Prateik Babbar recycled mother Smita Patil's sarees for 'Manthan' screening
In a touching tribute to his late mother—the legendary actor Smita Patil—Prateik Babbar graced the Mumbai screening of her iconic film, Manthan, adorned in a unique ensemble. Babbar donned a suit-pant ensemble crafted from his mother's cherished Kanjeevaram sarees. The outfit was designed by Rahul Vijay who expressed his gratitude to Babbar on Instagram by saying, "Thank you for letting me dig into the archives of your late mother."
Designing Babbar's tribute ensemble: A detailed look
Vijay, in collaboration with Monica Shah of Jade by MK, designed the ensemble by integrating elements of Patil's style into an outfit that would suit Babbar's style. They selected two silk Kanjeevaram sarees from Patil's wardrobe with the help of Babbar's aunt. The aim was to blend Indian textiles with modern silhouettes, resulting in a cropped double-breasted tuxedo in plain black silk and wide-legged pants fashioned from one saree's pinstripe pattern.
'This was challenging because we were getting womenswear pieces'
In his post, Vijay stated, "When Prateik called me up asking me to dress him up for the Indian premiere of #Manthan, #SmitaPatil's first movie that was shown at the recent Cannes Film Festival, I knew I had to bring in elements of Smita Patil's style into his look, (sic)." He further explained, "This was challenging because we were getting womenswear pieces & moreover we didn't know what we would end up finding from Smita Patil's wardrobe."
Babbar's girlfriend honored Patil with saree and jewelry
Babbar was joined at the screening by his girlfriend, actor Priya Banerjee, who also paid tribute to Patil by wearing one of her sarees and jewelry. Banerjee expressed her gratitude on Instagram and reflected on the significance of the saree. "The sari is called Tanchoi. Smita Ma did the film Dard Ka Rishta for Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation and for that function in the USA large crowd had gathered...She wore this sari."
'Manthan' screening at Cannes
Last month, Shyam Benegal's acclaimed film Manthan, regained attention as its restored version premiered at the Cannes Film Festival under the Cannes Classics segment. The 1976 film, inspired by Dr. Verghese Kurien's milk cooperative movement, played a significant role in transforming India into one of the world's largest milk producers. Among other attendees were Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Dr. Kurien's daughter Nirmala Kurien, and Amul MD Jayen Mehta.
