Manish Malhotra Opens Up About Bollywood Bonds, Sridevi's Impact, And Masculinity

In a heartfelt conversation with Media Entrepreneur and Yuvaa Co-Founder, Nikhil Taneja, renowned fashion designer Manish Malhotra shared insights into his illustrious career, personal relationships, and evolving views on masculinity.

Manish reflected on the early lessons he learned from the late actress Sridevi. "I learned so much from her. In the early years, I gained invaluable insights into the craft of costume design," he said. He mentioned that Sridevi was the only person he ever called "ma'am". Manish also spoke about feeling lonely after losing his father and later Sridevi.

Discussing his close relationship with Sridevi's daughters, Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor, Manish expressed pride. "I have known Janhvi since the day she was born. I went to see Khushi in the hospital. I believe a lot in both of them. They are both wonderful girls," he said. He described them as "focused, hardworking, and ever-evolving," adding that they share their mother's clarity and work ethic.

Manish also talked about his long-standing friendship with filmmaker Karan Johar. "Karan was very interested in clothes. He was interested in what I do, which is designing for movies," he shared. Despite Karan's love for drama, Manish helps "dial it down," while appreciating Karan's creativity and work ethic.

Manish delved into his views on masculinity, challenging traditional norms. "What you wear is secondary; who you are is first," he asserted. He acknowledged the complexity of gender fluidity and noted, "We can't expect everyone to fully understand it." Defining normalcy for himself, Manish said, "Normal is all of us being together with different opinions."

The episode featuring Manish Malhotra on Yuvaa's "Be a Man, Yaar!" Season 2 offers an exclusive look into his life and philosophy. He discussed his production house, perspectives on masculinity and acceptance, career evolution, and answered Janhvi Kapoor's question on capturing evolving gender roles over decades.

You can watch new episodes of #BeAManYaar powered by The Man Company on Yuvaa's YouTube channel. Extended unfiltered episodes are available on Amazon Music.

About Nikhil Taneja

Nikhil Taneja is a Mumbai-based media entrepreneur known for his contributions to media, mental health advocacy, gender issues, and youth impact. As Co-founder of Yuvaa, India's first Gen Z-driven media organisation, Nikhil leads impactful storytelling and community engagement initiatives.

His show "Be A Man, Yaar" fosters difficult conversations with influential figures like Karan Johar and Vicky Kaushal on mental health and positive masculinity. Beyond creative pursuits, Nikhil advocates globally through roles such as serving on the Board of Directors for Girl Rising and contributing to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Goalkeepers initiative.

About Yuvaa

Yuvaa is India's first Gen-Z-driven youth media organisation focusing on insights and impact. It collaborates with leading brands like Meta, Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, IBM, Tinder, YouTube, UNICEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation among others across research content creation and social media activations.

Yuvaa creates meaningful online content while initiating important offline conversations about urgent youth issues such as mental health gender sexuality misinformation among others.