Anita Dongre for LFW: Sonakshi on runway with Bollywood in support

By Nivedita

Mumbai April 2 (IANS) Day Three at the Lakme Fashion Week concluded on a transcendent note as Anita Dongre unfolded a whirlpool of emotions weaved by tradition and grace with her Spring Summer 2016 collection Love Notes. What made the show even better was actress Sonakshi Sinha adding Bollywood glamour to the runway with other tinsel town celebrities gracing the front row.

Heralding the arrival of summer, Dongre captured the poignant emotion of love told through the musings of a young woman who is exploring the changes her lover is likely to bring into her life.

The show transported the audience to a world of fantasy with the entrancing aura of carmine pink and cyan green foliage. Personifying the opulence and magnificence of Rajasthan, the stage reflected the grandeur of an imperial Rajasthani palace.

The ramp was illuminated with the vivacious hues of hot pinks, sage green and candy yellow while featuring the designer’s signature gota-patti and resham embroidery. Each ensemble told its own quiet love story capturing this poignant emotion in ethereal tales.

The audience were left mesmerised as Sonakshi walked down the runway, portraying a young princess full of emotions, passion and grace. The actress was not only seen giving the perfect pose to the shutterbugs, but was also spotted singing and dancing on some soulful Hindi tracks while taking that perfect walk.

“You know what they told me to just go and fun and I did that. The music was so amazing! I was fully waiting beyond that stage to rock the show and which is what I did. We actually came back and gave a group hug because we all were so excited. The show went on really well and we all had a fun,” Sonakshi told reporters post the show.

Some of the tracks used for the show includes “Aaja re o mere dilbar aa ja”, “Mera laung gawacha”, “Laung maare lashkara” and many more.

When we asked the designer of the idea of using Hindi songs for the show, she told IANS: “I love Hindi music. When you travel all around the world, you come home to dal chawal so Hindi music is like that.”

Some of the industry stalwarts including Juhi Chawla, Radhika Apte, Swara Bhaskar, Mini Mathur, Sangeeta Bijlani, Kabir Khan, Mira Rajput, Sanjay Suri, Sangeeta Bijlani, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Onir and Maria Goretti, along with Sonakshi’s mother Poonam Sinha extended their support to the designer from the front row.

The collection was designed to resonate with the modern Indian woman -- strong but feminine, opulent yet effortlessly graceful.

Asked about Dongre’s collection, Sonakshi said: “She has been my go-to person. She makes me look stunning in every piece. I am surprised that we haven’t worked before this. We have collaborated for the first time and you can see the result. The show was fantastic!"

The actress also hinted that she might end up coming with her designer label soon.

“Acting is co-related with fashion. May be I will get back to it sometime in the future and it will named ‘Asli sona’,” she quipped.

(The writer's trip is at the invitation of Lakme Fashion Week organisers. Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in)