Manifest Spotlight: Celebrity Mehndi Artist Veena Nagda

If there is anyone who embodies the term ‘iconic’, it’s legendary mehndi artist Veena Nagda. Having worked on films such as Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, and Student of The Year, Veena Nagda has made a name for herself by delivering quality work that’s packed with creativity. The artist has done the mehndi for some of the most famous celebrity brides, including Deepika Padukone, Radhika Merchant and Sonam Kapoor.

So, if you’re a to-be-bride or know one, then Veena Nagda’s body of work is one to take a look at. From working in metallic colours in her art to using nail paint to create intricate patterns, the mehendi artist understands that it takes a whole lot of improvisation, tact and talent to create great work. Join us as Veena chats with Manifest to tell us about her journey, her creative process and the joyous moments she has shared with her clients.

In Conversation With Celebrity Mehndi Artist Veena Nagda

Manifest: As a creative person, how do you keep coming up with fresh, new ideas so frequently?

Veena Nagda: A lot of my inspiration comes from the attire that brides choose to wear on their special day. If they’re wearing a stunning Tarun Tahilliani lehenga, then I may take inspiration from the motives and designs of the outfit. Other than that, if my client has some interesting inputs or demands of her own, I always seek to cater to that. My team and I also aim to innovate new designs by using materials that may otherwise not be used in mehndi art. For instance, we’ve used glitter on many occasions to add a touch of shimmer and shine to our designs.

M: Your designs are often intricate and detailed is there a reason for that?

VN: From the beginning of my career, I’ve had considerable experience applying detailed mehndi as I’ve worked with a lot of Marwadi and Gujarati families. And they often prefer fine mehndi art. Initially, when I worked with some Punjabi families, they found my intricate designs amusing as they were used to bolder and thicker patterns.

M: I also noticed you use other colours for your mehndi art, lighter colours such as yellow and gold, what sort of work is that?

VN: It doesn’t have a specific name, rather the patterns that we draw in do. For instance, Zardosi mehndi, geometric patterned mehndi or Arabic mehndi. Mehndi in different colours is usually temporary mehndi, which lasts up to 24 hours. The colours we use also depend on what our clients require for their wedding day, sometimes Christian brides request a white or golden-coloured mehndi and we aim to deliver that seamlessly.

M: You have worked with several celebrities such as Deepika Padukone, Mira Rajput and Rhea Kapoor, do you have any shocking or memorable stories from the times you worked with them?

VN: I have an instance from Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh’s wedding, I recall it was colder than expected and the day we did the mehndi, the sun finally came out a little. Ranveer Singh came in and quipped, saying “Kya baat hai,ek queen dusri queen ko mehndi lagaa rahi hai….” (What a sight, one queen doing another queen’s mehndi). That was a sweet moment. Aside from this, it’s known that Anil Kapoor doesn’t quite like the fragrance of mehndi, yet he was consistently present for Sonam Kapoor’s mehndi ceremony.

M: What mehndi trends do you predict to see this upcoming wedding season?

VN: Currently a lot of image-based designs are trending and are going to be even more popular this wedding season. So getting deities and gods drawn onto one’s palm is something that we will be seeing more of. People are also going to be getting different family members’ names written and included in their designs. The third biggest trend right now is getting mantras included in the mehndi art. So, these three forms of mehndi art will definitely be thriving in the coming season.

M: What advice would you have for brides who want an extremely unique mehndi design? Are there certain details they should let their mehndi artist know so that they can create a design?

VN: I would say that it would be better for the quality of your mehndi design if you (the client) would discuss the concept and requirements with us beforehand. It helps us plan things out more efficiently. Another thing would be to reserve an allotted time during the celebrations to get your mehndi done. Try to account for the time you’d have to keep the mehndi on for it to stain well.

M: Can you share some quick tips and tricks to help make someone’s mehndi last longer?

VN: Nilgiri oil is great to help your mehndi stain well, apart from this it is crucial that you do not let the water come in contact with your hands or feet for up to 24 hours. And choose a good quality mehndi powder which is chemical-free. Along with this, the bride should apply lemon juice over her mehndi stain around twice or thrice, and the old trick of hovering your hands over roasting clove is a classic. After all of this, if you’re looking for a darker stain, try applying Tiger Balm to your stain.

Manifest Cheat Sheet

M: Who do you think should come to you for their mehndi ceremony?

VN: Someone who’s looking to have an auspicious mehndi ceremony.

M: How would you define your style of work?

VN: My style of work is everything and anything the client desires.

M: How far in advance should clients reach out to you?

VN: The earlier the better, but anywhere between one year to six months is great.

M: How much do you charge for your wedding packages?

VN: It depends on the kind of work we do. You can call and tell us what you require so that we can discuss the prices.

M: What is your delivery/turn-out period?

VN: Three to four hours.