Odishatv Bureau
Mumbai: Fashion designer Vikram Phadnis, who has been working on his directorial debut for quite some time, says he might add a touch of rural India to his film.

The Mumbai-based designer has decided to showcase a non-glamorous collection - 'Swades', inspired by rural India during the summer-resort edition of Lakme Fashion Week, when the five-day fashion extravaganza begins here from March 22.

"I have plans to direct a film. Hopefully I will start shooting this year. But as of now I have not finalised anything. I am right now busy with 'Swades'," Vikram said in an interview here.

Vikram said he would like to add an element of rural India in his film.
"I went to a number of villages and I think all that I saw will probably reflect in my film. You never know, if I am impressed I might use something out of it for my film," he said.

When asked if the film would be about the fashion world, he said he had no idea. "I can't tell much...it will be like revealing a lot of information!"

Vikram has partnered with Swades Foundation, an NGO working for the empowerment of rural India for the fashion show. To get first-hand information on rural life he visited many villages.

"When you sit at home you don't realise what rural India is all about. People feel rural India is about fields, wells, bricks, bullock carts, etc. But there is a lot more to life than just this. The rural India is real India. It is something that makes us grow. That is what will be transpired into my collection," he said.

Talking about the Lakme Fashion Week, the designer said, "The kind of work that they do in the interiors is brilliant.And that is my inspiration for this collection. It is about the colours of earth, sun, fire, energy. The whole presentation of the show that I am doing is not just a fashion show, but what 'Swades' is about and what it stands for."

"When you think of rural empowerment and the country, one thing you feel is that the clothes will be based on villages... Normally I do lot of glamorous clothes with bling and a lot of stone work. But this will be different," he added.

When asked if any celebrity would be roped in as a show stopper, Vikram said, "When I say I have a show stopper people say I have a Bollywood angle and when I don't, they say I have lost my touch. So for the first time I want to surprise people. Anybody who misses that night will miss a lot of things. I am not going to say much about the show stopper."

"It is something that will be an experience worth watching. It is going to be something unexpected, to know about the show stopper, celebrity presence, drama, stage light. Just wait and watch," he said.

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