‘I was worried about doing Deepika Padukone's mehendi in cold Lake Como, Ranveer Singh came and lit up the room': Artiste recalls how Ranveer ‘changed the mood'

Indian Express

a day ago

Celebrity weddings are always a massive event, with hundreds of backstories, a star-studded guest list, and an affair for which every stop is pulled. While many stars like Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt decided to get married quietly and announce the union to the world later, there are stars like Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, who went all out for their big day. The couple got married in 2018, at the scenic Lake Como in Italy, and the mehendi artist who made the designs for the ceremony recently talked about the magical 5 days that she experienced while working for the couple.
The prime choice for Bollywood and high-profile weddings Veena Nagda has been in the business for quite some time and has had some very interesting clients over the years. Talking to Filmibeat Prime about the Ranveer-Deepika wedding, she told the story of how that gig came to be and how Deepika kept a very valuable promise she had made to her 5 years prior. She said, 'During Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, I had done the mehendi art for Deepika, and she liked it so much that she promised to hire me for her own marriage. She kept that promise, and her staff contacted me before her wedding to Ranveer. They told me that booking arrangements had been made for all 5 days, and I asked them, 'The mehendi ceremony is just one day, so why am I staying for all 5?' But they told me that the booking is for all 5 days, and because of that, I and my team travelled to Milan, and we even saw Switzerland. I can never forget that experience.'
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After talking about the bride, she shifted her focus to the groom and described Ranveer like a ray of sunshine, who brought laughter and warmth with him every time he entered a room. 'No words can do him justice. It was very cold in Lake Como, and I was wondering how Deepika and I were going to get through the intricate design we had planned for her. Ranveer came around after an hour, and the entire climate changed. The sun came out, and he really lit up the room. He was joking and laughing with everyone, and he addressed me personally while I was doing Deepika's mehendi and said, 'A queen is doing the mehendi for another queen.' I will never forget those words. He got Deepika's name in the mehendi but used only 'Deep' and three more stars. One for her, a second for her mother and a third for her sister,' said Veena.
Being the go-to mehendi artist for the entire film industry, Veena was asked about how much she charges, but the artist kept her cards pretty close to her chest and just said, 'The payment depends on a lot of varying factors, the size of the design, and specifications given by the bride. Customised designs are a bit more costly, but they are usually under Rs 1 lakh.'