Bollywood star Alia Bhattreturned to the Met Gala carpet, this year opting for a floral saree by ace designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee.
In her second outing at the prestigious fashion gala, held annually at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the actor garnered the spotlight with her elegant saree which extended into a 30-foot trail.
Bhatt's couture saree, crafted by 163 artisans, paid homage to the official dress code for the 2024 Met Gala -- “The Garden of Time".
It featured extensive hand embroidery with silk floss, beads, sequins, semi-precious stones, and fringed with glass beads. The hand-crafted blouse was studded with emeralds, Basra pearls, tourmalines, and multi-coloured sapphires, according to the official Instagram page of the designer.
To complete the look, Bhatt wore Sabyasachi High Jewellery's Bengal Royal collection studded with tourmalines, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds.
The 31-year-old actor made her debut at the Met Gala in 2023 with a Prabal Gurung gown.
In her Instagram post, Bhatt said the outfit took "a life of its own" as the team went about creating an Indian interpretation of Gala's universal theme.
"Creating this has been quite an experience… fun and stressful in equal parts. It has taken a collective effort of 163 dedicated individuals, including master craftspeople, embroiderers, artists, and dyers, investing a total of 1965 man-hours to create this ethereal saree.
"As I wear this outfit, I feel incredibly grateful to embody this exquisite creation, a testament to boundless love and painstaking effort," the actor wrote while giving a shout-out to her collaborators for the dress.
Bhatt was not the only Indian personality to walk the Met Gala carpet.
Industrialist Isha Ambani dazzled in a couture saree gown by Rahul Mishra, featuring a stunning long floral train and intricate hand embroidery.
Socialite Natasha Poonawalla, who has been a regular at the Met Gala, also turned heads in a custom-made ensemble dress from Maison Margiela's Artisanal Collection, curated by iconic designer John Galliano.
The actress defended her claim that acting demands more than desk jobs in a recent interview.
She said office workers can "chill out" during work hours, unlike film stars.
Fans and working professionals called her comments privileged and out of touch.
The backlash started after her appearance on Amazon Prime's Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle.
Critics pointed out the financial gap and support systems actors have compared to regular employees.
Kajol probably didn't expect this reaction when she sat down with Twinkle Khanna on Two Much. But her comments about actors working harder than people with 9-to-5 jobs have blown up, and not in a good way.
Fans slam Kajol after she says actors work harder than regular employees sparking online outrage Getty Images
The comments that started it all
Kajol was speaking out about her earlier comments on Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle on Amazon Prime, where she said actors work harder than most people. This time she was explaining why she thinks that.
She told The Hollywood Reporter India that her days are full of shoots, events, and very early flights. One day involved waking at 5 AM to catch a flight to Jaipur for a 3 PM event.
But it was her take on regular jobs that got people talking. She claimed desk workers don't need to be "100% present" and can take breaks, "chill out," and relax while working. She kept coming back to the unending scrutiny actors face like the feeling of always being watched or something as simple as how you cross your legs or who's snapping a picture in the background becomes a constant calculation. You have to be switched on, she insisted, all the time.
The internet, frankly, was having none of it. YouTube and Reddit exploded with responses. "For the kind of remuneration actors are paid, they shouldn't have a problem working 12 hours a day for 4 days a week," one user wrote. Another pointed out that films typically take 3-4 months to shoot, while regular jobs run year-round.
The responses got more pointed. "Vanity mein naps or massages bhi toh hum lete hain," a Reddit user commented, referencing the comfort of vanity vans. Someone else joked: "If you work poorly, you get fired. If you act poorly, you get a Filmfare award."
The bluntest response yet? "Respectfully, Kajol, shut up."
Nobody denies acting is demanding. Long hours, public pressure, and constant judgement are very real. But comparing it to regular employment ignores some major differences.
Most people work 12 months a year with two weeks' holiday if they're lucky. They don't have spot boys fetching drinks or vanity vans for rest breaks. One netizen nailed it: "A working parent's schedule is continuous, every single day, with no wrap-up party or off-season."
Online erupts as Kajol defends claim that acting demands more than everyday 9-to-5 workGetty Images
There's also the money. While her fee for a single film is probably more than most people earn in a year, she says that doesn’t make the work easy. Still, it does provide a comfort that regular employees don’t have. Kajol has not yet replied to the backlash.
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