MIA Madness with Ashlene Nand! #Flashback

In my past life I used to be a music journalist. I think I've done about 100  music interviews but it could very well be more. Most of them were typical but there are a few that stand out. I interviewed M.I.A in 2006 and at the time, I was feeling her more than her music... but oh how have times changed! Right now, my favorite jam is Bad Girls... so I decided to dig up the old interview. It was interesting to me how the conversation between us just flowed, even though the topics were heavy. We chatted for well over an hour. I continue to respect her artistry and I realize from this interview I haven't changed. I'm still open-minded to art. In fact, we've both grown. And that makes me proud of myself and being an MIA fan. Here's the entire interview... warning: it's really long! But I hope you enjoy it!

Ashlene: My best friend is from Sri Lanka. We have a strong Sri Lankan community in Australia, probably more so than London. Have you been back to Sri Lanka recently?
MIA: Really? Cool, I didn't know that. Nah, I just feel like that until I'm good enough to go and do something, that I just can't really face it because I know how lawless it is and I know if I go there, I don't have a hope in hell. It's not like I can say anything to anybody or I can stop anything from happening. They'll just take me out.

Ash: You moved to England when you were ten. Tell us about the racism there and when did you start to take music more seriously?

MIA: As soon as I came to England, really, I must have about spent two or three months bouncing around the pop world trying to get an idea of what England was. I wasn't really motivated by anything else. And nothing really inspired me. I was really confused about who I was and where I stood in society, you know what I mean? You come there and you just don't know what the hell is going on. And then I remember the first house we stayed in and I watched 'Top of the Pops' and it was like- woah! It was the first music show that I saw on TV. I saw Madonna, Whitney Houston. It was amazing.

Ash: Were you into music in Sri lanka?

MIA: Yeah, yeah, I was like an old woman. So in the village, where I lived, anybody who wanted to know any songs that had happened in the Indian movies, they would come and ask me and I'd know it. I was like a living computer. And I knew every song. I was so on it.

Ash: You mean from Bollywood?
MIA: Yeah because that's all the music you could get. But I was really into it. I was never the one to write lyrics down or stuff like that but I knew what I liked. I was really into dancing and stuff. I kinda lived in my own bubble because I had that music thing and I was into it more than other children were. But I was quite normal and played all the games. But then I had moments in the mirror with music... (Laughs) "...It's not terrorism, it's being a civilian stuck in the middle of that sh*t. 

Ash: After being exposed to western music, how did you develop your own sound and get into writing?MIA: I think the first thing was being introduced to some of my cousins in England, they were all born and raised in Britain, and they turned up to my house with an acoustic guitar and some Beatles records. That was the first time I had heard the Beatles. Then I started school and all the children there were all into Bananarama and Madonna, and I still felt like that still wasn't it. And then I remember when we got moved to the Council flats, that's really when I came across hip-hop through my next door neighbor.

Ash: Hip-hop seems to be a big influence. Why did you drift so much towards it rather than other genres?

MIA: I don't know, it's really weird. I think I've always been really beat driven. And Tamil people are because culturally the dance that we have, bharatnatyam, which is similar to the flamingo, is like dancing to beats. It's dancing with rhythm but you make the rhythm with your feet. And that's what I think it must be. With a combination of feeling really hard- by that point I had already experienced stuff that made me really hard. I wasn't a tough kid, but just the way I feel and how far my emotions have been pushed.

Ash: Do you think not being accepted by society had something do with it?

MIA: Yeah definitely. I think my problems came from being an outsider because I was supposed to be a Pakistani. (Society had labeled me as) 'Paki' and I became an outsider. So then I started listening to 'hip-hop' and that was a much better label for me (than skin colour). That was easy. I was like 'oh my god people are going to have prejudice because of music??' That's a piece of piss to deal with!

Ash: Yeah I was the curry muncher of the school. Tell me, how did you go about getting your record deal? Is it harder in the UK? MIA: I don't really know how it works in America but I went about it in a way that suits me.

Ash: Through mixtapes? MIA: No, not really. That's probably how you do it in America. But for me I really came at music from a different angle. I was an artist first and tried to be a filmmaker, that's what I studied and everything. So when I hit music, I knew I had to do it for the right reasons. It wasn't anything more than just me trying to make music.

Ash: What is hard trying to balance art, and doing what you want to do, and still having to pay the rent, bills etc? MIA: No I think everything I did; I did it out of necessity. When I made the film in Sri Lanka, they told me I couldn't show it in England. Because every film you make about the Tamil people, it doesn't have to pro or against or whatever it is, you have to - even if you film your Tamil grandma - you still have to send it to the Sri Lankan embassy to get it cleared by them and they have to pass an approval notice. So what you put out of Sri Lanka is propaganda - it's extremely carefully chosen. I didn't know that, but when I came across that law, I felt really defeated and I thought, well what's the point? Why should I be the only one giving a shit about it when the government doesn't even care? All this time I thought, because the Tamil people are banned from the press, I'd be doing something needed. So when I couldn't do it I turned it into an art show because I didn't want to waste all the footage. Then music happened to me because I think I was really open-minded at the time. Formulas never worked for me. I think that's when I learnt in my life you don't necessarily have to listen to anybody in society because everything is made up to make life easier for bureaucrats, corporations and governments. And if you can just choose your own life and customize your own life into what makes you happy, that's really what it should be about.

Ash: You're pretty open about your opinions on terrorism... MIA: Yeah, well it is happening.

Ash: Ok but you said that terrorists are being dehumanized. If they are using terror and violence why should they deserve anything less?MIA: Well the thing is I don't condone violence or terrorism but at the same time I really want to be a fair human being and I was to listen to both sides of the story. If one of our methods is to just go and get them, then the opposite end to that is listening to what they have to say. It's not really giving power to a terrorist, that's not really what I am trying to say. Every time there is a war on terror there are civilians caught in the middle who are used as bait, and that's who I want to represent and talk about, because that's the closest thing to my experience. It's not terrorism, it's being a civilian stuck in the middle of that shit. Hip-hop thrived on the thinking that if you start feeling like an outsider, then turn your back to the world and start your own shit. If you apply that to what's going on politically, that's quite dangerous. I think it's more dangerous to let that happen then to actually confront it and talk about it.

Ash: Let's talk about the Indian radio stations. Rumor has it they wouldn't play you stuff because it was 'desi' enough. Is this true? MIA: I think when the white label came out they asked me to do like a Hindi introduction and a version. I said 'well I don't know', this was so early on. And I thought, well actually I'd be really pissed off if I did a Hindi song and an English station asked me to do an English intro. A song is a song; it is what it is. You shouldn't have to alter a song to identify with different sects of people because that would be me supporting all that division stuff. I said 'no, this is about everybody being on one level, everyone getting it and everybody swapping information'. That's what I want to be about. I kept thinking how brown do you want me to be? I'm already brown!! I come from freakin Sri Lanka, I bang on about it all the time, what more do you want? It's not that I'm embarrassed about my culture and I'm trying to be white.

Ash: Did it piss you off? It pissed me off when I heard this. If they didn't like your music, that's one thing. But to try and put ourselves in a box is ridiculous.
MIA: Yeah. The thing is the scene in England- the Asian scene- is very introverted. People make music for them, by them and keep it within and then compete with each other. Which I think is quite negative. So I was like let's make something and catapult it out to places that have never heard it.

Ash: The biggest compliment comes from people who are not exposed to that form of music.
MIA: Exactly. Every Indian artist that did get played on radio at that time was singing about 'Baby I like you in those jeans, come at shake it with the bah bah' and that's not even a real experience their talking about. So don't give me that shit that you're proud to be Asian when you're not even telling us what it is!

Ash: I know! I wish more people would talk about the real experience of being South Asian. Most girls aren't even allowed to shake it, so I hardly call it Asian!
MIA: Yeah!! (Laughs) It's from an R&B world or whatever but I can get that from anyone. So I didn't really feel like I was let down or anything, I just thought 'you know what, your right' and if this is a judgment on how good I am then let it be. Because if I'm good then one day they'll understand and if not, then whatever. I had a stab at trying to do something else.

Ash: Did you expect to be at a level where more and more people are appreciating your music?
MIA: No. It's really funny though when I went back to London last month I was on the front cover of this music industry magazine. And the headline was 'Brit-Asian something something' and it's so funny because it's almost like they've finally accepted me to be a part of it. I mean they haven't even had a conversation with me or said this is great, let's get organized, let's do something. It hasn't even been like 'it's great that your trying to do this' because it was seen like bad in the beginning, like I was a traitor.

Ash: Well it's really inspiring that you talk about real shit that goes on. In the Asian community, anyone who talks about real shit is a traitor. And now you have big name artists are endorsing you. The Asian scene has too many problems anyway. It's awfully political for starters...
MIA: I know! In fact, that's what fuked me up in the first place because I was 'record of the week' on Radio 1 and I was getting played by all the white DJs, like Joe Whiley, and all the indy DJs. So the Asian lot felt like they didn't know anything about me and they didn't bring me to the table, so they made me feel that.

Ash: How did the Missy Elliott appearance come together?
MIA: She just rang me up.

Ash: Damn, really?
MIA: Yeah someone rang me and went 'Missy's going to call you in half an hour'. I was like wiping the sleep out of my eye and the dribble out of my face.

Ash: What was that conversation like?
MIA: It was mad! I couldn't really say anything for about two minutes. I was like 'Missy? Is this really you?' She was talking so fast and then she starting singing "Sunshowers" down the phone to me- you know (imitating Missy) 'I salt and pepper my mango, yeah girl I've been listening to your shit man you know, I've been bored of the music industry for a little bit. Then I started listening to your shit. You sounded like you're from another planet!' She was really cool. I told her that she really inspires me and she said 'You're doing a really good job. Congratulations.' And I said if I have done anything, a lot of it came from you and she was like 'Ohh if that's the case soldier, you've done a darn good job!!' (Laughs)

Ash: What about the Kanye West album. Rumors are going around that you were apparently supposed to be on it but you turned him down!
MIA: Oh my god! It's turned into this big thing?! Well the same day Missy called me up; Kanye West called me up too. So I was stuck. I had three hours to decide. And he said 'let me come and pick you up from the airport'. I was coming back to do a show in LA from San Francisco. I did have a go at writing to it on the plane and I was prepared- if I had to do it, I was going to get off the plane and do it. But it was just all to overwhelming for me. You have to understand, I left England still cueing at the bus stop, getting screamed at by people in the cue, and really not noticing what the hell was going on. Then I came and landed in America and all of a sudden life was so rapid and I didn't realize what was going on.

Ash: So you did say no to Kanye?
MIA: Ahh Ash I hope you don't make a big thing about it! I was just busy. I phoned him and told him not to come to the airport. I'm sure our paths will cross again but right now we're just talking about each other in the press. I'm sure he's going to hate me now! Kanye West, do not start beef with me please! I got bigger shit to think about right now. I need to get into Sri Lanka without getting shot! I heard Kanye's album yesterday. I heard the song I was meant to be on. Paul Wall's on there.

Ash: Are you cool with it?
MIA: Oh yeah! Man getting replaced by Paul Wall, that's aight! That's enough for me. Nah seriously, I'm chillin.

Ash: What about your lyrics. Where does it come from? Is it elements of different foreign languages or do you just make it up?
MIA: It's a bit of both. I don't really know (Laughs). I think it's a combination of being dyslectic and learning English by just the sound of syllables. When I speak or when I write lyrics, I really see it visually. I think that kind of helps a lot.

Ash: Ok well I don't understand any of it! Yo what the hell does "Bucky Done Gun" mean?
MIA: I don't know!! (Laughs) I really don't know. At the time, the concept that I was thinking of was how far we are going to go with gangster culture in rap music. That's really what I was thinking about. I was thinking about 50 Cent. It started off as Public Enemy and ended with 50 Cent. What was that journey (for rap music) and how did that happen? In London, Bucky is a slang word for gun. It's a real British, grime word. So I was thinking, what is the aftermath of gangster rap? Were they going to get into therapy?

Ash: The video "Bucky Done Gun" has a bit of LL's "Mama Said Knock You Out" in it...
MIA: Oh yeah, I never really made that connection! Now you say it, it makes sense! It started off trying to build a refugee camp and I was really inspired by Qaddafi. I just like the way he looks. I think he's really, really funny. He's the head of Libya but he wears jerry curls and aviator shades. He's totally vain. It's kinda like a rock star thing he does; out of all the leaders in the world he's definitely the vainest. He carries a roll of backdrop under his arm and every time he's got a photo opportunity, he gets the backdrop out and stands in front it. He's like this character that I'm always interested in and I really wanted my video to be something like that- that sort of insanity. But it was too much for the American directors! They were 'Ah what are you talking about?' (Laughs) So I did my best to take Qaddafi out of the picture!

Ash: How do you describe your sound?
MIA: I think my sound is basically...I don't know. I want to say useful. Musically, in an album, I wanted to give the people something that you don't think you need, yet, but you will. I really felt like at the time there were certain answers I wanted in the world. How much of me is so odd, that nobody else understands it? That's the question. You make art and you stick it out, and if people get it, you realize that you're not that different. Then the next step is to make something where your opinions are all over the music and see if they get that. And if I can make a kid in America get it and a kid in Palestine get it, a kid in Sri Lanka and Pakistan get it, then I think that's kind of cool.

Ash: Do you think they get it, the message behind the music? Or they just like the music?
MIA: Well when I went to Japan, and the people read about me, they really got it conceptually. Then when they listen to the music, that's not what they're looking out for. They just want to come and dance and have a good time. If you make an album that fulfils everything then that is cool, which then answers my point about what the album is. It's like a mixtape but with one artist. Rather than a mixtape having twenty different sounds and twenty different artists, it's one person going on that journey. The only opinions that are not on my album are ideas that are already in the mainstream, shoved down our throats anyway. So I felt like I don't need to discuss them. It's nice to take music and make is useful again like Public Enemy used it.

Ash: What's in the future? You talk a lot about going back and helping the poor in Sri Lanka but there's so much corruption.
MIA: Yeah, I don't know. I feel like the music thing is cool, I have an idea on how the next album will be. But as a person, I'm trying to figure out- and I have to decide now- what it is that I'm going for. Because I feel like I'm really grateful for where I am now but it's by chance. And I'm not motivated by fame. So there's nothing that really makes me want to do that whole lifestyle. I need to figure out exactly what I need in order to go back to Sri Lanka and make a difference, which is what I think about everyday. How do I get into the country without getting shot down? And if you're the only optimistic thing coming out of Sri Lanka, and especially for Tamil people, they'll take you out as soon as they get the chance. It's like 'don't come around here with your bullshit'. I don't want to go and take sides, I want to actually give my money to the people in the middle and help them help themselves without any government officials getting involved. I have to figure out what I have to gain in the west in order to protect myself in the east.

Haute & Happening!

Thanks to Desi Hits! for the article. Posting it here for everyone and look out for the column 'Haute & Happening' on the DH site (don't you just love the name? lol). To RSVP for the NYC event click here:

Ashlene Nand, former Hip-Hop & South-Asian journalist who has interviewed the biggest stars in the business, is officially moving into fashion with Haute Trotter. Her new fashion company aims to make designer brands, that celebs like Deepika and Priyanka Chopra love, affordable to the masses.

The New York marketing executive and fashion blogger –her blog is Brown By Ashlene- is also joining the Desi Hits team as our newest fashion expert! Her forthcoming monthly column ‘Haute & Happening’ is where you’ll be able to find her take on the hippest fashion designers, East meets West trends, runway news and more.

You can see her offerings, like these below, in New York City on Feb 12 at the ultra-chic Park Ave Gansevoort (where Kim and Kourtney Kardashian taped their recent show!). And stay glued here to get more unique, cool perspectives from the fashionista herself!

Ashlene Nand is a published writer, fashion blogger & entertainment marketing executive. She has worked with the likes of Rev Run and Jay Sean, and interviewed celebrities such as Missy Elliot, Mary J Blige and others. She has been active in the South Asian community for over a decade, first in Australia and then in New York with Bollyhood Records, the first compilation to bring together urban and desi artists. She now plans to focus on her other passion and take over the fashion world!

Interview with Bandana Tewari

Bandana Tewari for Business of Fashion via Industrie magazine. 

PARIS, France — Bandana Tewari has made a name for herself as one of the fashion industry’s smartest commentators. As fashion features director of Vogue India, she has quickly become the go-to source for anyone who wants to learn about the country’s rapidly evolving luxury market. Recently, she was named to Industrie magazine’s Fashion Media A-list, alongside other leading fashion commentators including Cathy Horyn, Tim Blanks and Suzy Menkes.

So, I am delighted to reveal that Bandana Tewari will pen a regular column for The Business of Fashion, offering her unique perspective on the Indian luxury market, starting with this interview originally conducted for Industrie.

I sat down with Bandana in between shows during Paris Fashion Week in September to talk about India’s fast growing fashion market, tailoring luxury products to Indian sensibilities, the power of Bollywood and wearing Tarun Tahiliani saris with Manolo Blahniks.

BoF: How would you describe your point of view on fashion, your angle?

BT: Every time someone asks, ‘How do I become a fashion journalist?’ I say, ‘Forget fashion.’ You’ve got to be a social anthropologist first. That for me is the hook. I don’t think I could think of fashion in a uni-linear way. Fashion is like a fantastic hydra-headed monster that is influenced by everything around us – pop culture, state of the economy, global warming, you name it. I can only understand fashion in this holistic way.

BoF: You’ve been working in fashion for eight years now, and India has gone through a massive change in that time. Can you tell us what you’ve observed as India has become part of global fashion culture?

BT: In India everything happened so quickly. In the first phase, when fashion became corporatised and institutionalised into Fashion Weeks, it started off being very Indian. Then the media cried foul: ‘No one’s wearing just these traditional clothes – what are these Indian designers doing?!’ And then suddenly everyone was into – what I think is a reductionist Indian fashion term – ‘fusion-fashion’, as in Indo-Western fusion, which was basically Western silhouettes with dollops of very ethnic nuances and motifs. We were following all the clichés that we punish the rest of the world for using on us. A nice little jacket but paisleyed to death, you know? Or skirts that were too embellished.

BoF: But today, Indian fashion has morphed into something more defined.

BT: The third stage of fashion in India was the period when we reconciled ourselves to the fact that there is a certain DNA that cannot be taken out of the country. We do have a forte that lies in handicraft, in decorative arts, in embellishments, in technique. But what designers started doing was to not use them literally: they took little bits of it and used it in fluid silhouettes. And then we had beautiful collections from designers like Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Anamika Khanna, Varun Bahl, Savio, James Ferreira. They brought this very coherent vision of India, which unfortunately I feel the Western world still hasn’t seen or utilized.

BoF: What do you mean?

BT: Well, here we are at Paris Fashion Week for spring/summer 2012. I look around me there are events promoting all young emerging designers from London. I’ve just come back from a CFDA presentation of American designers. Then, you have the Koreans in ‘Seoul to Soul’ in the Museum of Decorative Arts. It’s phenomenal how much support different countries are offering to these designers. When I went to ‘Seoul to Soul’ I thought, ‘We now need to’ – and I’m definitely going to spearhead this –‘get five, six Indian designers to have a platform like this, where we, as Vogue India perhaps, can support it.’ I saw the emerging talent, and we are no less accomplished.

BoF: But we’ve been through this phase where Sabyasachi and Ashish N Soni were showing in New York and Manish Arora was showing in London. And it seems to me that, except for Manish Arora, most Indian designers have gone back to refocus on the Indian market.

BT: Well we’re at the stage where a top Indian designer like Sabyasachi Mukherjee can sell a garment for the same price as a couture dress by Dior and conclude, ‘I know my forte lies in doing Indian clothes for Indian people and catering to a market that is worth close to 11, 12 billion US dollars per annum’ – which is the Indian wedding industry. Some designers are like Manish, who [has shown] his first collection for Paco Rabanne: he’s very clear he wants to make it in the international arena. But other designers have decided their marketing focus is in India, and they are doing phenomenally well in their own country.

BoF: And maybe that makes sense. Because some global brands have failed to understand that the Indian market requires a really tailored offering.

BT: Absolutely. Not just tailored, but you have to understand India in terms of its spending power and when that money is spent. In a certain month you’re not supposed to be ostentatious, so forget about any grand opening in that month. You have to do full research of the rituals of India. Come August, September and right up to February, it’s the wedding season. It’s also the season with all the top festivals, Diwali, the festival of lights, where money is spent, buying for others and for yourself.

BoF: Do you think global brands are starting to understand this?

BT: Absolutely, and to respond to it too. Gucci did a limited-edition ‘Made for India’ series, which you can only buy in India. And it catered the Indian sensibility, which is a little bit bling. The India Knot clutch, which is by Bottega Veneta, was a sell-out, inspired by the architecture of India. Then Hermès recently launched six or seven beautiful saris – an extension of the scarves they’re doing, and I can tell you now, it is going to fly. There are so many customisations happening, on a small level: Jimmy Choo does bridal shoes for the Indian wedding industry. All these brands realise that just a bit of tailoring for the Indian aesthetic goes a long way for them to establish themselves in the hearts of the Indian consumer.

BoF: You have this interesting dichotomy between these big local Indian designers and the international superbrands. How does this divide represent itself in Vogue India, in terms of editorial and advertisers?

BT: When you flick through Vogue India, everything is customised for the Indian reader. So we put Indian designers alongside all the international designers irrespective of who’s advertising and who’s not. Because if you walk down the streets in Bombay, go to cocktail parties, go to dinner parties, we’re still wearing Tarun Tahiliani saris but with Manolo Blahniks. We are taking international fashion the way we want to. Not necessarily getting into gowns yet, because that’s something to be talked about and discussed further. The way we are indulging in [Western] fashion is really through accessories.

BoF: And so the consumer has created their own fashion fusion in the way they dress.

BT: Absolutely. So there is no way Vogue India would not put designers together. You know, we don’t care that Tarun Tahiliani doesn’t show at New York Fashion Week. He shows in India Fashion Week and that’s good enough for us. And he sells and he’s loved by his consumers and our readers. So if he’s doing a black sari that becomes the It-sari of the season and we do a ‘Midnight Black is Back’ page in the front of book, you’ll see a Jil Sander black shirt with that Tarun Tahiliani black sari, with a Dior black clutch and a black dress by Gaurav Gupta, who’s a young Indian designer.

BoF: Do you also Vogue India as playing a role in educating consumers about international fashion? Because before Vogue fashion magazines in India were not nearly at the international level.

BT: When we launched we said ‘education first’. Every brand story we did was almost like a profile: the legacy of Louis Vuitton, of Bottega Veneta. We’d customise it for our Indian readers. So if it was Gucci, it was about what Frida Giannini thinks about women all over the world and what she thinks about Indian women. And we’d weave the brand story with it so they get to know about the brand. A few seasons later, the next stage was to engage international designers properly with the Indian consumer. So it was about going back to the designers and saying, ‘How are you engaging out customers? What is it about India?’ So all our stories would revolve around that.

BoF: Condé Nast set up Vogue India as a fully owned subsidiary, so Condé Nast India operates as part of Condé Nast International. How does that relationship work?

BT: We were the first international magazine in India to be 100 per cent owned by the parent company, Condé Nast, and it makes a huge difference when you don’t have another partner. Your marketing strategy, your sales strategy, your editorial strategy is in tandem with the rest of fully-owned Vogues all over the world. In terms of the quality and content we want to bring to the consumer, I’d say it’s as good as even American Vogue, British Vogue. And that happens because we have full control of our magazine’s destiny.

BoF: Do you have interaction with the other Vogue Editions? Do you take content from time to time from British Vogue or American Vogue?

BT: We do that all the time. Because someone picking up Vogue in India wants to know what’s happening in the rest of the world too. So we take syndications, not just the English-language magazines but from Vogue Japan Vogue, Portugal, Brazil. We are global citizens. But globalisation is a dirty word today: I think the international community is getting so tired of everything that’s globalised. So we’re not homogenised – we have such an intrinsic indigenous quality to our lifestyle and we celebrate that. Because that indigenous quality is absolutely imperative.

BoF: You mentioned cultural clichés earlier. I wanted to talk about the power of Bollywood. There’s a lot of Bollywood in your covers. Is it is still very powerful force?

BT: Bollywood is by far the biggest marketing tool for anything that you do in India. I’d prefer to call it Indian cinema, but Bollywood is what it is right now. And we took a conscious decision to Voguify the Bollywood styles.

BoF: How do you mean?

I mean all these young actors and actresses are gorgeous. Whether you like the kind of movies they choose to act in… that’s a subjective choice. But we took these amazing women who are successful and extremely powerful. And there were a lot of designer gowns and designer saris, and they’re on the cover with the top make-up artists and photographers: Patrick Demarchelier shot our first cover. We’ve had Gisele on the cover wearing an Indian-style bikini done by Tarun Tahiliani and a Balmain jacket, and we’ve had Bollywood stars in Gucci dresses. So we’ve brought that Vogue element to Bollywood. And it has changed the way people now want to present themselves in public. Because the whole red carpet thing didn’t exist in India then, but it does now.