Ace stylists like Sabysachi Mukherjee and Manish Malhotra are eyeing Bollywood with plans to direct movies on romance, art and more. Though their numbers are still small, fashion designers turning movie directors seems to be quite the fad.

Kolkata-based Mukherjee has said that he is ready with the script for his directorial debut and that he has also finalised the actors and producer for his venture.

Calling it a natural progression, Mukherjee told: "I won't reveal much about my project, but all I can say is the idea to direct a movie is not new. I wanted to do it for a long time and it is just a matter of right time."

Mukherjee, who designed for movies like "Black", "Baabul" and "Paa", said his film will have nothing to do with the fashion industry; it would be based on the life of a painter.

His colleague, designer Rahul Jain of the label Sirali, is however making a film on the fashion world and the idea struck him after he watched Madhur Bhandarkar's "Fashion".

"Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to make a movie. It was just a matter of time. After watching 'Fashion', I decided to go ahead with my dream. It was a very bad movie. I didn't like it at all, " said Jain.

"I'm making this movie just to break the notion that fashion is only about glamour. A lot of hard work goes behind it. The movie will talk about the pain, agony and discrimination that goes into this fashion circuit. It is not based on any fiction but all that I have observed, seen and dared to talk about, " he added.

Jain is currently working on the script and plans to work on post-production next year.

Celebrity designer Manish Malhotra too wants to try his luck in the film business by going behind the camera.

"I very much want to do that. But fashion shows, movies and personal clients keep me so busy that I find it difficult to take out time and work on it. Hopefully, I will start the process next year, " Malhotra told.

"It will be a love story. I can't reveal much about it. Just wait and watch, " he added.

Malhotra has designed for movies like "Raja Hindustani", "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai", "Dhadkan", "Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai", "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham" and "Kal Ho Naa Ho".

According to Jain, big screen is the best way to reach out to people and present your ideas and views.

"There are times when you want to throw light on some subjects that have been misinterpreted by media or filmmakers; this medium is the best way to reach out to people, " Jain explained.

Young designer Nitin Bal Chauhan, who tries to express his feelings through his clothes, prefers making a documentary. He directed "Lost or Found" (2006) that was nominated for best cinematography at The Art House in Singapore as part of the Asian Festival of First Films 2006.

For Chauhan, expressing his emotions through documentaries is much better than directing a movie.

"I am more comfortable directing documentaries - they are short and to the point. They are the best way to express what you feel about certain topics and don't require that much investment, " he said.

"It's just a mode of expression. If you want to express something and know how to do it, you can go ahead with it, " he added.

In 2007, Mumbai-based designer Vikram Phadnis too had talked about his plans to direct, but hasn't started working on the project.

Phadnis too is associated with the Hindi film industry - he designed for movies like "Mujhse Shaadi Karoge", "Salaam Namaste" and "Salaam-E-Ishq".