Tarun Tahiliani is one of the rare fashion designers in India who hasn’t turned to Bollywood. He has never designed costumes for films and also discourages the showstopper culture, which demands the presence of a celeb on the ramp. Likewise, Tahiliani refrains from lending his costumes to stylists for celebs’ airport looks. 

“Actors and stylists have gone on an overdrive and are now picking expensive, imported brands for what they wear to the airport. This is setting false precedents for fans,” he shares. 

The designer feels all this is leading to people losing their personal style. “Bollywood is responsible for robbing people of their personal styles. Everyone wants to ape what the actors are wearing at airports. That’s not how style works,” says Tahiliani, adding that social media has made the pressure worse as repeating outfits is frowned upon.

“Why can’t you wear the same outfit multiple times? Even at weddings, brides want to wear beige because Bollywood actors chose that colour at their weddings,” he rues. Having said that, Tahiliani lauds actor Alia Bhatt for promoting sustainable fashion by repeating her wedding saree for the National Film Awards ceremony last year.  

Back in 2014, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s proposition to design costumes for his 2015 period drama, Bajirao Mastani, made him “consider” the offer. But he turned it down for multiple reasons. However, the designer doesn’t regret his decision. “Designers should not be costume people,” asserts Tahiliani, who feels the only exception to this rule is if the designer’s aesthetic gels with the world of cinema.