Sudha Reddy wearing custom Manish Malhotra at the Met Gala 2026.

Metal accessories by Kavya Potluri.

Sudha Reddy: 'Hyderabad is not just my origin; it is a language, a rhythm, a way of being. Through this look, I aspired to translate that sensibility into a form that could exist effortlessly on a global stage while remaining deeply rooted in the South Indian imagination.

The Tree of Life, envisioned by Manish Malhotra in collaboration with Mariel Haenn, becomes the central metaphor an unfolding of time, memory and continuity. Drawing from the storytelling traditions of Kalamkari, it is reinterpreted here as something sculptural and alive, where every thread holds a fragment of history.

↓ | More to read:

VENUS IS ALSO NOT AS SOFT & GENTLE AS PEOPLE THINK

PLANTS - SUGAR/GLUCOSE - VAG FLORA IS RULED BY VENUS

I’ve been noticing a recurring pattern between Hasta and Bharani, particularly around themes of resurrection, reanimation, and proximity to death. Hastas actors, like Evan Peters and Emma Stone frequently portray characters who are revived, reanimated, or psychologically “brought back.” Malcolm McDowell’s role as Dr. Loomis in Bharani native, Rob Zombie’s Halloween presents a figure who seems to survive and return alongside Michael Myers. This aligns with what we see with Yama,riding the buffalo, an animal that in several traditions symbolizes death and serves as his vehicle through the underworld. The buffalo is also the yoni animal of Hasta (as well as Swati), suggesting that Hasta, like Bharani, operates in a similar manner of life moving through death rather than away from it.

For Hasta specifically, this makes mythological sense. Yama resurrects Satyavan due to the spiritual devotion of Savitri, Hasta’s deity. This gives insight to Hasta’s unique power of not only being knowledgeable of death but the ability to retrieve life from it or move through death and live. Claire Nakti in her Bharani analysis pointed as well the symbolic pairing of Persephone (Hasta) and Hades (Bharani) where Hasta, ruled by Mercury, is able to travel between realms: the living (Surya) and the dead (Moon / 4th-house symbolism). Bharani rules death itself and Hasta able to not only navigate it, but bring something back from that world through displaying consistent dharma.

While Hasta is not solely ruled by the Sun or Moon, death constantly lingers over them, and they are perpetually moving through the muddy, ambiguous waters of the underworld often via as Yama’s buffalo. Like Bharani, Hasta possesses profound knowledge of death, but also the capacity to create, reconstruct, or breathe life back into something that has decayed or collapsed.

That being said, I realize that calling Hasta “insufferable” was too harsh!!! However, I say this as the expression of the power I explained above can differ depending on which luminary dominates and is where that “insufferableness” is demonstrated. Hasta Suns, leaning heavily into Surya, can display ego-driven, aggressive, or abrupt behaviors that shock others, closely resembling Bharani’s raw, confrontational force. A clear example is the similarities between Hasta Sun Ezra Miller and Bharani native Dennis Rodman who both can be compared in terms of chaos and destruction, especially when unchecked. I think you can def see this quality as well if there is Ketu siting in the same chart as Hasta as well.

However, when Hasta leans more toward the Moon, particularly in Moon placements, the expression becomes psychological rather than overt. These Hastas often intellectually antagonize, muddying language, distorting meaning, and leading others through confusion by running in circles where I mentioned before can be a sort of verbal or mental labyrinth or hell . You’re not attacked directly; instead, you’re pulled into a fog where comprehension itself becomes the trial and you’re left questioning your intentions in the conversation rather than questioning them. I think the best example of this is Evan Peter’s character as Tate Langdon in AHS where he able to manipulate living people towards their deaths.

This is where Hasta diverges sharply from Bharani. Bharani will tell the truth plainly, no matter how brutal or wicked it sounds and may cause a swift but painful ego death to the other person. Hasta, as the mercurial counterpart, for others can conceal wickedness, warping perception, language, and even reality itself where the death of the psyche in need of resurrection can prolong because it constantly travels between ego or shadow (life and death). A good example of this is reading any work by Sylvia Plath, who even leans toward more moon/death energy as she always struggled with this and would talk crudely about others in her head.

So It isn’t that Hasta is insufferable in terms of being annoying or intolerable (sometimes lol) but It’s that they wield the tools of life and death through intellect and juggle with it constantly where everything becomes muddled. And that kind of intellect can be far more unsettling than brute honesty.

sun-dominant individuals value objectivity and being down-to-earth, however the need to be objective or realistic can quickly turn into pessimism if left unchecked. if i offer an optimistic or philosophical “jupiterian” perspective on a given problem, sun individuals can be the quickest to push it back— especially if they see my point of view as too abstract or something that lacks objective grounding. (but my ketu is in uttaraphalguni. deep down, i understand where they’re coming from, too.)

words and advice can only do so much. for solar individuals to learn lessons, there’s a theme of needing to experience something firsthand in order to truly understand it.

- ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ -ˋˏ ༻𖤓༺ ˎˊ- ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ -

in light of the recent holiday season, a good example of this is in the movie it’s a wonderful life (1946) starring james stewart (krittika sun, uttara ashadha moon) as george bailey.

TW: suicide, mental health issues

when george bailey encounters what seems to be a treacherous, unsolvable dilemma, he decides to end his life. that is, until his angel clarence shows up. played by henry travers (purvabhadrapada sun), clarence saves george and tries his best to explain why george should not throw his life away. despite emphasizing the profound impact george had made on his family and everyone in his town, clarence struggles to convince him.

clarence soon understands that george’s strong down-to-earth and no-bullshit mentality was hindering him from understanding his somewhat esoteric message. talking wouldn’t help. what george needed was firsthand experience. thus, clarence decides to help george understand his worth by creating an alternate reality where george does not exist.

even when clarence creates the alternate universe, george doesn’t believe it when people in his town have no idea who he is. as the movie progresses, george witnesses the terrible condition his town is left in without his existence in the world. he gradually understands clarence’s lesson, and when he returns to reality, he is overjoyed to see his family and the townspeople who gather to celebrate and help him.

left: james stewart (krittika sun, uttara ashadha moon); right: henry travers (pbp sun)

this teacher-student relationship is often portrayed in media between sun and jupiter individuals. it’s that king-advisor relationship that surya and brihaspati have. you could even argue that george bailey is the “king” of his town because of his strong financial and cultural influence on it. after his “kingdom” (bedford falls) was faced with a huge obstacle, he received help from his “royal advisor,” clarence.

- ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ -ˋˏ ༻𖤓༺ ˎˊ- ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ -

a similar theme is portrayed in the movie good will hunting (1997) starring matt damon (uttara ashadha moon).

matt damon plays will hunting, a man with a genius-level intellect whose avoidant attachment keeps him from fully using his potential or allowing himself meaningful relationships. throughout the film, will consistently resists emotional vulnerability, even when presented with opportunities that could significantly improve his life.

after will’s intelligence is discovered at mit, he is required to work with a therapist, sean maguire. unlike previous therapists will had driven away by intellectual intimidation or emotional manipulation, sean refuses to abandon him, despite carrying unresolved grief of his own.

will attempts to break sean the same way he had others and nearly succeeds when he targets sean’s deceased wife. although sean reacts with intense anger, he does not give up on will.

later, sean shares a story about missing a historic baseball moment because he chose to talk to a woman who would eventually become his wife. he simply explained to his friends, “i gotta go see about a girl.” will is baffled by this decision, unable to understand why someone would prioritize love over personal enjoyment.

only after will begins to fall in love himself does he start to grasp sean’s perspective. as his relationship deepens, his avoidant tendencies resurface, causing him to abruptly pull away and sabotage both his romantic life and his future. however, by the end of the film, will chooses vulnerability over self-protection. he leaves his promising career behind and writes sean a note explaining that he is driving across the country to reconcile with the woman he loves, echoing sean’s words: “i gotta go see about a girl.”

left: robin williams; right: matt damon (uttara ashadha moon)

notice how will didn’t understand sean’s devotion for his wife until he himself experienced love in a serious relationship. he mocked sean's wife in the beginning and couldn't comprehend closely loving someone. sean advised him, but will could only follow his advice after he experienced real love firsthand. in the end, he found himself driving across the country to make amends with the girl he loved, slowly but surely overcoming his avoidant traits.

- ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ -ˋˏ ༻𖤓༺ ˎˊ- ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ -

The Sun (soul, individuality, purpose, divine light and will, and pure consciousness) needs to avoid being devoured by forces that threatens to consume it (or just extinguish it). Rahu (head of demon Swarbhanu) and Ketu (body of demon Swarbhanu) chases the Sun (and Moon as well) because Surya (Chandra too) was the one who noticed and exposed Swarbhanu’s deceit, In Norse mythology, the Sól (Sun) is chased by two large wolves (Sköll, which means one who mocks or treachery and Hati means one who hates or enemy. Sköll specifically chases the Sun and Hati the Moon) and devours them when Ragnorok begans, Shani (delay, restrictions, obstacles) looked at his father Surya (Sun) and Surya’s light became severely weakened, Hanuman attempted to swallow Sun because he mistaken it for a fruit but Indra intervened, Orphic god Zagerus’s heart (symbolic of the soul) is nearly consumed by the titans (chaotic forces) but was salvaged by Athena, Egyptian Sun god Ra’s must be cautious and defended from the attacks of Apopis (evil, darkness, destruction) during his journeys through the underworld, Celtic Sun god Lugh’s life is threatened by his grandfather Balor (the demon king of the Fomorians and they’re representative of chaotic forces) because of a prophecy that his grandson would be the one to end his life, so he’s raised in secret by a foster mother (similar to Karttikeya).

P.S. I’m not a professional or doctor so please do not see me as one.