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Zodiac signs, evil eye, solitaire—Bollywood gives mangalsutras a creative twist
Newbie brides Deepika Padukone, Sonam K Ahuja and Priyanka Chopra have chosen the most imaginative mangalsutras. No wonder, personalised mangalsutras are a big trend this wedding season
When it comes to mangalsutras, predictability is out, innovation is in this wedding season! From zodiac symbols, bride and husband’s initials, evil eye, to a solitaire in the centre, now you have a whole range of imaginative mangalsutras to choose from. The inspiration of course, is coming from Bollywood.
Deepika Padukone who married actor Ranveer Singh in Italy debuted her stunning mangalsutra with solitaire at its centrepiece. The piece that reportedly costs ₹20 Lakh already has replicas being sold online at ₹54, 655. Actor Priyanka Chopra’s mangalsutra is a simple gold chain, with a few beads next to the pendant. Set in diamonds, the tear-shaped locket has black and gold beads only at the beginning.
Sonam K Ahuja who wed Anand Ahuja earlier this year came up with an innovative idea of using symbols of the couple’s zodiac signs — Gemini and Leo -- with a single solitaire in the centre. The actor roped in jewellery designer Usheeta Rawtani to create two mangalsutras, one for the neck and one for the hand, to be worn as a bracelet.
Jewellery designer Usheeta Rawtani says brides these days want “smaller, fun, and daintier pieces”. “Many girls get two mangalsutras made these days. One for the neck is traditional which you can wear occasionally, while the bracelet can be worn everyday. Sonam wanted something with the star signs. The original idea was just two star signs. But when we sketched we thought it was missing an element. That is when we added the little solitaire in the centre and signs on either side.She wanted it to be more wearable rather than a traditional long mangalsutra . Girls don’t want their mangalsutras to sit in the cupboard [anymore],” she says.
Stylist Isha Bhansali says brides are “refreshing the tradition”. “We want to make tradition relevant every day. It’s a great idea to personalise. There are so many ways to wear the mangalsutra. It should be reinvented so that it caters to the person who wears it,” she says.
Shilpa Shetty who became a trendsetter when she began wearing a mangalsutra on her wrist loves seeing women wear it as a bracelet today. “My maternal grandmom used to wear matching black bead bangles.My bracelet was inspired from that. I just added an evil eye to it so that it’s easy to wear, looks modern but still keeps the traditional element and emotion alive.I see so many women wear it as a bracelet today. I take it as a compliment,” she says.
Delhi-NCR brides are certainly inspired. A Delhi-based bride Meena Puri says: “I am opting for a short mangalsutra with my husband’s initials.” Another soon-to-be bride Garima Mittal from Faridabad, says: “I am going to customise my mangalsutra from a jeweller with my husband’s name in it.”
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