She is one of those rare talents who can effortlessly shift from a sensual muse to the girl-next-door on screen, while also owning the powerful women she portrays. She is Sobhita Dhulipala, speaking with Indulge Express with ease about craft, culture and her love for handmade traditions.
From the intensity of Raman Raghav 2.0 to the layered ambition of Tara Khanna in Made in Heaven and the grace of Vaanathi in Ponniyin Selvan, each role has shaped her style sensibility—rooted in memory, emotion, and craft. Off-screen, she curated handloom sarees for her wedding with Telugu star Naga Chaitanya, working closely with weavers to reflect her cultural roots, while her social media offers a relatable, grounded glimpse of her life. Today, she brings that sensibility to her role as brand ambassador for Aadyam Handwoven, celebrating India’s textile heritage while supporting artisan communities.
What part of Aadyam’s philosophy connects most with your idea of cultural responsibility?
You know, cultural responsibility is a tricky thing. It can’t sit only with one brand or one person — it’s really on all of us to notice what’s so beautiful about our crafts and give them the value they deserve. And that’s what I like about Aadyam… it creates that space to discover these things. Plus, the fact that all the profits go back to the weaving community — that really matters to me.
I’m also still learning; I don’t have all the answers. But handloom moves me because it has meaning. It carries stories — of regions, communities, beliefs, even landscapes. That’s what makes it so special. Honestly, wearing a saree sometimes feels like wearing a song.
Which of your on-screen characters was the best dressed, and how did that look influence you?
Oh my god, I’ve been lucky to play some of the best-dressed characters on screen. Tara Khanna in Made in Heaven obviously stands out — her fashion choices really had a life of their own. Even Vaanathi from Ponniyin Selvan… those gorgeous drapes and the jewellery! I rediscovered so much through that film and almost fell back in love with my own roots and culture. And then there’s Kaveri in The Night Manager, with that super-chic, glamorous look.
Honestly, every role has opened up a different side of my personality. Even when we don’t realise it, we’re always getting influenced by the people and things around us — sometimes you talk to someone and unknowingly pick up their habits or the way they speak. So after spending so much time living with these characters, I’m sure a little bit of each has slipped into my everyday style.
How has your film journey shaped how you see craft, heritage and handmade work?
I think being an actor is inherently a creative job, right? It’s our responsibility as artists to go out and explore — what it means to be an artist, what it means to be human, what it means to simply be. And in that process, you start recognising things that come from emotion and sensitivity. Craft, especially handloom, is created by hand… you can literally see the patience, the effort, the love. Sometimes it’s a skill passed down through generations, and there’s an entire world sitting behind that one weave. When you’re a creative person, you become very tuned in to that. You carry that language somewhere within you.
Sure, I might play characters very different from who I am, but at the core, we’re all the same — we’re all threads in the same ocean. So when you come across artists creating wearable art, it’s impossible not to feel connected.
I’ve been actively exploring the handlooms of my home state, Andhra Pradesh, and I have a huge soft spot for Venkatagiri sarees. Even during my wedding, I was adamant about diving deep into handloom — getting sarees woven and dyed, sitting with weavers, understanding the process. It was a lot of work, but honestly, my love for sarees and handloom made it feel completely worth it.
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