Iconography: Rekha in Utsav: Iconic curvacious Indian beauty

Rekha, 30, in Utsav. Leena Daru did the memroable costumes and accessories for the leading lady

The iconic blue prom dress on Jaya Prada: Stylist Edit Peak 80s fashion and accessories

The iconic blue prom dress on Jaya Prada: Stylist Edit Peak 80s fashion and accessories. A look so memorable, one look and instantly ya know its from Sharaabi for that incredible song De de pyar de by the aincredible Asha Bhosle. 

Jaya Prada was 22 and Sharaabi was one of the biggest hits of 1984 - however, it was Amitabh Bachchan's towering, award-winning performance that people mostly remember. Unlike Sridevi or Rekha back then, Jaya Prada didn't get as many title or double roles to bolster her Bollywood career. She was often the perfectly lovely accessory to the leading man, she did a few memorable dances (a flawless dancer and so gracefu) but never did that many impactful films in Bollywood. Her collabs with legendary K Vishwanath were incredible, but didn't always translate to great box-office. 

Once called the most perfect face in Indian cinema - by Satyatjit Ray no less, we still think she was incredible but her full potential was rarely tapped. 

Sanjay Bhansali, Aishwarya Rai and Shahrukh Khan at Cannes

Sanjay Bhansali, Aishwarya Rai and Shahrukh Khan at Cannes 
 

Aishwarya Rai: Now and Then

RIP Aasha Bhosle: Singing legend passes at age 92

Take away the songs of Lata Mangeshkar and Aasha Bhosle from Indian cinema, you take away the soul of Bollywood. Aasha Bhosle sang about 20 songs for Sridevi, and just 10 for Madhuri Dixit. But what songs! .

RIP Aasha Bhosle. 

AI pics of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan trending on social media: AI Slop

 

Aishwarya Rai with Sunil Shetty (aka Suneil Shetty) in (shelved) film Hum Panchi ek Daal Ke (1997)

Aishwarya Rai with Sunil Shetty (aka Suneil Shetty) in (shelved) film Hum Panchi ek Daal Ke which began shooting back in 1997!

Its funny that the two films Ash and Sunil Shetty worked on as leads never completed filming (the other being Radheshyam Sitaram). - considering both were and are utter professionals. Director Shashilal K. Nair famously stated in interviews that unlike Manisha Koirala, if the call time for a shot was 8am, Ash would be ready at 7.30, costume and makeup ready for camera. Manisha was notoriously late during her busy phase. 

The gentle giant Sunil Shetty was also known to be on time and professional - so what went wrong with the making of the film? Funds? Mishaps? Timetable conflicts?! All the above and then some including a notorious incident where in an accident, the film camera fell into the river! 

There ware several images of Aishwarya Rai in dance costume on set looking staggeringly beautiful - and we all know she's the most graceful dancer - pity we'll never see those songs and dances and clips... 

The Tulu speakers did appear in one released film, the ill-fated Umrao Jaan. 

Aishwarya Rai in Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai

Aishwarya Rai in Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai

 

 Above: Film director Satish Kaushik with Aishwarya Rai on set

Aishwarya Rai's first Gladrags cover

Gladrags, 1992

 

Gladrags' obsession with light-skinned light-eyed beauties goes far back. Its most famous model and successful print edition featured Indo-Canadian export Lisa Ray. Young Aishwarya Rai was also featured on Gladrags covers early on  - and they weirdly took credit for her launch when she had already appeared in ads and other magazine covers... In the above image, Ash was just 18! When Lisa Ray first appeared on the cover of Gladrags, she was 19. For many aspiring models, the publication gave them opportunity, a kickstart for their portfolio and wherever it took them.  

Gladrags evaporated from newsstands when Maureen Wadia abandoned her once pet-project when age and poor health caught up with her. Without her propelling the magazine, it faltered and crashed on newsstands. Gone without a bang, but a whimper...    

Lisa Ray in Galdrags

TBH Gladrags was an editorial mess... it didn't know what it wanted to be; feature prominent Western stars and gossip or feature more Indian articles and interviews. It featured a lot of young, new aspiring male and female models, and has an archive of images of people who became, eventually, really famous. It was a great portfolio for young photographers, makeup artists and stylists to showcase creative, often sensual and very sexy, portfolios. Some of the shots of women, and on occasionally men, were very clutch-my-pearls gasp shocking... but are completely tame compared to the Insta thot shots that contemporary models are revealing today. Gladrags could have become as relevant today as it was back then, as till date it is/was a great launch pad for female and male models. It was often a steppingstone for several people who became stars, both big and small, who weren't nepo babies, who didn't get opportunities by the gatekeepers of media.

A quick, semi deep-dive; Gladrags was a Mumbai-based fashion and lifestyle magazine (also functioning as a men's magazine with swimsuit features of scantily clad women) published by the Wadia Group. Founded and edited by Maureen Wadia (wife of industrialist Nusli Wadia), the magazine was launched in the early 1990s (around 1989–1991) primarily to support promotional efforts for Bombay Dyeing. In January 2019, the official Instagram account celebrated "30 years of Gladrags," ipso facto pointing to a launch around 1989! 

At its peak, it was a platform for fashion, modeling, and glamour content, and became well-known for its associated beauty pageants as the magazine organized the annual Gladrags Manhunt and Megamodel Contest (starting in 1994), which served as a major launchpad for many Indian models who later became Bollywood actors, supermodels, and celebrities. It included regional selections, grooming/training, and swimsuit rounds, with winners often featured on the magazine cover and gaining visibility for modeling or film careers.

Notable stars whose careers were launched or significantly boosted through Gladrags contests (winners or prominent participants):John Abraham — Winner of Gladrags Manhunt 1999; went on to a successful Bollywood career.

Dino Morea — Manhunt winner 1995; Bollywood actor and model.

Aditi Gowitrikar — Megamodel winner 1996; actress and model.

Zulfi Syed — Manhunt winner (1996–97); model/actor.

Muzamil Ibrahim — Manhunt winner 2003; model who walked hundreds of shows.

Sidharth Shukla — Participated (runner-up in 2004); later became a popular TV actor and Bigg Boss winner.

Others: Arjun Rampal (prominent model associated with the era), Rajat Bedi (first Manhunt winner 1994), Aanchal Kumar, Koena Mitra, Mugdha Godse, Candice Pinto, and many more who became supermodels or entered films, finding success or failing to make an impact, they got their foot in at notoriously difficult Bollywood and its perilous gatekeepers. 

Gladrags has a far more ambiguous relationship with the outspoken Lara Dutta — Winner of Gladrags Megamodel 1995 (at age 16); later Miss Universe 2000 and who went on to become a fine Bollywood actress. Lara Dutta sued Gladrags in early April 2005 (case filed in the Bombay High Court), as Dutta filed a copyright infringement suit against Gladrags (specifically its managing editor Maureen Wadia). as they were using her old photographs and images without her permission on hoardings, posters, and promotional material for their upcoming supermodel contest. She alleged this violated her copyright over her own images, but there was also an underlying grievance that Gladrags had not promoted her adequately after her win and were still claiming credit for her later success (she went on to win Miss Intercontinental 1997 and Miss Universe 2000), while exploiting her pictures for their branding. The articulate, sharply intelligent Ms Dutta won; the court ruled in Lara Dutta’s favour within a week or so (around 12–13 April 2005). The Bombay High Court ordered Gladrags to immediately stop using Lara Dutta’s pictures on their hoardings and promotional materials. 

It was a quick victory for Lara on the issue of unauthorized use of her photographs, and the matter was widely reported in 2005 as “Lara Dutta wins Gladrags battle.”  The civil copyright case focused on image rights rather than a long-drawn dispute, and there is no record of major financial compensation or further escalation. However, the incident highlighted early awareness around image rights and celebrity control over their photographs in the Indian entertainment industry, especially for models and pageant winners associated with contests like Gladrags. Gladrags was restrained from using her images; and rightfully so. The way they promoted the men, Ray or Rai, was very different from how they projected and promoted Lara. Well, in essence, they didn't - until it was convenient to do so. 

Gladrags will sadly be forgotten soon unless its funded richly for a comeback. The contest it created is credited with discovering and launching dozens of Indian models and stars in the 1990s–2000s, helping shape the Indian fashion and entertainment industry during its boom. It also expanded to Mrs. India, Little Miss & Master contests. While not every winner became a massive Bollywood star, it provided early breaks to numerous faces who dominated ramps and screens. 

There is no clear public information on an exact final print edition or official discontinuation date for the magazine. Contests were held as late as 2016–2017 (with winners like Ansh Duggal and others announced), but it seems like a dead end like other print media... Cine Blitz, Showtime, Stardust and other remnants of pop culture ink. 

Like many print magazines in the 2010s–2020s, Gladrags likely faced declining print circulation and transitioned or scaled back significantly. No specific "last issue" date (e.g., year or month) is widely documented in available sources. The launchpad of many is sadly buried six-feet under. 

Lisa Ray crowns Aishwarya Rai during one of the rounds at the Miss India pageant

Dazzling Aishwarya Rai with legends Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu

Aishwarya Rai attends an event where the great Dilip Kumar was the guest of honour. With his wife Saira Banu, who also was famously known for her beauty, high fashion, and dancing skills back in the day.