Veteran director Mira Nair has adapted one of her best works Monsoon Wedding for the stage to great success. Among fans of the musical who attended the opening at St. Ann's Warehouse in New York City, was Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o. For the special occasion, Lupita Nyong'o chose to celebrate Indian culture by opting to step out in a saree, gold earrings, and an intricate henna tattoo on her bald head. Sharing a video of herself looking gorgeous in the Indian ensemble, she wrote, “When we are invited to an Indian wedding, we use what we got to honour and celebrate. #BaldieBrigade. Congratulations to the incomparable Mira Nair on the opening of her musical adaptation of the beloved story #monsoonwedding (@monsoonmusical). Now playing at St. Ann's Warehouse.”
The actress mentioned in the caption that the henna used on her head was Jagua, a natural skin dye from South America. In her hashtags, she also included – “cultural appreciation”. Lupita Nyong'o added the song Aaj Mera Jee Karda from Monsoon Wedding in the background. For the unversed, Mira Nair and Lupita Nyong'o have worked together in the film Queen of Katwe. Lupita Nyong'o also interned under Mira Nair during The Namesake.
Explaining that working with Lupita Nyong'o was like working with a daughter, Mira Nair said, “It was like directing a daughter. Lupita is a family friend. I've known her from the time she was a very young girl. She worked as an intern in my film The Namesake. She worked in my production company for about a year and a half. We wrote the mother's part in Queen Of Katwe for Lupita because she became this meteoric star and more importantly, she suited the part. We wrote the part as that of young Mother Courage, someone who had children from the age of 15.”
Following the show, Lupita Nyong'o also posed with cast member Namit Das and his wife, actor Shruti Vyas. Shruti shared a photo, which was reshared by Namit with the caption, “So this happened.
Lupita Nyong'o is known for her work in films such as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, 12 Years A Slave, Black Panther, and Us, among others. She won the Oscar in the Best Supporting Actress category for 12 Years A Slave.