Dia Mirza’s affinity for handloom and artisanal crafts has always dominated her wardrobe choices. From heritage weaves to textiles created in collaboration with craftspeople, the actor has consistently used fashion as a way to spotlight India’s rich textile traditions. Her latest outing makes the case once again. At the premiere of Netflix’s original series Operation Safed Sagar in New Delhi, Mirza wore her mother’s exquisite Banarasi handloom sari, bringing a sentimental touch to an already storied textile.
The Banarasi silk sari stood out for its striking shade of saturated red, offset by an intricate field of gold floral buttis arranged in a delicate jaal and a traditional gold zari border. But the pallu—featuring ornate zari together with larger-than-life paisleys and floral motifs in a dense composition—commands most attention. The motifs carry meaning beyond their decorative appeal. The sari’s combination of floral jaal and paisley-rich detailing also reflects the broader vocabulary of Banarasi weaving, where Persian-influenced florals, trellises and paisleys have become signatures of the craft.
Mirza kept the styling pared-down. She wore the sari with a deep purple blouse with a high neck and half sleeves—a beautiful contrast to the vivid red. To accessorise, she went with a pair of drop polki earrings. For glam, she went just as low-key, with a winged eyeliner and nude lips, while her hair was styled in soft curls swept over one side.
A Banarasi takes on a special significance when it moves from one generation to the next. Its painstaking hand-weaving process, subtle irregularities and enduring craftsmanship makes it less a seasonal purchase than a piece for posterity. And perhaps that is precisely the point the actor was trying to make by wearing her mother’s sari: “India is rich because of her artisans,” she writes on her Instagram post, adding that stories of their livelihoods growth are etched in our heritage drapes.
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Dia Mirza wore a handwoven sari from Shruti Sancheti with a block printed blouse
Dia Mirza’s Benarasi silk jacket set is woven with botanical motifs