Tahira Kashyap says her hairstyles have been a reflection of her 'personal journey'

pic/Instagram

Director Tahira Kashyap, who is also the wife of Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana, recently walked the ramp for celebrity designer Manish Malhotra at a fashion event in the city marking her third time on the ramp. Earlier, she walked the ramp a few years ago in two different looks. The first time, she sported a completely bald look, the second with a little hair, and the third with dense hair. Tahira shared that her hair has helped her understand the deeper nuances of vanity, beauty, and perception.

Tahira Kashyap told IANS, "My hair journey has been incredibly transformative. It's taught me so much about vanity, beauty, and, most importantly, perception and perspective, showing me that nothing can be put in a box".

She continued, "I went through three distinct looks when I went bald, losing my hair not by choice, but I chose to embrace the bald look, and I genuinely liked how I looked. It really challenged conventional ideas of beauty, and, to be honest, I felt beautiful in that phase, too".

She further mentioned that her hair is a reflection of her journey. She shared, "As my hair started growing back into a short crop, and eventually became long again, I loved that look just as much. I've since chopped it back, and I realise that my hair, in its various stages, has been a reflection of my personal journey".

In 2018, Tahira was diagnosed with stage 0 breast cancer. In 2019, she underwent a mastectomy.

She also explained how walking the ramp for such causes raises awareness, as she said, "I believe when you have someone like Manish Malhotra involved, and then the PMO also associated with the project, everything naturally becomes bigger, the scale, the platform, and the message you're conveying. It amplifies the reach and impact".

"Whether it's a ramp walk or any platform, when the scale is larger, the message resonates more strongly with the audience because of the reach. So, with Manish's incredible costumes and the platform we had, I really hope the message went beyond just the fashion, and I believe it did", she added.

Tahira also put out a message out there for all women with regards to their health.

She said, "The only advice is early breast cancer detection. If you are talking about breast cancer. Take your body seriously, if there are any changes don't sit on it. Please reach out to your doctor at the earliest. Keep doing self examinations and apart from that keep your mental and physical health into consideration".

You could be physically fit and mentally not in place and that can also be a cause of stress. It can lead to physiological problems. My advice is to retake your body and yourself seriously. Root for yourself, be your biggest cheerleader", she added.