Face Off

Not that Manish was looking for fame and fortune in the glamour world. Did you know that he used to be a model?

Yes, his face has been used by Gold Spot and other companies to sell their products. But Manish thought he was a little too heavy and short to really have a full-fledged career in modelling. So he gave it up. n Thank the stars, rather the stars thank him.

His first glamourous client was none other than Sridevi. And from there on, business just boomed. And as we all know, now Manish8217;s clients include Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor, Raveena Tandon and Urmila Matondkar, to name just a few.

But reaching for the stars was not enough for Manish, he had to go a step further.

Now Manish is all set to conquer the heart of high society. He has just joined forces with Kajal Anand and Avanti Birla to set up a haute couture store Reverie8217;, on Napean Sea Road.

But how did this boy from the 8216;burbs hook up with Yash Birla8217;s wife?

Well, they met by chance 8212; for tea 8212; through a common friend Kajal. And then, the friendship became a business partnership. quot;This is the sixth offer I8217;ve had and it8217;s by far the best.quot; Likewise for Avanti. Earlier, in the same space, she used to run the Health Food Shop with Kavita Mukhi. When Kavita went back to Goa, Avanti had an empty space but a great business opportunity.

Where does the name Reverie8217; come from?

That was Kajal8217;s idea. The word means the realisation of dreams. quot;And this is the realisation of three people8217;s dream.quot;

Tell us more about this dream shop?

quot;There will be all sort of ladies clothes and they will all be co-ordinated with shoes and handbags. I am keeping things low-key at the moment. I have not even discussed it with my heroines.quot; But he does promise that the interiors will be the best anyone has seen.

What will happen to his star clients?

He will still work with them but a major chunk of his time will be allocated to the shop. quot;The store has to be my top priority as it has my name.quot;

But why move from Bollywood where he is a tour de force?

While there is glamour in Bollywood, it is always not as easy as it looks. quot;Producers can give you a lot of trouble. I am rich on paper but that8217;s it. They are very slow about paying you and often their cheques bounce.quot;

Does he worry that he has already been typecast as a filmi designer?

quot;I am aware of that tag but even in films I am more subtle than other designers. Now, I will have two separate workshops one for films and the other for the shop.

What is this stylephile8217;s personal version of ultimate style?

quot;Fashion should be classic, not tarty and trashy.quot; He prefers the au naturale look for women even when it comes to make-up and colours. quot;I like browns and mattes.quot;

Since Manish spends his life surrounded by beautiful women, will his own dream girl will have to mind-blowing?

Not at all. quot;Just to think about a person8217;s looks is very shallow. Confidence, carriage and personality matter more.quot; Then Manish is always there to work on honing the perfect look.

What is the designer most likely to say?

quot;Anything nice.quot;

And least likely to say?

quot;Anything bad. I never voice an opinion until I am asked.quot;