Director Madhur Bhandarkar remembers Rohit Bal: Fashion will never be the same

Fashion designer Rohit Bal died at 63 on Friday, November 1 in Gurugram after battling heart issues. His friend and film-maker Madhur Bhandarkar remembered him as a fashion icon. While speaking exclusively to India Today Digital, the director recalled his days of interacting with the designer during the research of his 2008 hit film, Fashion, which featured Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut in the lead.
Bhandarkar called the news of Bal’s death ‘shocking’. He said, “I just saw the news and it’s very shocking. I had known him for around 15 years. I remember meeting him during the research of Fashion. I remember his input on style and fashion, and everything else. We used to interact, talk to each other, at Delhi Fashion Week or whenever he used to come to Mumbai. He was very stylish and very innovative as a designer. He inspired so many designers. People used to always look forward to Rohit Bal’s designs and his cuts, his style. Fashion would never be the same without Rohit. The style he infused into the fashion industry (was incredible).”
Bhandarkar shared that while he failed to meet the late designer in the last 5–6 years, he always kept checking on his health through common friends and colleagues. The National Award-winning director said he was in Delhi during the recently happened Lakme Fashion Week when he got to know about Bal making his comeback on the ramp with a fashion show. “Just 10–12 days back, I walked at Lakme Fashion Week for another designer friend of mine, Rohit Kamra. And the same evening, there was Rohit Bal’s event at another hotel in Delhi. My show took time and I thought ‘let’s see if I’ll get to meet him later’,” he said.
Bhandarkar added, “I think from the last 5-6, he was absent from the horizon of the fashion industry. He was not well. I used to keep asking people about his health. He was hospitalised. He was completely in his own world. But, I was very happy that day when I came to know that Rohit was doing a show. I really missed him. I felt very happy about him coming back after a long time.”
The director further expressed his happiness over the fact that Bal seemed his usual jovial self when he stepped back on the ramp earlier this year. “Ranbir (Kapoor) and Ananya (Panday) walked the ramp, I believe. I couldn’t make it because of distance and other reasons. I felt genuinely happy for him because he was finally back to doing what made him really happy, returning to the ground that he loved so much,” he explained.
Bhandarkar shared how the late designer would create his own kind of vibe while attending his fashion shows. He said, “I saw his pictures the next day. He would always dance and always enter the stage towards the end of his show. He had a style and would swing completely. He had always encouraged me. He loved Fashion and would always speak about things from the film.
I always used to pray for him and send my best wishes to him.”
The director went on to describe the void that the designer’s death has caused in the fashion industry. He called Bal an ‘icon’ and said, “Rohit Bal has been an icon. He was a trend-setter. People would swear by his name. He became a big face in the fashion industry. People wanted to wear his clothes – politicians, businessmen, Bollywood celebs – all of them. His shows would be packed, and we would watch his collection so keenly. The moment Rohit Bal entered the stage, there would be euphoria on the ramp. He started doing things at a very young age and brilliantly portrayed his collection.”
Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sidharth Malhotra, Sabyasachi, Aditi Rao Hydari, Ananya Panday and Sonam Kapoor, among other Bollywood celebs paid their final tributes to Rohit Bal by writing emotional notes on social media.
Bal had been suffering from a heart ailment since last year. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram in November 2023. The fashion designer was rushed to the hospital due to complications related to a pre-existing cardiac condition.
He made his comeback to work earlier this year and showcased his last show at the Lakme India Fashion Week last month in Delhi. The designer stumbled on the ramp, leaving fans worried about his health.