defined, decorated, fired, and fuelled my work throughout the years; the project is still a work in progress. All I can tell you is that it’s a period film based on the Partition and I’m stoked to fulfil an evergreen childhood dream of mine.
