Meet the ultra-chic jury members of Pinkvilla Style Icons 2022

"Fashions fade. Style is eternal." – Yves Saint Laurent

Since time immemorial, Indian celebrities -- especially from the showbiz space and sports world -- have been synonymous with style, while setting benchmarks for Indians across the globe. After all, who can forget alluring personalities such as the enigmatic Dev Anand, the aristocratic Tiger Pataudi, or the ethereal Waheeda Rehman, among many others!

It goes without saying that Indian celebrities have always been the biggest style icons as well as top trendsetters for a legion of fans. So, now, as we set out on a new journey with the maiden edition of 'Pinkvilla Style Icons' award, we are thrilled to announce our esteemed jury panel, who have played an intrinsic role in taking Indian showbiz's fashion quotient forward in an enchanting manner. 

Here's taking a look at seven fashion luminaries who are going to help us zero in on the top style icons, for the year 2022. 'Pinkvilla Style Icons', set to be hosted at JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu on June 4, 2022, is curated by Cinema Waale Film & TV Productions and produced by Across Media Solutions.

Karisma Kapoor, the game-changer

(actor)

Remember her uber-stylish avatar in Dil To Pagal Hai, a classical outing in Zubeidaa, or the girl-next-door vibes in Hero No. 1? Well, it won't be an anomaly to state that Karisma Kapoor has always shone brightly -- starting around the mid-90s to now -- with her acting skills, dance moves, and, undoubtedly, her chic fashion sensibilities. 

Who can forget her constant and unique experimentations with different outfits (some are popular currently too) including athleisure, Indo-Western outfits, chiffon sarees, opulent lehengas, chokers, denim shirts, and even over-sized jackets with boots, etc? Films such as Raja Hindustani, Judwaa, Biwi No.1, Haseena Maan Jaayegi, and Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge stand as a solid testimony to that fact.

Even nowadays, the National-Award-winning actor continues to gracefully nail every outfit -- be it a Sabyasachi Mukherji saree, a quirky, multi-colored pantsuit by Manish Malhotra, or a monochrome off-shoulder gown by Amit Aggarwal. Fashion pundits will unanimously agree there's hardly any silhouette that Karisma hasn't stunned us with. Clearly, she has always been way ahead of her time.

Urmila Matondkar, the rule-breaker

(actor/ politician)

Any 90s kid, who grew up on a steady dose of Hindi movies, is aware that Urmila Matondkar can be largely credited with changing the fashion game of Bollywood, especially at a time when style and fashion weren't high up on a filmmakers' priority list! 

Twelve years after her iconic child star outing in Masoom (remember the super hit song, 'Lakdi ki kaathi,' featuring the young Urmila), the actor teamed up with the ace fashion designer Manish Malhotra for Rangeela. No one had an inkling though that the Ram Gopal Varma film would do more than just establish her as a bonafide star. It would also redefine the sense of fashion and style in Bollywood, and otherwise.

Be it her skater dresses, skirts, co-ords, sarees/lehengas, berets, or even two-braid looks, Urmila's Rangeela outing turned her into a style diva overnight. After that, Urmila went on to amp up her glamorous avatar in several films such as Jaanam Samjha Karo, Judaai, Daud, Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya, and Ek Hasina Thi among many others. Even today, Urmila never fails to put her best fashion foot forward in an absolutely spiffy manner. A testament to 'once a fashionista, always a fashionista.' 

Malaika Arora, the natural fashionista 

(model / actor /producer)

When she made her first public appearance, around the late 90s, with MTV Loveline, the country instantly fell in love with the super-stylish Malaika Arora. Unsurprisingly enough, as India entered the 2000s, she became a household name with a big fan following among people, especially teenagers.

Besides appearing in several ads afterward, Malaika turned heads in Bally Sagoo's hit number, Gur Naalo Ishq Mitha, and then went on to become the national crush in 1998 with the iconic song, Chaiyya Chaiyya in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dil Se. From then on, she regularly appeared in a variety of projects in films and on TV, including the dance number, Munni Badnaam, opposite Salman Khan, in Dabangg. 

Right since her debut days, Malaika established herself as a true-blue style diva with continual as well as out-of-the-box experimentations -- in her personal as well as professional sphere. The fashionista, without a doubt, knows how to ace any look -- be it casual western wear, a traditional look, athleisure, gym-wear, bodycon dresses, or glittering gowns -- with sheer aplomb. It's no wonder that her stunning red-carpet avatars, fitness icon image, and peerless dancing skills have made her the centre of attention, with people as well as media and paparazzi. And we aren't complaining, at all.

Milind Soman, the OG style god

(model/actor/fitness icon)

You can, without batting an eyelid, call him the teenage crush of every millennial, and the nation's heart-throb of the 90s. In 1995, when a bare-bodied Milind Soman came out of a wooden box in singer Alisha Chinai's music video Made in India, the stunner instantly made his way into people's hearts. 

The same year, Milind also made his debut as a television actor in A Mouthful of Sky, before starring in other much-loved shows such as Captain Vyom and Sea-Hawks. By then, he had clearly established himself as the byword for oomph, style, and sex appeal. Since then, Milind has featured in several movies including Bheja Fry, Chef, and the 2016 hit, Bajirao Mastani, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Not just that, Milind -- widely known as 'India's first and original supermodel -- has also judged a few modelling TV shows, besides being a fitness enthusiast as well as an ardent health advocate. Even after so many years, the real style icon continues to rule the Indian fashion world with his enigmatic charm, persona, and individuality, albeit now in his enchanting salt-and-pepper avatar. We are confident that this charmer has more surprises in store!

Ali Abbas Zafar, the swag maker 

(Filmmaker)

Right from the start, the blockbuster filmmaker has had a super successful stint with larger-than-life entertainers. Take a close look and you will find that Ali's films haven't just performed big at the box office, they have been extremely high on style factor as well. A case in point is his debut hit, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan wherein Katrina Kaif and Imran Khan's glam outings turned out to be one of the highlights of the film.

A graduate of Delhi University's Kirori Mal College, Ali entered the film industry as an assistant director, with multiple projects for Yash Raj Films. What's interesting to note is that his films always maintained a stylish, chic attitude -- be it through costumes, direction, and even characters' arc. His second film, Gunday, set in Calcutta in the 1970s and 1980s, was innately high on stylized sequences. 

The Sultan director's Tiger Zinda Hai, too, scored very highly on the style meter, and so did his 2019 release, Bharat -- set during various timelines of the bygone era -- which also impressed with its disparate fashionable outings. Up next for the Tandav (web show) maker is Bloody Daddy (starring Shahid Kapoor) and Akshay Kumar-Tiger Shroff starrer Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. Considering his uber-stylish outings so far, we are sure Ali's stint with style will be even more dapper going forward.

Vikram Phadnis, the creative maven

(Fashion designer /filmmaker)

He began his career as a choreographer in showbiz but who knew that shifting the career path to designing was going to establish Vikram Phadnis as one of the most celebrated fashion designers in the country. With no formal training in designing, Vikram showcased his first collection back in 1991 as a young boy.

There has been no looking back since then. He has designed clothes for who's who of the entertainment world as well as sports world including names such as Naomi Campbell, Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, Salman Khan, late Sridevi, Sushmita Sen, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Malaika Arora and many more.

Bringing his splendid aesthetics to cinema, Vikram has designed costumes for several hit films too, such as Biwi No.1, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Golmaal: Fun Unlimited, Salaam-e-Ishq, Namastey London, Golmaal Returns, Singham and Commando among others. Besides designing for the stars of Bollywood, Vikram has had flourishing runs at various fashion weeks as well. In 2017, Vikram turned successfully towards film direction with his first Marathi film, Hrudayantar which was followed by Smile Please in 2019. The fashion guru continues to enthrall with his designs as well as his storytelling!

Eka Lakhani, the design master

(stylist)

One of India's most talented stylists, Eka's effortless sense of style and creativity blend seamlessly to create stunning looks, on-screen as well as off it. She studied fashion design at SNDT Women's University, Mumbai, and then spent a year at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. 

On her return to India, Eka -- at 23 -- worked as an intern with designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee during the making of Mani Ratnam's Raavan. From then on, she went on to work on several big films such as Urumi, and back-to-back Ratnam movies including Kadal (she also portrayed a small part in the film), and O Kadhal Kanmani and Kaatru Veliyidai. Eka also created fascinating designs for biopics like Sanju (directed by Raj Kumar Hirani) and the web show Queen (based on the late Jayalalithaa).

Besides creating natty looks/costumes for projects such as The Sky Is Pink, Masaba Masaba, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, and Shershaah, Eka also styles the boldest fashion powerhouses of today such as Ranveer Singh, Karan Johar, and many others. Eka's work will next be seen in Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Vikram, besides Hirani's next, starring Shah Rukh Khan. Well, the 'style' master is clearly set to enthrall us even more, on as well as off-screen.

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