As a modern Indian girl, what does heritage style mean to you?

Heritage style, to me, is all about feeling inspired by classic tailoring, things of the past, and beautiful pieces that have stood the test of time, while mixing them with a little bit of modernity. I always tend to veer towards classic styles, not only in the clothes I wear or in my interior design style, but in my design aesthetic in general, across every aspect of how I live my day-to-day life.

What is the best way to incorporate Indian craft while dressing for festive occasions?

I absolutely love buying pieces of clothing from designers I’ve worked with throughout my career, and even before my career began. I also have a very keen interest in sourcing beautiful fabrics and clothes from my travels across India. A large part of my work involves travelling to different parts of the country when we’re filming or rehearsing, and that has really opened my eyes to the incredible richness of Indian craft. I love to mix and match my Nani’s sarees, her jewellery and her gorgeous little vintage bags, all consciously sourced back in the day, with pieces that I’ve collected over the years from different corners of India. We have such a diverse and vast history in textiles and crafts, along with a great understanding of beauty and all things design-related, particularly jewellery and textiles. For me, it’s such an exciting subject, and something I genuinely love talking about.
I think the best way to incorporate Indian craft into your life is to first take the time to understand it, where it comes from, from the different styles and techniques to the history and legacy behind them. I think that’s a wonderful place to start, and something I’d genuinely recommend to everyone.

What heritage style lessons do you think the world can learn from India?

We speak about our culture all the time, but there’s so much to be said about the fashion and style we’ve seen evolve over centuries and decades. The way we use colour, our embroidery, the delicateness and yet the richness of our fabrics, are all so distinctive. I think about the way we’ve taken inspiration from China and from across the globe, and, in turn, how our own culture has influenced others.
The fact that we have such a deep understanding of art, architecture and things of beauty in general is incredibly special. Even in the way we incorporate different kinds of drapes into our fabrics, our sarees and our traditional Indian clothes. If you go to different corners of India, you’ll see similar designs being draped entirely differently. The way we dress for both beauty and comfort is already admired around the world, but it’s also something we should definitely talk about more.

What has been your favourite look in a film or appearance which you think incorporated Indian craftsmanship very well?

There are so many that stand out for me. I feel very strongly about Madhubala’s looks in Mughal-e-Azam. There are, of course, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit’s looks in Devdas, which all of us remember with such affection and admiration because they incorporated beautiful, traditional and incredibly intricate styles. I actually don’t think we’ve experienced that same kind of beauty in clothing in film since then. These definitely stood out for me.

Which Indian ancient beauty ritual do you swear by?

I love incorporating sandalwood into most of the homemade preparations I use for my face and skin. I absolutely love the scent of sandalwood. It also reminds me of my Grandmom, and it’s been a preference of mine since I was quite young. It’s something I’ve always sworn by.

[Photography: Kunal Gupta]

[Location Credits: Bhanwar Niwas, Old Bikaner]