Rahul Vijay Designed Prateik Babbar’s Clothes Using Smita Patil’s Kanjeevarams

MUMBAI (ANI) – Actor Prateik Babbar, who made a style statement when he attended the Mumbai screening of his late mother Smita Patil’s film ‘Manthan’ in Cannes, wore a suit-pant made from her Kanjeevaram sarees.

Designer Rahul Vijay, who designed the outfit, thanked Prateik for giving him the chance to create it.

He said, “When Prateik called me asking to dress him for the Indian premiere of ‘Manthan’—Smita Patil’s debut film showcased at Cannes—I knew I had to incorporate elements of her style into his look.Now this was challenging because we were getting womenswear pieces and moreover, we didn’t know what we would end up finding from Smita Patil’s wardrobe that would match Prateik’s style,” he added.

Rahul shared that Prateik’s aunt helped them choose two silk Kanjeevaram sarees that had been preserved over the years. His idea was to merge Indian textiles with modern silhouettes, and Rahul Vijay designed the outfit in consultation with Monica Shah of Jade by MK.

They created a cropped double-breasted tuxedo in plain black silk, with the pinstripe pattern from one saree turned into wide-legged pants.We used the red border of the second saree for the sleeves, adding a touch of elegance to the ensemble.

Rahul wrote, “We wanted to keep the silhouette very modern considering we were recycling Indian sarees. I always like the juxtaposition of Indian textiles with modern silhouettes. Finally, we decided on a cropped double-breasted tuxedo in plain black silk. We recycled the second pinstriped saree into wide-legged pants and used the red border of the saree as trims on the sleeves, lifting the design from a recent look in the brand’s couture collection.

At the screening, Prateik’s girlfriend, actor Priya Banerjee, joined him and added a personal touch by wearing Smita’s saree and jewelry.