Wearing a forest-green draped skirt with a ruffled blouse, actor-producer Niharika Konidela rocked the dance floor with her fiance Jonnalageda Chaitanya, who wore a cream-coloured embroidered Sherwani, on Monday. The duo danced to her uncle Chiranjeevi’s popular song from Bavagaru Bagunnara at their sangeet at the Udaivilas Palace in Udaipur. The couple is set to marry at the same venue on December 9.
The pre-wedding celebrations have been on since December 5, and photos from the same have been all over social media. The sangeet function showed Niharika and Chaitanya dancing and having a gala time with loved ones. Niharika’s outfit was designed by Shantanu and Nikhil, and her makeup was done by celebrity artist Sandy.
Niharika is the daughter of Naga Babu and the niece of megastar Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan. The entire Konidela family had reached Udaipur well in advance. Photos and videos from the event show the wedding party celebrating and having a good time. Several videos from the function also show the soon-to-be-wedded couple dancing.
Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan, Niharika’s uncle, missed the event as he was protesting with the farmers affected by Cyclone Nivar in Andhra Pradesh, demanding instant relief.
However, most of Niharika’s relatives like actors Allu Arjun, Ram Charan and Chiranjeevi participated in the sangeet. The star took special chartered flights on Monday to attend the wedding.
On Tuesday, Chiranjeevi shared an old photo of Niharika and wrote, “Niharika, the child who grew in our hands is going to wed Chaitanya. On this happy occasion I congratulate in advance the would-be couple. God bless you!”
Niharika’s father, Naga Babu, also a member of Jana Sena Party, shared a glimpse of the sangeet with a video.
Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the wedding, like several celebrity weddings, is set to be an intimate ceremony with select people. According to reports, only 120 people were invited for the wedding.
Niharika got engaged to Chaitanya in August at a plush hotel in Hyderabad. The engagement was attended by Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan, Allu Arjun and Sai Dharam Tej, while following the physical distancing protocols.
Niharika, started her career as a television presenter and then transitioned into a web-series star. She has acted in multiple series produced by her production house, Pink Elephant Pictures. Chaitanya Jonnalagadda is the son of Guntur Inspector General of Police, J Prabhakar Rao. He is an alumnus of the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, and is currently working in Tech Mahindra as a business strategist.