Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana Khan got severely criticized earlier this year for featuring on the cover of the August edition of Vogue.
The cover, which was launched by SRK himself on July 31 at Vogue Beauty Awards, described the 18-year-old as 'Student, Theatre Lover, Future Star.' It's the end part that enraged everyone. Not only did it just revive the debate around nepotism and privilege, it also questioned the fashion glossy's ethics.
After all the backlash one would expect Vogue to be sulking in some corner and perhaps regretting their decision but no, they are still very proud of their decision.
Here are a few facts about the August issue that will leave you wide-eyed and perhaps help you understand what exactly went behind Suhana's controversial magazine debut -
1 ) It was kind of a barter between Vogue and Shah Rukh Khan
"The beauty awards are quite blah. They need a huge star's presence to infuse some life into it. Putting Suhana on the cover would also ensure that Shah Rukh Khan launches it (which he did). Ultimately, an award ceremony relies heavily on star presence so the decision to put her on the cover is strategic for both, Shah Rukh and Vogue," an insider told Huffingtonpost.
"In all honesty, it was an absolutely mutual decision. Nobody put a gun to our head to do it, right...It was as much our dream to get her on the cover as much as it was Shah Rukh's. It was an extremely mutual call to go ahead with this.," a Condé Nast employee told the website on condition of anonymity.
"It happened quite organically when both, Mr. Khan and we felt was the right time to do it. We are still quite proud of the cover," the employee affirmed.
2 ) It was Shah Rukh's dream to see Suhana on Vogue's cover
"In the past, Khan had hinted on more than one occasion, to people at Vogue, that it was his dream to see Suhana on Vogue's cover. His team worked very closely with the magazine for over a month, going meticulously over every detail to ensure the perfect mag debut for Suhana," stated a report in Huffingtonpost.
3 ) Shah Rukh was as much a part of the process as Gauri
"When the photoshoot took place at Famous Studios in Mahalaxmi, Khan was monitoring the situation through a video call while mother Gauri was present with Suhana on the set," Huffpost's report stated.
"It helped that Anaita Shroff Adjania, who's Vogue's Fashion Director, is a longtime pal of Mr. Khan and is very close to the family. So they knew their daughter was in safe hands as Shroff was involved in every aspect of the photo shoot," another insider revealed.
4 ) It was a mutual decision to portray a sexy image of Suhana
"Suhana is an outdoorsy, sporty girl who enjoys athletics but the teams took a decision to position her as 'young, fun, sexy,' something that blends seamlessly into the Bollywood narrative of a star-in-the-making," the same insider told Huffpost.
5 ) A marketing exercise?
"Often, a Bollywood star is not the first choice of an editor for the cover but that's how the business aspect of it works. The brands don't care much about a model. They want A-listers because they use the cover to promote their brand on other platforms," Vogue's editor confided.
6 ) Vogue is proud of their decision, nevertheless
"Our readers are interested in stories about successful stars as much as they are interested in stories about new stars in the making. Star kids, with their semi-charmed lives, elicit immense curiosity among our audience. You can tell from the huge social media following these youngsters enjoy. The amount of attention the cover is receiving is clearly an indication that people are interested in Suhana Khan and in Vogue." Vogue explained their decision to Huffpost in an official statement.
"We have placed our bets on Suhana with our August cover. And only time will tell if it's us or the naysayers who have the last laugh."
