Manish Malhotra is one of the most prominent fashion designers in the country, and the Hindi film industry swoons over his outfits. He decided to step into filmmaking by making a biopic on veteran actress Meena Kumar. However, he recently stepped back from the same and clarified that he wouldn’t proceed with the project and would look for another story to step into the director’s role.
In a new conversation with Mid-Day, Manish Malhotra shared the announcement confirming the speculations that the highly awaited biopic film has been shelved. However, the designer who has significantly impacted costume designing in Bollywood is still committed to fulfilling his aspiration to make a film and will look for another subject for it.
He said, “I’m no longer doing the biopic. I’ll direct something else. Directing is one dream that remains unfulfilled.”
In addition, the fashion designer spoke at length about his passion for filmmaking and admitted that not every fashion designer has a natural film sense. Still, for him, it was a major part of his childhood. He grew up watching classics, which influenced him, and he has been keenly trying to learn more about it.
In his words, “Watching classics like Mughal-e-Azam and the works of Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt deeply influenced me. I’m steeped in films, and that’s why I understand how it works.”
Earlier, Mid-Day reported that Do Patti fame Kriti Sanon was finalized to play the central role of Meena Kumari. Before confirmation from Malhotra, the film was delayed several times since 2023. However, the team was ready to recreate every nuance of costumes and sets of Meena Kumari’s films from the 60s and 70s.
Moreover, the legendary actress’s husband, Kamal Amrohi’s grandson, Bilal Amrohi, also suggested the plan to make a biopic on Kumari, known as ‘The Tragedy Queen’ in Hindi Cinema, with a production house. Still, no further announcements have been made about it.
Apart from direction, Manish has already stepped into film production, and recently his film, Saali Mohabbat, starring Tisca Chopra, Radhika Apte, Divyenndu, and Anurag Kashyap, premiered at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
