Genelia Deshmukh’s chanderi lehenga was crowned with a Kalamkari dupatta hand-painted over 25 days

Genelia Deshmukh has an enviable line-up of Indian ensembles in her wardrobe. Her collection spans timeless weaves for milestone moments, airy cottons for everyday ease, embroidered heirlooms for weddings and contemporary drapes for the red carpet.

After a season of monsoon-friendly gossamer pieces, the actor returned to her festive best for Ganesh Chaturthi. Her recent appearance, styled by Who Wore What When, in a lustrous chocolate brown lehenga can be read as a manifesto for mindful dressing.

From Aamra by Lavanya’s Inara collection, the ensemble brings together some of India’s most revered textile traditions. A rich Banarasi Chanderi silk with delicate zari stripes serves as the foundation of the lehenga. The highlight is the Pen Kalamkari dupatta, hand-painted with yellow florals shaded in vivid tones of red, green and blue. Layered with intricate hand embroidery, the piece turns into a canvas where multiple crafts converge.

Pen Kalamkari is a centuries-old art form that uses a bamboo or date palm pen to draw and paint intricate motifs onto fabric. The process is as meditative as it is meticulous. “It begins with treating the fabric using natural ingredients like cow dung and milk to ensure colour fastness. Artisans then sketch motifs inspired by mythology and nature with a fine pen, and outline them in natural dyes derived from plants and minerals,” explains Lavanya Satuluri, the designer behind the Hyderabad-based label. What makes Deshmukh’s dupatta stand out, she adds, is the labour behind it: “The silhouette underwent the full Kalamkari process and took 20–25 days to be hand-painted.” The result is a piece that tells a story of craft heritage, where each petal, vine and imperfection is a testament to the artist’s patience and skill.