From Vidya Balan's red and gold drape to Dia Mirza's black net saree, the festive style cues this year run from quietly polished to full maximalist.
Diwali shopping lists usually start the same way every year: pull out old sarees, panic, buy new ones anyway. If you need a nudge on direction, five Bollywood actresses have more or less laid out the entire spectrum this season, from barely-there elegance to full shine.
Start quiet. Twinkle Khanna goes with a pink cotton drape and a metallic gold blouse, the kind of combination that photographs well without trying too hard. She layers in a mix of modern and traditional jewellery rather than picking one lane, which is really the whole trick of her look. Madhuri Dixit sits in similar territory with a pink-and-lilac saree carrying minimal motifs, a collared blouse and hair kept smooth. Matching jewellery, nothing shouting for attention. Both looks work because they don't compete with the wearer.
Then the volume goes up. Kajol picks a fully sequined pink saree with curved borders and a blouse cut to match the shape, pairing it with diamond jewellery and loose waves. It's unapologetically festive, built for a room with good lighting and a camera pointed at you.
Dia Mirza takes the drama in a different direction, choosing a black netted saree with white floral work running along the border. The blouse does most of the talking here, maximalist, with dangling details and a deep V-neckline that gives the whole outfit its edge. Sleek hair and a few well-chosen pieces of jewellery keep it from tipping over into too much.
Vidya Balan closes it out with colour. A bright red saree with a gold border, paired with a heavily embellished blouse, statement earrings and chunky kadas. It's the loudest look of the five and also the most classic, red and gold being about as Diwali as it gets.
Five actresses, five different ideas of festive dressing, none of them wrong. Pastel and understated, sequined and bright, black and dramatic, red and traditional. Whichever way your own wardrobe leans this week, there's a reference point here somewhere.
Diwali falls later this season, which still leaves time to raid a tailor or a closet. The sarees are already out there. The only decision left is which mood you're buying into.
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