Meet Deepika Padukone’s Saree stylist who was discovered by Sridevi, is a school dropout, worked with Nita Ambani, Isha Ambani, Alia, charges Rs…

This stylist got to study only till class 7. After overturning every obstacle on her way, she’s today a celebrity favourite including all the Ambani ladies!

Draping the six-yards of elegance is not just a trick or a routine, it is an art people have made a profession out of too! Yes, you read that right. There are professional saree and lehenga stylists. This is the story of one such woman hailing from Kolkata who made a name for herself all on her own as saree stylist. She had a rugged terrain to fame, but today she stands proud to be the go-to stylist for saree and lehengas when it comes to celebrities like the Ambanis. She also has a record to her name. She was awarded the Limca Book of World Records in 2019 for being the fastest saree draper in the world with a time of 18.5 seconds.

This is an inspiring tale of grit and determination where a girl who had to dropout of school in class 7 and went on to become a celebrity favourite. This is the story of Dolly Jain.

When Sridevi Discovered a Saree Stylist For Bollywood

Recalling her fleeting moment with the legendary actress, she said on an old interview, “My uncle is a film producer and at some event of his, I happened to see Sridevi. When I noticed that she had spilled something on her saree, I volunteered to help fix her saree just in the hope of spending some extra time with the actor. While I was doing the pleats of her saree, I caught her looking at my fingers transfixed. She then caught hold of my hand and told me that my fingers had some magic. Her words ‘Why don’t you take it up as a profession?’ changed my life and since then there has been no looking back.”

School Dropout Becomes Successful Stylist

Dolly Jain has been open about her journey on various occasions. Tracing the genesis of this profession, she recalled that she was married at the age of 21 in a household where she was only to wear sarees all the time.

As she started building blocks to her career, she was subjective to taunts, was termed to be wasting time, but jain put it all behind. “A lot of people did not accept this as a career. Some even thought I’d gone mad. I had to hear comments like, ‘Dolly is just wasting her time and she will not be able to make any money out of this. It is just a phase and she’ll forget it very soon,” said Jain as quoted by The Tribune.

“When I realised the inevitable presence of saree in my life, I just trained my mind to embrace it wholeheartedly. I feel over the years I have been able to glamourise saree as a sartorial pick in my own way. No matter which party I go to – be it a pool party or a cocktail party – I invariably slip into a saree and sometimes pair it with a bralette blouse to dial up the glam appeal,” says Dolly.

Dolly’s elite roster of clients has got all the biggies in the house – former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, Natasha Poonawala and Sridevi, Nita Ambani, Isha Ambani, Radhika Merchant, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, and the list is endless.

Today, Dolly Jain is quite an Instagram sensation with over 2 million followers. She often shares tips and tricks about styling a saree. She has not revealed the charges of a celebrity client due to non-disclosure agreement.  Otherwise, she usually keeps it between Rs 35,000 to Rs 2 lakh.