Why Brides Love Veena Nagda?

Veena Nagda is a reputed mehendi artist who has practiced her art on several Bollywood brides, including Karisma Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna, Farah Khan and, now, Fardeen Khan's wife Natasha Madhvani.

Veena Nagda is a reputed mehendi artist who has practiced her art on several Bollywood brides, including Karisma Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna, Farah Khan and, now, Fardeen Khan's wife Natasha Madhvani.

Nagda spoke to Patcy N about these events, and why she's so popular with the ladies... I was born in a middleclass family in Mumbai. My mother was a housewife, and father a pujari. I wasn't allowed to study after my SSC, even though I had passed with a first class, as ours is a conservative Jain family. So, I began doing embroidery on saris and practising the art of applying mehendi. That is how it all started. To cut a long story short, after applying mehendi at a few parties, I was invited to the Ambanis' home. It was an engagement party, but they liked it so much that I was asked to do the bridal mehendi as well. From then on, the big orders poured in. Farah Khan, the daughter of Sanjay Khan, called me for her wedding. I had three other mehendis on that day though, so she asked me to begin at 7am. That was my entry into Bollywood. I was booked for Suzanne Khan's mehendi eight months in advance. Apart from weddings, I also do mehendi for festivals. I have also done it for movies like Kabhie Khushie Kabhi Ghum, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Hum Tum and Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna. I got all my popularity because of Hrithik's wedding. I don't charge for celebrity weddings. They pay me according to their wishes and it has always been more than expected. As for my normal charges, for the bride it starts from Rs 3,000 to Rs 7,000 rupees, and includes both hands and feet. For guests, it is Rs 50 to Rs 75 per hand.

My husband is very supportive. We have late nights, which are not allowed in our community, but he has been very cooperative.

Hrithik Roshan and Suzanne Khan

When Sanjay Khan's daughter Farah gave me a booking, I was not informed whose wedding it was. I was just asked to keep the dates free. A month before the wedding, I was called to their home. They decided on the pattern and told me to complete the mehendi in a little over two hours as the ring ceremony was to be held that evening. They gave me return tickets to Bangalore but told me not to tell anyone where I was going. I had one more booking that day, which I finished at 4 am. From there, we went directly to the airport. We wanted to return to Mumbai the same night, then changed our minds and stayed for two days. We were not allowed to call anyone due to security reasons. On the day of the wedding, there were fireworks that lasted half an hour. The ceremony was in held in a swimming pool! A stage was built in the centre of the pool and a small bridge was built for people to visit them. It was the best wedding I have ever seen. To date, Hrithik recognise me and speaks to me because I did his mehendi too.

Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna

At Hrithik's wedding, I met Dimple Kapadia, who promised to call me for her daughter's wedding. One night, Twinkle called and asked if I could do her mehendi two days later. I wasn't aware it was the actress, so I asked her if she was calling me at the last moment because her mehendi person had ditched her. She said her marriage had been fixed at the last moment, and asked me to meet her at her friend's place. When we got there, we were asked by the watchman to sit in a car. We were scared because we still didn't know whose mehendi it was. The driver refused to tell us anything. When we reached their home, Dimple Kapadia opened the door and she asked if we understood whose wedding it was. I was too confused to understand anything. Then Dimple started speaking to me in Gujarati and told me it was Twinkle's wedding. I was totally shocked when Twinkle told me she was marrying Akshay Kumar. They all began examining my mehendi album. We finished everything by noon. We also went to Akshay's home, as there were a few guests there who wanted to apply mehendi. I didn't attend the wedding though.

Karisma Kapoor and Sanjay Kapur

Manish Malhotra did this booking. He had designed Karisma's outfit and wanted me to look at the design and do the mehendi accordingly. I was called by Karisma 45 days in advance. We went to her sets and she selected a pattern. She told me not to tell anyone about it. Her secretary called a day before the ceremony to give me the address. I was called to her mother's home at Bandra. I was called at 10 am but, on our way there, she called and asked me to change the time as there had been a late party the previous night. We were almost there, so we ended up waiting for two hours. After Karisma came, however, she was very punctual. She switched off her mobile phone. She told me she was applying mehendi for the first time and asked what it meant if the colour came out dark. I told her it meant her mother-in-law and husband loved her a lot. She then asked me what she should do for the colour to be dark. I also applied mehendi to Kareena. There is always a little mehendi that comes from the in-laws place, which family members apply. Then, we start our mehendi. For the ceremony, all songs from Karishma's movies were played, especially Zubeida. I attended the wedding. There was silence during the ceremony, but a big party later.

Farah Khan and Shirish Kunder

Again, Sanjay Khan's daughter Farah gave this booking. She gave me two tentative dates but I wasn't given details about whose marriage it was. Then she called me later to confirm the date and tell me whose wedding it was. Farah Khan told me she was applying mehendi for the first time in her life. She also said it was the first time she was wearing a ghagra-choli as she was always in jeans. She wanted very little mehendi, but Zarine and Farah (Sanjay Khan's daughter) told her the bridal mehendi should cover the hands entirely. This was a mehendi party where lots of men also attended. Normally, men don't attend. The wedding was held the next night, and yes, I was a guest.

Ishita Arun and Dhruv Ghanekar

Ishita had liked my work when she saw it at a function. When she called me, I didn't have much time so I send my assistants instead to show her the patterns. They came back and told me it was Ila Arun's daughter. I attended the function. It was well organised. There were people like Kunal Ganjawala, Babul Supriyo and Richa Sharma singing. Rajshree Sachdev and Varun Badola were the hosts, and they showed us clips of Ishita's life from her childhood to adulthood. The mehendi function was at home but, for other guests, it was held in the evening.

The wedding was at the Grand Maratha, Mumbai. Ilaji took care of each and every guest. Most people from the music fraternity were present.

Gayatri Joshi and Vicky Oberoi

Her sister-in-law Bindu Oberoi gave us the booking. They got our number from some event management firm. It was for an engagement ceremony but they gave us a booking just two days in advance. So, I told her I couldn't come and said I would send my assistant instead. But they insisted, so I went to the J W Marriot for the mehendi. They came an hour late and I was very upset. I was not aware whose ceremony it was. When I saw her, I didn't recognise her at first. Then, my girls told me it was Gayatri Joshi from Swades. She apologised for being late, and we began. One reason for not knowing her was that she was so down to earth. They gave us a booking for the wedding ceremony too, and asked us to get 25 girls as they didn't want any of their guests to wait. They had invited me for the wedding but I had other commitments so I didn't go.

Zayed Khan and Mallika

I was very excited about this wedding. I was booked by Zarineji at choreographer Farah Khan's wedding and told whose wedding it was. I didn't tell anyone, of course. Then they introduced me to Mallika, telling her I was their special mehendi designer and that I alone would apply her mehendi. As for Zayed, I don't have any words to describe him. I told him his family was lucky for me. He wished me luck and told me I brought good luck to them. Then he asked me to write Allah on his palm and add the letter M in a small font.

At his party they showed film clips of Zayed's life. The function was held in a very traditional way. They took the name of God and started the ceremony. The mehendi went on till late at night. I attended the sangeet as well as the wedding ceremony. Everybody in their family knows me because I have had a long association with them.

Sridevi's Karva Chauth

Sunita Kapoor is very lucky for me. She calls me every year for Karva Chauth. Over the last 12 years, her elder daughter Sonam has attended the function and also applies mehendi. I have been going to their house since Sonam was 10. Anil Kapoor doesn't like the smell of mehendi, but Sunitaji has a party every year. She normally doesn't apply mehendi to her whole hand, but she did this year.

For such parties, everybody from the industry comes. Kiron Kher is always present. Also, almost all the brides for whom I have done mehendi call me for their first karva chauth.

Veena Nagda is a reputed mehendi artist who has practiced her art on several Bollywood brides, including Karisma Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna, Farah Khan and, now, Fardeen Khan's wife Natasha Madhvani.