Manish Malhotra: Man who made Parineeti's special dress, Isha Ambani's biz partner; journey from Rs 2000 to Rs 230 cr

Manish Malhotra is one of the country's most celebrated designers. He designed actress Parineeti Chopra's dress for her engagement with politician Raghav Chadha. Here's all you need to know about Bollywood's most famous designer.

Manish Malhotra was born in a Punjabi family. He is a self-taught designer. As a child, he loved sketching, painting and styling his mother's sarees. He was also a movie buff.

When he was studying at Mumbai's Elphinstone College, he began modelling for several brands. He went to Singapore and Bangkok to learn more about fashion. He later realised he would become a fashion designer.

His big break came when he styled Juhi Chawla in 1990. He became a fashion sensation when he designed clothes for Urmila Matondkar's Rangeela. 
He told the Humans of Bombay that his mother always encouraged him to do all he wanted to do. He, however, wasn't good at studies. The turning point in his life came when he joined a painting class in Class 6th. He would even give fashion advice to her mother.

He used to get Rs 2000 for modelling. He got a break in the film when he was only 21. 

"But ‘Rangeela’, which was a year later, was a turning point for me–I won my very first Filmfare award for it! But there were challenges–I remember producers would get so irritated when I’d ask multiple questions about the storyline. The only brief I had was to make the heroine look glamorous. But I wanted to do more," he told the FB page. 

He launched his own fashion label in 2005. He has completed over 30 years in the industry.

He is also a successful businessman. From Rs 2000, he became a millionaire. His 2019 revenue, according to Forbes, was Rs 230 crore.

He also became Mukesh Ambani's business partner after Reliance Industries bought a 40 percent stake in his company. The size of the deal wasn't disclosed. 

Isha Ambani helms Reliance Retail that is the parent company of Reliance Brands Limited.