Chennai| Shalini Passi of ‘Fabulous Lives Vs Bollywood Wives’ speaks about fashion, fame, and art at Madras Art Weekend

Shalini Passi, a vibrant art collector and philanthropist, shares her journey from Fabulous Lives to showcasing Indian artistry globally.

Shalini Passi is a vibe. Even when she is frazzled, there is a sense of calm about her. After her talk on Women in Artistry at the Madras Art Weekend (MAW), we sit down for a chat in her suite at the Park Hyatt. Between answering calls, instructing her staff, sipping fresh juice, and getting ready for the inauguration of MAW (within a span of 30 minutes I saw her in three different outfits), she says, “I was in Doha, I landed at 3am in Chennai.”

But she is not complaining. “I have always enjoyed the hectic pace of things. I like keeping my days full. I take time to strategise and think in the evenings,” she says. An art collector and philanthropist from Delhi, Shalini became a national sensation... or should we say global, after her debut this year on Fabulous Lives Vs Bollywood Wives on Netflix. The reach of the show is massive, she says. “It’s telecast all over the world and also been translated into many languages. Post the show, it has been heart-warming to have fans come see me in hotels and airports. What I felt really proud about was the security personnel at airports gushing over me,” she smiles.

This transition to television came at a time when Shalini was herself planning to start a travel and art show. She believes that for too long India has been depicted as a country that is poor, backward, and with a divided society. She says she wants to showcase “an India that is hopeful, while showcasing craft and design of people rooted in tradition,” adding that she travelled around India shooting in Leh, Ladakh, Puducherry, Mamallapuram, Jodhpur, Udaipur, and Dharamshala. But she needed to build her own audience. Which is when Karan Johar asked her if she would be interested in the third season of Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives. “Everything has its time, and this was a good time to build, and reach a larger audience,” she says.

And will we see her in the next season? “Ask Netflix,” she smiles. Ever since the show came out in October this year, she has received both bouquets and brickbats. Memes about her are also flooding social media. “I find them really funny. I didn’t think anyone else would find them funny or interesting or relate to them. It’s crazy that thousands of people are using their voice and making videos,” she says.

For MAW, Shalini brings Milaaya, an embroidery atelier founded by Gayatri Khanna to Chennai. This is a collaboration with MASH (a digital platform started by her that explores the intersection of art, architecture, fashion, design, and craft) . ”We are showcasing the works of Indian Modern Masters that have been translated into beautiful embroidery by Milaaya Studio,” she says. Shalini has her heart in art. “I wanted to be an artist or an architect, and trained under painter Bishamber Khanna. I studied all the artists I am collecting now. Whether it is Raza’s works or Husain’s strokes, when you study art you also study art history,” she explains. She says the first piece of art she bought was a painting by MF Husain. Her house is now like a museum, bursting with art work, sculptures and installations.

Apart from art, she also has an eye for fashion. And her choice of outfits — some over-the-top including the Cleopatra-inspired ensemble replete with headgear, and daggers — on Fabulous Lives... is testament to that. “My fashion is eclectic. It’s very me. I don’t have the intention of being the ‘it’ girl. I just want to wear things I find fun” she says. And as for the most outrageous outfit she has donned so far, she says, “That’s still in the pipeline.”