Actor Samantha’s latest posts have her promoting handloom. Posting photographs from Rana Daggubati’s and Miheeka Bajaj’s post-wedding Sathyanarayana puja, Samantha was seen wearing a light green Ponduru weave handloom saree from Taanbaan, a handloom initiative. Samantha paired the saree with a dark green blouse. “Handpicked, handcombed, and handwoven with devotion and love. A supple spinning of heritage Ponduru cotton woven into a perfect canvas by Andhra weavers. Embark on a new beginning rooted in the timeless Indian ritual of a perfect moment, the muhurtham of a marriage- presented by @taanbaan,” she wrote. Ponduru, a small town in Srikakulam district is famed for its Ponduru Khadi weaves.

Samantha’s support for handloom comes at a time when All Indian Handloom Board was recently dissolved by the government of India. Several handloom enthusiasts and those from the community have highlighted the adverse effects of this move.

Taanbaan by Rta Kapur Chishti is in collaboration with Blue Lotus. According to reports, the pieces adorned by the family members during the event were part of Lakshmi Daggubati’s collection. Lakshmi Daggubati is Rana’s aunt and actor Naga Chaitanya’s mother.

Samantha was made brand ambassador of handlooms by the Telangana government in 2017 and has been an active promoter of handlooms since. “Let us try and support our local weavers and artisans in whatever way we can. They are our last hope in keeping our fantastic traditions alive (sic),” she added in her post. Interestingly, Samantha’s blue Raw Mango saree that she had worn to Rana’s wedding too was also a handloom saree.

In the picture are actor Venkatesh, his wife Neeraja, Rana Daggubati’s father and producer Suresh Babu Daggubati, his mother Lakshmi, grandmother Rajeshwari and his sister Malavika. Samantha also shared another photo in which her husband Naga Chaitanya, who is also seen wearing a handloom kurtha. 

Pictures of the newlyweds performing the ceremony were also shared on social media. While Miheeka had adorned a heavily embellished red dupatta over a pale gold saree, Rana was seen in a white handloom ensemble.