Sobhita Dhulipala loves saris so much that they were the dress code for her last birthday in Amsterdam

Style and fashion mean different things to Sobhita Dhulipala. “It’s easy to appear fashionable but style has little to do with fashion. There might be people who might not be considered conventionally fashionable, but there’s something indescribable about them that speaks to you,” says Sobhita Dhulipala.

Given her intuitive approach to fashion, it makes sense that she self-styled her wedding outfits to actor Naga Chaitanya Akkineni. Her South Indian bridal look featured a gold tissue Kanjeevaram sari and a fine handcharkha khadi with a silk zari border by Gaurang Shah. This was paired with maximalist jewellery by Kishandas & Co. including a maathapatti, chaand suraj, mango mala, and choker, all adorned with polki diamonds, rubies, and emeralds.

“When I look back (at their wedding) 40 years from now, I want to be able to smile at the way I draped my sari or know why I picked a certain piece of jewellery,” says Sobhita Dhulipala, who admits to being most comfortable in traditional wear. In fact, the dress code for her last birthday, celebrated in Amsterdam, was ‘strictly sari’, says Akkineni. “And if you didn’t follow it, you had to pay up.”