Bollywood was such a huge part of our household. As a teen, there may have been a gap in my knowledge of American culture—pop songs or iconic movies that I didn’t know about—but never with Hindi cinema. Bollywood is stitched into the fabric of my being,” Lilly Singh tells me over Zoom. I’m talking to the famous Indo-Canadian comedian from my bed as though we were old friends catching up after a brief gap. Singh, who has connected from her home studio in Los Angeles, also appears completely at ease. She is dressed in a simple T-shirt and blazer, her long hair tied in a loose half-bun, eyes uncharacteristically stripped of kohl. Even her trademark exuberance appears to have been dialled down—she solemnly considers each question I throw at her instead of lacing her responses with her usual blend of spontaneous quirkiness. “The first movie I ever watched was Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994),” she says with a smile, when I ask her how she knows so much about the Hindi film industry despite being born miles away from Indian soil. “I saw Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) thrice on the big screen and growing up, my walls were plastered with posters of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Madhuri Dixit. I also had a huge pile of Stardust magazines to keep abreast of Hindi cinema.”
This story is from the April 2022 edition of VOGUE India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2022 edition of VOGUE India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Real Deal
Triptii Dimri's unfiltered spirit shines through as she races ahead on her journey to the field of stars.
Mrs.Prada
Almost everyone refers to Miuccia Prada in the most formal of ways, but she herself has never been one to stand on ceremony. WENDELL STEAVENSON meets a designer who has built an empire in her own image: iconic, iconoclastic and enormously influential.
Happily ever laughter
South Asians have long clamoured for a seat at the comedy table. Now, Vidura BR, Sabeen Sadiq, Hari Kondabolu and Abby Govindan are in on all the jokes
Anchors aweigh
Having moved houses almost every year of her life, KALYANI ADHAV's experiences are proof that home is not a place, it's a feeling
Console sisters
India's female gamers are rewriting the age-old narrative that views women as objects of desire or damsels in need of saving.
Soft serve
His untimely disappearance from the big screen nine years ago may have caused serious heartburn, but Imran Khan is ready to pick up where he left off-with a few upgrades.
The end of olitter?
Or are we just at the beginning—of a new era of microplastic-free, perfectly-healthy-to-eat sparkle. TAMAR ADLER reports on glitz to feel good about
Smooth operator
Can retinol pack the wrinkle-reducing power without the irritation? Chloe Malle test-drives a new generation of kinder formulas rebooting the superstar skincare ingredient
The great gamble
At the Gucci Ancora showcase in Singapore, Vogue India got within a hair’s breadth of Sabato De Sarno’s debut collection. ROCHELLE PINTO reports on the new direction
Blue jean baby
LEE X Suneet Varma's collaboration featuring Sara Ali Khan merges classic denim with Indian couture.