Indian designer claims Veena didn’t return saris worth INR600,000

Veena denies claims, says she ‘does not even know the designer’.

Celebrities endorsing certain brands might benefit designers in terms of publicity, but things can get tricky when stars do not return clothes they borrowed. Delhi-based designer Kapil Arora claims that actor Veena Malik borrowed 15 saris from him and returned only five, reported the Hindustan Times.

Arora alleges that Veena kept 10 costly saris for herself after flaunting them at a series of events. According to him, the total cost of the saris amounts to INR600,000. “It’s been a year since she [Veena] borrowed the outfits, and we’ve made countless calls to her and her stylist, but they have never bothered to respond,” said Arora. “It’s very frustrating to keep begging for your own money or outfits. We see her wearing our saris often on TV, but we are helpless.”

Veena rebuffed the designer’s claim and said that she does not know who he is. “This is just a stunt to malign me. I don’t even know Kapil Arora. This is a complete lie. My stylist did borrow a few saris from a designer and I paid my stylist. Why has this designer woken up after a year?”

His wife, Monika, who is also a designer was appalled by the incident and wants to be cautious when it comes to lending clothes now. “We will never ever lend our outfits to anyone without charging for it first,” she said.

Designer Rina Dhaka says it is not the first time something like this has happened. “Actors do not care about outfits given to them; they stamp on, and stain them. They are as careless as kids. If you loan a garment for a film, it’s even worse.”

Another designer, Nida Mahmood, added: “Celebrities don’t give a thought to the months that go into putting the dress together. It has to be a two-way thing. If our design gets publicity, they [actors] also look good wearing the outfit. They should have respect for the outfit and the designer.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2013.

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