One afternoon a few days back, we tuned into a Zoom link where a beaming Manish Malhotra met us ahead of the launch of Manish Malhotra Beauty Exclusively by MyGlamm’s first ever national TVC. Themed ‘Backstage To Backstreets’, the TVC champions inclusivity and diversity. Post the launch, Manish took some questions from The Telegraph.
When we say summer and make-up, what colours come to mind?
I have always related spring and summer to a lot of pastels when it comes to apparels and nudes for make-up. But today there are no rules. Whether you want to choose a light hue or a dark red lip, I would say, own it.
Keeping your make-up on in the heat can be such a struggle. If you could suggest one highlight item from the range that can make you look glam in no time, what would it be?
I absolutely love the glittery eyeliner. My favourite from Manish Malhotra Beauty is the Dazzle Glitter Eyeliner, it adds glamour and gloss to literally anything. You could be wearing something very casual and just have that little metallic colour on the eyelid to add that dash of glam.
What was make-up for you before you entered the world of fashion? What from your mom’s dressing table do you distinctly recollect even now?
Kajal. My love for make-up began during my early childhood years looking at my mom standing in front of the mirror oozing beauty and confidence while applying kajal. She could take on the world with those bold and beautiful eyes!
How has the perception changed in all these years?
Over the years, the make-up trends have changed and now the need of the hour is natural and minimal make-up. There was a time when bold lips, tinted cheeks and double-layered eyeliners were in vogue, but now beauties are more focused on looking natural and minimalist. Therefore, beauty always occupies an irreplaceable place as it’s constantly evolving.
You work with a lot of young girls. When you craft your make-up range, do you take inputs from them?
All my collections have always been inspired by my surroundings. Be it couture or the make-up and beauty products, my focus is always on what the world is moving towards and what it needs at the moment. So yes, to answer the question I do take inputs from the youth while crafting my make-up range.
Name three make-up items that you love!
The three of my absolute favourite products are Manish Malhotra 24H Kajal (available in three shades), Manish Malhotra Face and Body Highlighter (shade: Blaze) and Manish Malhotra Hi-Shine Lipstick (shade: Rose Romance). My all-time favourite product from the collection is the Manish Malhotra Blush Highlighter Duo.
From among the many heroines you have worked with, who can do her own make-up very well?
In my opinion, every actress has a different way of expressing themselves through their make-up. They’re all pros when it comes to applying make-up and have their own unique application of make-up, from bold looks to minimal application and in my opinion, there is no “right way” of applying make-up. It is about how we want to express ourselves. However, one of my favourites is Rekhaji as she always stands out, I love her. The fact that even if she is wearing a simple white cotton suit, she’ll have a deep burgundy or red lip colour. She has made that lip colour her own.
When you finally make your film one day, if you could work with your dream make-up artist, who would it be and why?
Choosing a dream make-up artist cannot be limited to a single person as every individual has a different style to do their make-up. So, the determination of the make-up artist will depend on the film type. However, I love to work with new talent, especially the young generation. Their zest and energy is infectious and their passion for work matches mine.
The Telegraph chatted with a bunch of Kolkata faces who star in the TVC...
1 Megha Roy: Sohinidi (Dasgupta, writer and director) really pushed me to do it. They said they want an everywoman body type. The experience was amazing and the Mumbai crew was fantastic. They never bargained for money. That was fantastic.
2 Diti Saha: We shot this in February, Sohinidi, the director, got in touch with me because I have worked with her before. We shot it over two days. My character brief was that of Poo’s (from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...)! Day One was at Belgachia Rajbari and Day Two was at Galleria 1910 and Prinsep Ghat. It’s a national campaign and it is for Manish, there’s that feel-good factor of course. The biggest takeaway would be the team and working with Sohinidi... she is an amazing woman. The process was so enjoyable. Edward (Lalrempuia) who styled us, did a fab job.
3 Bibriti Chatterjee: The experience was really good. Our director was amazing.... Working with Diti (Saha) was special. There were a lot of people from our fraternity doing our make-up. It was fun knowing Anjali (Sivaraman) and the styling department. Coming to the technicalities, it was a different experience. Simple yet impactful direction and organised. It felt surreal yet organic.
4 Ankita Singh: The experience was amazing. This is my first time doing something so big, a TVC. I have mostly done fashion. This is the best work I have done so far. I was playing the character of a lesbian and that is not easy. This is also something I have done for the first time, so I have challenged my limits too. It was challenging, I won’t lie, but I believed in myself and it came out amazing. The fact that we (the other talents from Calcutta in the TVC) are rising together, was the best part. This was our opportunity to prove ourselves on a national platform in a way that we are remembered.
5 Riya Bhattacherjee: This was one of the biggest campaigns I have ever been a part of. I was presented in such a great way and I saw an unexplored dimension in me, the bold and sporty type. The brief was clear and the execution was phenomenal. The team was dynamic. Once Manish was organising a fashion show in Calcutta and I was there to audition, but due to my height (5’8”), I got rejected because they were looking for taller girls. I cried a lot and I never thought I’d be a part of this campaign and this happened. Calcutta has so much talent and it is unexplored.
6 MeghNa Bose: When I got the offer, I was awestruck. This was my first national TVC campaign and that too for Manish Malhotra. This was a special moment for me. When I got the chance to wear Manish Malhotra for Manish Malhotra Beauty, I was elated and speechless. I was like: ‘Eta ki aamar shathey holo?’ We feel blessed and happy.
7 Afreen Butt: Being on set, watching the team in action, becoming a part of their vision and turning it to reality, it was all so overwhelming and a roller coaster of emotions. I knew to have had an opportunity as such, I had to be my best self and do the best I could make out of it. It all turned out to be great. It has been an awe-inspiring experience for me. I am beyond grateful to have been able to be a part of such an incredible team and its aspiring cast, especially to be amidst such talented creatives, it was exhilarating! I have a lot of fond memories.... everybody was so welcoming and kind.... I was also really fascinated by the coordination between the teams and how incredibly precise the team was on their creative insight while still letting us be ourselves. I found myself to be a more confident version of myself by the end of the shoot and most importantly, I felt included. What really appealed to me was the concept that celebrated and embraced the diversity and inclusivity of beauty as the cast represented and welcomed a spectrum of all colours and gender identities.
8 Abhishek Indu: It was a dream come true for me to work for a renowned make-up brand as a model, being a make-up artist, myself. It was a great experience for me as I got to meet so many lovely people with different backgrounds, which helped me learn new things. It was a great day with a lovely team. I was nervous but also excited to see what comes next. For somebody who is new to modelling, I have discovered myself and am ready to break boundaries.