Bangalore, Nov 28: It was during one of the fashion shows that I was first introduced to Prasad Bidapa, ‘The Style Guru’ as he is known in Bangalore. A very unassuming, friendly person but always on the move. I was impressed by his personality and dedication to his work and the attention he paid for everything to be just right. Since then I have had the opportunity to meet him again several times more and recently I caught up with him at Windsor Manor where he was responsible for choreographing India’s top models for Satya Paul’s fashion show.
This particular fashion show meant a lot to me personally for the simple reason, it was conducted to raise funds for breast cancer awareness. Celebrities like Wendell Rodricks, Shobha Dey, Geethanjali Kirloskar attended this show and I tagged along Prasad Bidapa. He was so particular about the lighting, the music….he told me, so many shows fail because the choreographer has no feel for the lighting nor the music….I have now attended several shows and I know, each show is different and has its own character. Stage manager, wardrobe- in- charge, hair stylist, makeup artist, music coordinator, lighting and sound technologist, set designer ? Prasad is everything rolled into one.
I met Prasad Bidapa again on November 23, 2004…in his office, hoping to catch him when he was not busy! I was in for a big surprise, the telephone never stopped ringing, new aspiring models were being interviewd but still he made time to talk with me.
Prasad Bidapa is a well known fashion personality in India, and his work involves several aspects of fashion – from the many fashion columns he writes to the staging some of the country’s most directional fashion shows and events. His work in the area of Image Consultancy is considered state-of the -art and his clients are not just in India but are also abroad. His work regularly appears in national newspapers and magazines and he was on the cover of India Today in January 1998 as one of India’s most influential Style Entrepreneurs.He is frequently seen on national television shows and his opinion is held at high esteem. He is a consultant in the field of garment design and he often designs specialized collections for various clients.
His public relation network is considered to be one of the best in the country and he interacts with a wide variety publications and media from his office in Bangalore. A production staff of 15 help him in every aspect of his work, from photography and styling to experts in choreography, sound and light systems, stage planning, design and execution and event management of a wide variety of shows, product launches, contests and promotions.
In the past 20 years since the inception of his company Prasad Bidapa Associates, Prasad Bidapa has been in the forefront of the Indian Fashion Industry. He decided to move to Bangalore mainly because of his aging parents. He was born in Coimbotore. His pioneering work in the field of Fashion Modeling has been widely acclaimed, and he is responsible for having trained and launched many of India’s leading models. His model management division coordinates shows and model bookings all over the world, and has associates in Paris, London, Milan, San Francisco and Singapore use his services regularly and on a permanent basis. “Our models often make the transition to the film industry, and we train and groom them for their careers in film and televison” Prasad said.
With India poised to enter the worldwide common market, and the influx of foreign brands and various products into the country, Prasad Bidapa is all set to become one of the largest niche agencies in India. He also added that ” we are one of the first choices for multinationals and the corporate world in the various product launches planned by them” His client list includes United Breweries, Titan Watch, Board of control India, Birla 3M, Bank of Muscat, MRF Tyres, Indian Airline and list goes on and on…….
Of late, in addition to his fashion related work, he has also written cook books.And is well liked by all his models. Perhaps there is a secret recipe in there about how to keep fit and look beautiful, I asked….his response was..”it is for everybody”….
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Author: Dr. K.B. Mallya