OSCARS TO “$LUM DOG MILLION@IRE”

for all mumbaiins

Even though maestro A.R. Rahman has proved he has impeccable music sense – as is evidenced by his twin Oscars, when it comes to following fashion trends, he completely trusts his wife Saira Banu, says his stylist Vijayeta Kumar.

‘He is a very simple person and doesn’t believe in doing anything flashy. He is not at all brand conscious and blindly depends on Saira for the final call,’ Vijayeta Kumar said. ‘The reason behind this is that Saira is more aware and keeps herself updated about the latest trends,’ she added. This Mumbai-based stylist who is also a filmmaker has been associated with Rahman for over a year now. She had met him on the sets of a musical show ‘Mission Ustad’ on 9X, for which she was the stylist.

It’s been a wonderful experience and after his win at the Oscars, Rahman has proved that he is the best,’ Kumar said. In photo: Composer A.R. Rahman (R) and guest arrive at the 81st Annual Academy Awards held at Kodak Theatre on February 22, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.

Rahman bagged the Oscars for best original score in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and its theme song ‘Jai Ho’. At the Oscars, Rahman was wearing a black Lanvin tuxedo and for the live performance he wore Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s creation – a black sherwani.

‘The red carpet dressing is very strict so we were very clear from the beginning that he is going to wear a tuxedo. There was no question of opting for any Indian attire or repeating any outfit,’ Kumar explained. In photo:Composer A.R. Rahman attends the opening for ‘Bombay Dreams’ at the Broadway Theatre April 29, 2004 in New York City.

‘We zeroed in for Sabyasachi for the sherwani because he is the best. We had to make sure that Rahman was wearing something comfortable while performing. So what better than a sherwani and that too a Sabyasachi,’ she added. Was it a coincidence that both Rahman and Saira were wearing black? ‘Both of them just love black. So it was a conscious decision,’ Kumar maintained. In photo: Composer A.R. Rahman attends the 2009 Oscar Nominees Luncheon held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 2, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California.

Elaborating on Rahman’s style statement, Kumar said: ‘It is very easy to dress him because he doesn’t believe in brands. He gives importance to comfort levels.’ ‘He is a jeans and shirt man. Sometimes he wears kurtas with churidars also,’ she added. In photo: Composer A. R. Rahman attends the ‘Bombay Dreams’ opening night after-party at Spirit, April 29, 2004 in New York City.

ROBIN JOHN

S4 CSE