BENGALURU: Alia Bhatt’s fashion picks have always managed to create the right buzz...At the Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya earlier this week, the actor was at it again. For the auspicious moment, Bhatt wore a turquoise-coloured Mysore silk.
The saree was styled by celebrity stylist Ami Patel and was designed by Madhurya, a city-based revival boutique for Indian weaves. The saree showcases intricate scenes from the Ramayana, such as the breaking of Shiva’s bow, King Dasharatha’s promise, Lord Rama’s journey with Guha, the golden deer, crossing the Laxman Rekha, the Ram-Setu in all its glory, Lord Hanuman presenting Sita with Lord Rama’s ring, and Rama’s coronation.
The ones who brought this saree to life are traditional artists Sashi Bala (Kalamkari) and Sujit Behera (Pattachitra artist). “We had to paint on the saree continuously, day and night. The difficulty was only for a short time. We are traditional artists who have been painting epics for years. But such intricate work needs time,” says Behera, adding that this kind of work usually takes 10-15 days, however, for this special moment, it was done in three to four days.
Patel, who conceptualised the look, calls it ‘an iconic saree for an epic event’. “It’s wonderful that Alia is supporting traditional Indian handicraft textile art. This will encourage the next generation to wear these kind of art forms and also be a boost to our indigenous textile and art industry. Earlier, it was just a small group of people who were interested in textiles. But this has just created a larger awareness, so I would say ‘kudos’ to Alia!” says Patel, adding that she also made the matching batwa (purse) for her.
Patel put the whole look together with a blue shawl from Dusala, Kashmir. According to Bharathy Harish, from Madhurya, the Mysore silk usually has a 3-4inch gap between zaris and the idea was to paint the scenes from the Ramayana in between them. “We just chose the most important events, those that come to mind when you think of Lord Rama and Sita’s life,” she says.