Kareena Kapoor is on a fashion spree, and frankly, we’re not complaining. One minute, she’s slipping into vintage Versace and serving up a jaw-dropping dose of old-school glamour, the next, she’s floating around in an ethereal Anamika Khanna. And just when we thought Bebo had exhausted the fashion moodboard for her Daayra promotions, she went somewhere considerably closer to home: her sister’s wardrobe.
For yesterday’s promotional outing, Kareena stepped out in a leheriya saree that had all the makings of a modern-day Maharani Gayatri Devi moment.
Kareena’s Samandar Leheriya from The Palace Atelier
Kareena wore a custom Samandar Leheriya from The Palace Atelier, and the name is rather perfect for what unfolded on the fabric. The saree seemed to carry its own little current, with soft waves of colour
washing across the diaphanous drape in shades that felt more like a watercolour than a traditional tie-dye.
The Palace Atelier, founded by Princess Gauravi Kumari of Jaipur and French designer Claire Deroo, has its roots in the City Palace Museum’s living archive and Rajasthan’s craft traditions. That heritage comes through here.
She wore the saree with an understated blouse and let the fluid drape do most of the work. Her softly side-parted hair, defined eyes and muted makeup kept the beauty look equally unfussy, while the jewels added just enough sparkle to sharpen the otherwise dreamy palette. The result? A modern royal look that feels light and super elegant.
Kareena paired it with a delicate layered diamond necklace, matching earrings and shoes by Fizzy Goblet, keeping the accessories polished but restrained.
But there was something oddly familiar about it. The kind of fashion déjà vu that has you scrolling through old Bollywood stills in your head, going, wait, where have I seen this before?
Well, we didn’t have to play detective for long. Bebo had the answer.
Taking to Instagram Stories, Kareena posted a collage of herself and Karisma Kapoor, pairing her latest saree moment with a still of her sister from Zubeidaa. “Well I always knew we had good taste… Sisters forever,” she wrote. And there it was, the sartorial penny dropping. Kareena hadn’t simply found herself a pretty leheriya. She had reached into Lolo’s Zubeidaa era and pulled out a rather fabulous piece of sisterly fashion history.
And really, if Karisma’s film wardrobe is sitting somewhere in the family archives, why wouldn’t you raid it?
Karisma’s Zubeidaa Saree
Lolo did it first. Karisma’s Zubeidaa wardrobe has aged rather beautifully, and that is no small feat for a film released in 2001. At a time when Bollywood fashion was still partial to the full-throttle glamour of the ’90s, Zubeidaa offered something altogether more evocative: romantic silhouettes, beautiful textiles and costumes that felt rooted in their world rather than simply designed to be looked at.
That leheriya saree on Karisma was all colour and movement, making its impact without a single sequin-induced meltdown. Kareena’s version keeps that same visual language but gives it a softer, more contemporary reading. The effect is less period drama, more modern-day royal.
Leheriya, after all, has been having a very good run in Bollywood for decades. Created using a traditional Rajasthani tie-dye technique, it gets its distinctive wave-like pattern from the way the fabric is rolled and dyed. The resulting lines ripple across the saree in such striking harmony that colour theory may need a new chapter.
There is something inherently cinematic about it, too. Put leheriya on a lightweight fabric, give it a little breeze and suddenly the saree has a supporting role of its own.
Which perhaps explains why Bollywood keeps coming back to it. The textile does a lot of the work before the wearer even gets around to posing.
Rekha – Umrao Jaan
Long before today’s celebrity saree circuit, Rekha understood exactly what a good flowing textile could do. Her Umrao Jaan wardrobe remains one of Hindi cinema’s great costume achievements, steeped in old-world romance, sumptuous fabrics and silhouettes that made every movement look choreographed.
Her leheriya moments have that same languid quality. Nothing feels overworked; the fabric, the colour and the drape do all the talking. And with Rekha in the frame, frankly, they had very little competition.
Alia Bhatt – Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
Fast-forward a few decades and Alia Bhatt made a case for the print in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, the 2023 rom-com that gave us a wardrobe full of designer sarees and enough fashion moments to keep the style pages busy for weeks.
One of our favourites was her multicoloured leheriya saree in shades of green, blue and pink. She paired it with a noodle-strap blouse, oxidised bangles and statement jhumkas, keeping the beauty look relatively pared back and letting the riot of colour take centre stage.
It was a younger, more playful take on the textile, proof that leheriya doesn’t need to be treated like a museum piece simply because it comes with centuries of craft behind it.
Shilpa Shetty’s Ganesh Chaturthi
And then there is Shilpa Shetty, who has made something of an art form out of giving traditional Indian dressing a glamorous little twist. For Ganesh Chaturthi, the actor went the festive route in a pretty pink leheriya Devnaagri saree, bringing her signature mix of old-school Indian glamour and contemporary styling to the look.
And that, really, is the appeal of leheriya. It has history, but it doesn’t look stuck in it. It can be royal without being formal, colourful without being chaotic and traditional without feeling predictable.
Now, thanks to Kareena, it also comes with a little sisterly plot twist.
Because some of the best fashion archives aren’t hidden in museums. They’re hiding in your family’s old Bollywood films. And when your family happens to include Karisma Kapoor, you might as well make good use of them.
