Sai Pallavi — Front on — the gold sequinned V down the bodice and the wider gold band at the empire waist — Front on — the gold sequinned V down the bodice and the wider gold band at the empire waist · Still from the “Rowdy Baby” video, Maari 2 (2018)

Sai Pallavi — Full length — the gold stripe down the churidar, the lilac bangles, the gold flats — Full length — the gold stripe down the churidar, the lilac bangles, the gold flats · Still from the “Rowdy Baby” video, Maari 2 (2018)

Sai Pallavi — Close on the fluted gold drop earrings and the small nose stud — Close on the fluted gold drop earrings and the small nose stud · Still from the “Rowdy Baby” video, Maari 2 (2018)

Sai Pallavi — From the side — the sheer sleeve, its scattered white thread flowers, the twisted half-up hair — From the side — the sheer sleeve, its scattered white thread flowers, the twisted half-up hair · Still from the “Rowdy Baby” video, Maari 2 (2018)

Maari 2 · 2018 4 pieces

The white Rowdy Baby anarkali

Ivory anarkali, gold sequin work, ivory churidar

Worn bySai Pallavi
FilmMaari 2 (2018)
DirectorBalaji Mohan
SceneAandaal, in the “Rowdy Baby” song

Freeze any wide shot of "Rowdy Baby" and the outfit is simpler than it looks moving. Sai Pallavi dances the whole number in cream and gold: a long anarkali kurta in soft ivory, a matching ivory churidar, and gold everywhere the eye needs a full stop.

The kurta does the work. A narrow band of gold sequins runs from each shoulder down to the waist in a shallow V, and a wider gold band sits across the empire seam where the skirt starts to flare. The cuffs of the three-quarter sleeves carry the same gold border, the hem carries it again, and the bodice is scattered with small white thread flowers you only catch in close-up. Over it sits a sheer ivory layer that lifts and falls with the choreography — most of what reads as movement in this song is that overlay, not the kurta.

Underneath, the churidar is the same ivory with a gold sequinned stripe down the outer seam and around the ankle, so the leg keeps a clean gold line through every step. On her ears, big fluted gold drops. On her feet, plain gold flats — worth saying because the white high-top sneakers she holds up early in the song are a prop, not her shoes. A gold necklace, a stack of lilac bangles and a small nose stud finish it.

The pieces below are lookalikes, not the originals. This costume was made for the film and was never sold; what follows is the closest the high street gets, and each one notes where it differs from what is on screen.

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