On-screen portrayals of Punjab and its culture are rarely complete without mustard fields, tall glasses of lassi, and for women, the unmistakable vibrancy of Phulkari dupattas. Across decades of cinema, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Jab We Met (2007), Phillauri (2017), and Laal Singh Chaddha (2022), Phulkari has come to visually define on-screen Punjabiness.
As the state celebrates the harvest festival Baisakhi today, here’s looking beyond the Phulkari’s visual appeal.
From home to heritage
Translating to ‘flower work’, Phulkari is a deeply personal embroidery practice, created for weddings, milestones, and family keepsakes. The motifs carry coded stories of daily rural life, harvest traditions, fertility, joy, and belonging.
High fashion revival
Any visit to a Punjabi city is incomplete without picking up a Phulkari dupatta or saree. Over time, the craft has also moved beyond local markets to find a place in fashion. Stylist Vhikram Sseth opines that Pulkari “leaves little room for fashion-led editing”: “Its dense, emotionally rooted craftsmanship makes it difficult to scale or reinterpret for modern, fluid runway formats. In many ways, it arrives already ‘complete’.”
Even so, designers such as Manish Malhotra, Karan Torani, Mayyur Girotra, and Gopi Vaid have reinterpreted it through contemporary festive wear. In 2013, at the Wills Indian Fashion Week, actor Jacqueline Fernandez strutted for Malhotra wearing a geometrical phulkari jacket.
{{/usCountry}}Even so, designers such as Manish Malhotra, Karan Torani, Mayyur Girotra, and Gopi Vaid have reinterpreted it through contemporary festive wear. In 2013, at the Wills Indian Fashion Week, actor Jacqueline Fernandez strutted for Malhotra wearing a geometrical phulkari jacket.
{{/usCountry}}“Revival is not about nostalgia, but relevance. By playing with scale, colour stories, and silhouettes, we’re giving heritage a contemporary voice,” says Vaid.
A bridal turn
This revival has shaped bridal couture. “Its playfulness makes it perfect for the bride and her squad,” says designer Aakriti Grover. Sseth adds, “With sharper palettes and modern silhouettes, Phulkari can move beyond bridalwear into refined prêt and couture.”
Written by Prerna Gauba Sibbal