Delhi airport was buzzing with activity in the winter of 1984. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister (CM) Farooq Abdullah was among those present along with friends and fellow politicians, Sharad Pawar and N. K. P. Salve. Out of the blue, he noticed Salve’s bandhgala—designed by me—and said he was mighty impressed with its look and cut. After probing further, he expressed a desire to get something stitched from me. Abdullah was ecstatic when he was told that I was at the airport too. He was also pleasantly surprised when he got to know that I had a measuring tape with me. Within minutes of being introduced to the CM, I took him to the VIP lounge at the airport and took his measurements there. I first made a sherwani for him. He loved it so much that I followed that with a suit, a pathani, a safari, and a kurta; he remains my client to date.
My brush with politicians was organic. Often one contact led to the other, and they would feel comfortable getting their clothes designed by me after the initial experience. When I was working in the film industry, some actors introduced me to a few political heavyweights. For instance, the likes of Dilip Kumar, Sunil Dutt, and Rajendra Kumar had excellent relations with top leaders such as Balasaheb Thackeray and Pawar. Some of the people who helped me set up my store in Bandra as well as my business included respectable politicians like Salve, Jawaharlal Darda, Vasantdada Patil, and Patangrao Kadam—all Congress leaders. I would design for them while simultaneously crafting the look of villains on screen.
Among the first politicians I worked with was Darda. And while I was designing for film stars, I got a chance to make clothes for the likes of Salve, Patangrao Kadam, and Sushilkumar Shinde, among others, in the 1980s. Pawar, Deshmukh, Munde, and Murli Manohar Joshi followed. It helped that I had earned a name for myself. The politicians felt I was good with colour schemes, as I had worked extensively on films—many a time handling costumes of all the actors in the project. I also worked with Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was Amrish Puri’s friend. Sunil Dutt and Sanjay Khan facilitated our meeting in 1985–86.
Dutt also introduced me to P. C. Alexander, former governor of Maharashtra. At a party hosted by Alexander, and attended by Dutt and Marzban Patrawala (Congress MLA [member of Legislative Assembly] and Supreme Court lawyer), he was impressed by their attire and asked Johny Joseph (former chief secretary of Maharashtra) to find out who their tailor was. Joseph got in touch with me, and I made a suit for Alexander based on his specifications. He could not stop singing my praises, and introduced me to other guests at a subsequent party thrown by him.
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Piyush Goyal’s father, Ved Prakash Goyal, connected me to the top Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) brass—Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, and Arun Sathe. Work flowed as word spread about the quality. Almost every politician wanted an outfit made by me, and I did not disappoint.
I met Pawar because of my industrialist friend Mama Kapadia, whose son used to get clothes made by me. He said he would like to introduce me to his friend, who turned out to be Pawar. This was 1983, and after our first meeting, I designed some clothes for him. He liked them a lot, and our partnership remains unbroken to this day. The Nationalist Congress Party bigwig and former CM of Maharashtra isn’t demanding when it comes to his sartorial choices—he prefers a white shirt and white trousers. However, it’s his wife Pratibha Pawar who takes a call on his clothes. Having worked with him for over four decades now, I don’t need to take his measurements at all. But I still insist on doing that once a year. Though he’s not fussy, I try to give him different styles and fabrics to choose from. I know exactly what he wants, and he too is aware that I will deliver as per the expectations.
My association with the late Balasaheb Thackeray began around the same time. Theatre veteran Mohan Wagh, a relative of the Shiv Sena supremo, had worn a kurta-pyjama that the Sena Chief liked. Wagh got me to meet him, and we hit it off instantly. I had used a new material for the kurta-pyjama—it came only in white and cream colour—and I showed that to Thackeray. I made a white one for him and complemented it with a stole (shawl) to complete the look. He loved it and began wearing the same material thereafter.
At home, he would wear a kurta-lungi that I began designing for him. He would tell me to use a thick cloth; he did not like thin fabrics. Over time, my meetings with him increased. People would fear him, but he was extremely friendly with me and supported me immensely—primarily because I was a Maharashtrian and was doing something noteworthy on my own. He loved watching movies, so, at times, we would discuss films and performances. He was a raconteur and he treated me with a lot of respect. He had kept my visiting card on his table, and would tell everyone to get their clothes made from me. That was some endorsement!
Once I asked Abdullah to send an off-white Kashmiri shawl for me. The Jammu and Kashmir leader sent that, and an additional saffron-coloured one as well. I gave that to Balasaheb, who was thrilled to bits.
This excerpt from ‘Stitching Stardom: For Icons, On and Offscreen’ by Madhav Agasti has been published with permission from Penguin Random House India.