Let me tell you a secret, that I’m not embarrassed to share — I am possibly the most star-struck journalist/blogger out there. I can’t help it, I just love my Bollywood stars. I stalk them obsessively on Instagram and take their lives very personally. This excitement and these starry eyes are, of course, often frowned upon in my circle of fashion journalists and bloggers. Most of my colleagues are (or give the impression of being) rather blasé in the face of star sighting but not me. I’m all about the gasps and sighs, before whipping out my phone to click a dozen pictures!
A case in point — last night at the star-studded Manish Malhotra fashion show for Mijwan Welfare Foundation. It was just another day on the job for me. There on the front row, before the show, I delighted in watching all the Bollywood celebrities and socialites breeze past in their gowns of gold and lehengas of lamé. I take great pleasure in watching these beautiful people parade at a fashion soiree. After all, that is what Mumbai glamour is all about.
Let’s talk about the fashion show itself – Manish Malhotra’s collection was a celebration of chikan embroidery. This exquisite form of embroidery was showcased in a myriad of soft colours, expressed in lehengas, shirts, capes and blouses, while the men sported embroidered sherwanis and kurtas, artfully layered.
Be that as it may, the fashion show culminated with my two favourite Bollywood stars, Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor walking the ramp.
As the self-confessed star stalker, this finale was a true test of my self-control. As Deepika walked past me in the most exquisite pearl-toned embroidered lehenga, a picture of grace and elegance, I was trying hard to control my excited gasps and shrieks.
At one point, I think I dug my nails into the wrist of the fashion editor seated next to me. Then came Ranbir Kapoor looking dapper in a black embroidered bandhgala. While I have to say that I am not the biggest fan of Ranbir’s current look — rough stubble and messy hair — he is one of my favourites and just the thought of seeing up close was consolation enough.
I swooned and sighed as the duo (such a pity they broke up in real life) walked the ramp together and posed for the shutterbugs (in my mind, I kept thinking of scenes from Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani).
Being in the media enclosure at a Manish Malhotra fashion show is always hard for me — I strive to maintain my professional decorum and exercise restraint with my excitement. Sometimes I do wish I could just, for a moment, forget my job and have an unapologetic, unbridled fanboy moment, loudly cheering for my favourite Bollywood stars.
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