A confused Rohit Bal is still trying to unravel how the Arjun-Katrina-Ranbir controversy blew up backstage. Here he tells Sunday MiD DAY how Arjun Rampal will always be his top priority and whether designers have a say on who walks the ramp for them
A confused Rohit Bal is still trying to unravel how the Arjun-Katrina-Ranbir controversy blew up backstage. Here he tells Sunday MiD DAY how Arjun Rampal will always be his top priority and whether designers have a say on who walks the ramp for them
It was the controversy of a filmi kind at the grand finale of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week last week. Actors Arjun Rampal and Dino Morea were to walk the ramp for flamboyant designer Rohit Bal. Good friend Arjun was to be the showstopper. The script changed at the last minute. Instead, actors Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor walked down the ramp as showstoppers. A confused Rohit tries to unravel the mystery...
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Within 10-15 minutes I was told there was confusion backstage over who will be the showstopper. By the time I got out of the crowd from the front and went backstage, something had happened. It had to do with the producer or the director of the film they were promoting, as vague as that!
Wasn't your show choreographed beforehand?
I guess with the actors, the choreography happened there and then because Katrina (Kaif), Ranbir (Kapoor) and Arjun came straight from the airport. There was no time to do rehearsals with them. On top of that, friends were calling and saying they can't get in. I would have ideally liked to walk with Arjun in the end. I have always done that. Arjun will always be my top priority. My relationship is so close to him. I am hoping he will understand me because it was totally out of my control. There was some technical thing going on... I guess we will never be able to find out. (Laughs)
Arjun was quoted as saying that you called him up when all this was happening?
I did tell him that if he had any kind of a problem, if this would affect his image or his next film or if it doesn't look good in the press, he could take a call. He has been one of my closest friends for the last 25 years... I told him I would never want to put him in an embarrassing position and if he can't do the show, I would be okay with that.
You did?
Yes, I mean, if you are not happy doing something, then it shows on the ramp. I would have been the happiest person if Arjun and Dino had walked for me. We started our careers together. But some agents had a problem. I guess Bollywood works differently. The stars usually don't have a problem, but it's the production house perhaps or the directors or the agents who have a problem. What's the big deal, it's just a 15-second job! This is my side of the so-called saga (laughs).
Was Arjun sore?
I didn't even get a chance to talk to him after that. My finale party was at his New Delhi restaurant LAP.
Practically the whole of Delhi was there, so there was no scope for me to talk to him. In another day or two, I will call Arjun and find out what happened. I don't think such an old friendship should be harmed by something like this.
So what's the deal when you sign on Bollywood stars to be your showstoppers? Surely, you have a say in it.
Yes, I do. Once I am told who will walk the ramp, I either say yes or no. That's when the sponsors, event managers and star managers come into the picture. I have had a lot of stars walking for me, from Shah Rukh Khan to Priyanka Chopra. But if a show is sponsored by say Omega, then the company wants their brand ambassador Shah Rukh to walk for me. And there, I have to toe the line, which is how it should be. But I prefer to keep away from Bollywood. They tend to take the attention away from the real thing the clothes. Of course, Katrina and Ranbir are really warm people, and they lend to the show. But I have seen a lot of other film stars walking the ramp, but they should not be there. I mean they may be great actors and all that, but they don't look good on the ramp.
'I prefer to keep away from Bollywood'
Rohit Bal on why he keeps an arms length from stars: "Mumbai Couture Week was actually all about Khan versus Khan. It was more of a Bollywood centric event than a fashion week... The two of them practically got the most important people of Bollywood there. How do you expect anyone else to notice anyone else? I don't even remember the name of a single designer who showed there, expect for Varun Bahl. All I read about was who is walking the ramp for Salman or Karan."
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