New York, 7 May

Bollywood star Alia Bhatt returned 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 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 had 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 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.