Madhav Agasthi, Mumbai-based veteran designer and well-known tailor for actors, politicians and businessmen, wears only white. He has added colour to the wardrobe and appearance of many famous men and designed the outfit for Mogambo, the villain played by Amrish Puri in Mr India, a character that still makes any child brought up during the 1980s tremble. Madhav is 65, yet the sound of the pair of scissors running through fresh fabric thrill him like at 14, when he first cut a piece of cloth in Nagpur. He has not put down his scissors and does not intend to retire soon. He says, “The word retire does not exist in my dictionary. Till the time I can lift my scissors and make clothes I will do it.”
Having started in Bollywood in the early 1970s and continued through the 1980s, today he tailors for businessmen, lawyers and politicians such as Sushil Kumar Shinde, Jawaharlal Darda and many more big names in Delhi whom he prefers not to name. People in Mumbai prefer to come to his store MMM (Madhav Men’s Mode) in Bandra and personally select the fabric .
Shantanu, the younger of Madhav’s sons, a management graduate from IIM-Bangalore, is currently involved in the family business. Rahul, the elder one, designs only men’s wear. Rahul has a boutique in Juhu.
Shantanu says, “When I got involved in the business two years ago and started taking stock of the situation, I realised we needed a new look for the store to cater to the current set of clients and also for the prospective new clients that we intend to get. We also wanted something simple yet modern. There needed to be a balance between modernity and tradition.” The store was recently revamped and so was the logo. Today, MMM not only deals with politicians but also caters to bridegrooms. The store also has a new website and is now positioned as a global brand catering to customers from the world over.
“The rebranding solidifies the reputation we have built over so many years,” adds Shantanu. He is now planning a new project called Travelling Tailor. The three designers will travel anywhere across the country to offer the clients personalised designing and tailoring services. Madhav started as a costume designer in films in 1975 after he came to Mumbai in 1973. He worked for Super Tailors who stitched outfits for Bollywood heroes and took his first solo project of stitching for films with Apne Paraye in 1979. He designed clothes for over 400 movies. Shantanu makes an observation on his dad. “Despite being in the business for 40 years, he is still willing to learn its latest nuances. He is receptive to change.”
Madhav loved stitching for actors of yore, particularly villains like Pran, Ranjit, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri to name just a few. He says, “I enjoyed designing clothes for villains. It was more creative. I was also a get-up specialist for villains.” The lesser-known secret about Madhav is that he was also popular in the South. He has worked with directors T Ramarao, S A Chandrashekhar, K Vishwanath, Priyadarshan, Shankar, Chiranjeevi, to name a few.
Today, however, he doesn’t take up Bollywood assignments. He says, “Ranjit, Pran Saab, Jeevan Saab, Amrish Puri and many others were very involved when it came to their outfits for the films. They would in fact go to the extent of even choosing the fabric for their suits. Also, I was not just a designer. I used to tell the movie guys what to do, from choosing the right pen down to the shoes sometimes.”
What is different about tailoring for the politicians? He explains, “Today, the politicians are more dress-conscious. Earlier, a politician wore only white but, today, they wear colours and they are stylish too.”
Fit as a fiddle, Madhav travels eight days in a month on appointments for tailoring suits, Nehru Jackets for politicians and businessmen. ‘They like to meet me once a month,” he says. Madhav also has the distinction of having tailored for Mohammad Ali, the boxing legend. “I was introduced to him by Sunil Duttji and the first garment I tailored for him was a lungi and kurta,” adds Madhav. He has also tailored suits for Ali. The boxer’s favourite colours were navy blue and black. The outfits hanging on the clothesline in his store don’t carry price tags. “All our clothes are customised so the price varies,” adds Madhav.