By Rohit William Wadhwaney
A MUMBAI tabloid mistook him for a ‘Sheikh’ and a Dubai daily national wrote a three-page sympathetic article on him. However, Doha-resident Sultan is nothing more than one of the hundreds of men around the globe smitten by Aishwarya Rai, one of the world’s most beautiful women.
However, one thing that sets the mediocre fashion designer apart from the rest of the Indian diva’s fans is that he probably is the craziest of them all.
Sultan, who runs a boutique at Doha’s Gharrafa Shopping Complex, has in the last eight years spent "about QR1.5mn" creating gowns dedicated to the former Miss World. The 25-odd rather loud gowns that Sultan has designed have Aishwarya’s face or eyes painted on them.
The 38-year-old designer, who has lived in Doha for the past 10 years, claims he makes about QR10,000 a month on an average selling regular dresses to Qatari women.
And every penny of his earnings goes towards designing the not-for-sale Aishwarya gowns. Sultan hopes "one day she’ll wear them."
Sultan has just returned to Doha from his hometown Mumbai where he had gone not to meet his wife or two daughters, but to woo his obsession.
For two full months Sultan spent hours each day outside the 32-year-old actress’ home hoping to meet and present her with the gowns, better still, make her fall head-over-heels in love with the designs and himself.
Aishwarya, however, seemed least interested. Apart from the fact that the actress is hardly ever home, with hectic outdoor schedules in various parts of the world, Aishwarya’s mother actually asked the watchman to have Sultan arrested.
Realising things were not exactly going as planned, Sultan returned to Doha more determined than before to carry on with his obsession.
"I can’t help it. I’m just crazy about her," he says. "My heart tells me what I am doing is right."
Sultan is currently making a 20-meter long crystal-studded dress with Rai featuring on it. He claims it will cost him approximately QR300,000. This at a time when Sultan’s family back in Mumbai is struggling to make ends meet.
Needless to say Sultan does not bother to send any money to his wife and two daughters. Rather surprisingly, he has no regrets.
"Like I said, I am doing what my heart’s tells me. No one else understands my pain, my love for her. Even my family. In fact, my family has totally given up on me. They know I’m not going to change. They’re right," Sultan told Gulf Times.
Sultan’s obsession gained publicity after Mumbai tabloid Mid-Day had an employee wear one of his Aishwarya Rai gowns and sent her to a Page 3 party. The loud design sparked a media frenzy.
Renny Jhaveri, the woman who wore the gown, was quoted as saying: "I initially hesitated wearing it. I go for understated clothes and this had Aishwarya in the front and Shah Rukh Khan on my back! I nearly called in sick, but my friends backed me up."
Sultan is, however, quite happy with all the publicity, feeling the actress is at least now aware of him. However, he is upset that the Dubai-based Gulf News reported that Aishwarya’s mother wanted him arrested.
"Aishwarya will read that and she’ll get angry," he says adding quickly "do you have her contact number or e-mail address? I’ll apologise personally."
Sultan is currently trying his best to get hold of the actress’ contact details - from making desperate phone calls to a few friends in Mumbai, to asking anyone he meets from the media. He wants to ask her for her measurements so that the QR300,000 dress he’s making would fit her perfectly.
"I know she’ll wear it someday," he says. "But even if she doesn’t, I’ll still go on making dresses for her. At least it’ll make me feel she’s near me." |
