He reshaped Bollywood’s fashion story, now designer Manish Malhotra is all set to turn filmmaker. He intends to make his directorial debut with an intense, musical love story.

For the designer, this new chapter seems like a natural progression after being associated with films for over 30 years through costume design and styling, adding his Midas touch to over 800 films.

In fact, he has already stitched together the whole world of the period drama in his mind, and it is only a matter of time before he brings his vision alive on camera. Backing him in this new enterprise is his long-time associate, filmmaker and friend, Karan Johar, through his banner Dharma Productions. “The story and screenplay of this intense musical love story, set against the backdrop of the Partition, is also written by Malhotra. Casting for the film will begin shortly,” reveals a source, promising that the film will “come with a splash of grandeur and elegance”, much like Malhotra’s design creations.

Malhotra’s iconic ensembles have restructured the role of costumes in Bollywood, be it his bold yet aesthetic approach in Rangeela (1995), or simple yet sensuous in Dil Toh Pagal Hai (1997). Malhotra has also designed looks for actors such as Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kajol, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to Alia Bhatt and Janhvi Kapoor among others. While he shares a close bond with the actors, it will be interesting to see who eventually comes on board to headline his debut directorial.