When social media took India by storm, Manish Malhotra was among the first entrepreneurs who saw potential in it for the movies and took it ahead. “That is why today I have the highest following in South-East Asia as a designer,” the celebrated couturier and Bollywood costume stylist said on PeepingMoon.com’s ‘BenchMARK Conversations’ podcast presented by Reliance Digital. “When you’re the first person to recognise something and move on that path, you always benefit from that. I’ve benefited by being the costume designer and stylist changing everything.”

He added that while earlier, the audience was not so knowledgeable, so they were forgiving. But that has changed. Everybody has knowledge and also an opinion. And youngsters have social media stress and anxiety because there are so many critics speaking about them, “I say, see where the criticism is coming from, it is a biased point of view, envy, is there something correct in that? It’s all kinds. Constructive criticism should be taken. Everybody’s not going to like you or what you do. And they’re absolutely entitled to have their opinions.” He dealt with it himself in this manner. “Besides, I was so busy, there were too many clothes to deliver!”

Watch ‘BenchMARK Conversations’ with Manish Malhotra on: