‘My aunt has been my backbone’ - Maheswari, Sridevi's niece

After her Nandi Award for Nee Kosam in 1997 and appearing in Tirumala Tirupathi Venkatesa in 2000, actress Maheswari was missing from the industry. Five years ago, she briefly hit the headlines again with her marriage to software engineer Jayakrishnan in Tirupati.

Since then, she’s been with her husband in the city, consciously spending time building a foundation for her marriage. However, she recently rediscovered a passion that she had been nursing since childhood — fashion designing.

Now, all set to enter the fashion business, the niece of Sridevi says that her foray into fashion designing was only possible because of her aunt’s support. “I wanted to design since the time I was a child. But I hesitated to make that leap as I haven’t done any course. So two years ago, I started by designing clothes only for myself,” she says.

At a family dinner, Sridevi noticed her outfit and wanted Maheswari to design clothes for her. “I’ve worked with her for the Tanishq advertisement, the ad for a water purifier and another one that is yet to release. When she received the Padma Shri from Pranab Mukherjee, she had worn my design. I’ve designed for her daughters for the IIFA and for her for SIIMA,” she says.

“In the two years that I have been working, my aunt has been my backbone. She filled the gap that was there with  technical knowledge. She would guide me about the smallest detail as well. Most importantly, she told me how I should conduct myself professionally as a designer,” she adds.

At the launch at Angasutra on December 1, Maheswari’s Western line will make a debut. Sridevi is also expected to make an appearance.  “Largely, in the South, there is a need for designers who do western wear. That’s why I decided to unveil evening gowns and Western wear for the  party season,” she says.