New Delhi, July 29 (PTI): Alia Bhatt’s chiffon sarees from “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani” are a nod to the romance and drama of old school cinema, says fashion designer Manish Malhotra, describing his work on the Karan Johar film as a “roller coaster of creativity”.
Directed by Johar, “Rocky Aur Rani…” stars Ranveer Singh and Bhatt as the titular couple from different cultural backgrounds.
The film has been generating a lot of buzz for its scale, music and stellar cast — also featuring cinema veterans Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi. “Working on ‘Rocky and Rani….’ with Karan was pure fun as it always is. Karan had this idea of having Alia in sarees to portray her character of a bright Bengali journalist, and everyone knows how much I adore chiffon. “Bringing back that old school cinema vibe into her look was the aim – the drama, the romance, all of it. With the play of colours and chiffon sarees, I wanted to showcase not just her journey but also the golden era of rom-com cinema,” Malhotra told PTI in an interview. The 56-year-old designer said his love for chiffon is well known and the film provided him yet another chance to further explore his romance with the “delicate yet expressive” fabric.
“When it comes to sarees, nothing beats my all-time favourite, chiffon. It’s like a canvas, so delicate yet expressive,” the designer said. Johar, according to Malhotra, had envisioned Bhatt’s character of a Bengali journalist in beautiful sarees and the designer saw an opportunity to reinvent the “fearless vibe” of the classic attire. A Dharma Productions project, “Rocky Aur Rani…” released in theatres worldwide on Friday, but Bhatt’s sarees have been generating a buzz since the release of the film’s teaser in June. Fans were quick to recreate the colour-blocked and ombre style that Alia sports in songs “Jhumka” or “Tum Kya Mile”, which seems to be Johar’s hat tip to the many Yash Chopra romances, depicting the heroine in delicate chiffon sarees against snow-clad mountains and rolling green meadows.
