Despite Ananya Panday’s global ambassador-ship of Chanel, the actor remains—to borrow from the Gen Z parlance—desi at heart. This desi-ness makes its way to the fore time and again through her wardrobe choices at wedding ceremonies, movie promotions and public appearances. Recently, for an awards ceremony in Mumbai honoring Marathi cinema, the actor went hyper-specific with her look and chose to wear a Paithani sari as an ode to Maharashtra and its cultural heritage from the atelier of designer Manish Malhotra.
Handwoven in Maharashtra, the royal blue silk sari with antique silver zari details features all symbolisms that make this sari a ‘Paithani’. The peacock, a recurring motif in these special saris woven in pockets across the state, features in Malhotra’s version as miniature buttis, scattered across the body, and on the pallu in jewel tone colours. The couturier adds his design slant to the traditional sari by supplementing the main border, which features heritage geometric patterns with lines, with a contrasting one that is hand-embroidered with antique zardozi and embellished with sequins. Stylist Priyanka Kapadia lends her contemporary edge to the look by switching out a regular blouse for an off-the-shoulder bandeau top that feels novel when paired with an otherwise heritage sari.
For accessories, the actor wore a choker with tear drop-shaped gold emblems sandwiched between layers of enamel detailing, and finished with cascading gold beads inspired by the mohanmaal—a heritage necklace style of the state of Maharashtra. She finished the look with a clean bun, decorated with exotic flowers.
The designer had showcased a series of Paithani saris on the ramp in a show in Mumbai in October 2024. This sari, among many shown on the occasion—including a neon green and rani pink number worn by actor Sonali Bendre—is a testament to Malhotra’s continued commitment to supporting Indian handloom and indigenous crafts and weaving techniques.
Also read:
Ananya Panday wore a Gaurav Gupta sari gown featuring cascading crystal tassels
Dia Mirza’s powder blue sari brings cross-stitch-inspired floral motifs to the fore
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s previously unseen Tony Ward gown took 600 hours to make
