Actor Lakshmi Manchu’s daughter, Vidya Nirvana Manchu Anand, lovingly called Apple is all grown up. The actor took to her social media to share a glimpse of the 11 year old’s half saree ceremony, which she called a blessing ceremony. She also posted pictures from the ceremony that was a celebration of womanhood.
Inside Lakshmi Manchu’s daughter’s half saree ceremony
Lakshmi wrote, “Kuturu’s blessing ceremony (sparkle emoji) So grateful to the entire dream team for helping me bring this beautiful celebration to life! (yellow heart emoji),” posting pictures from Vidya’s ceremony. The pictures show Lakshmi dressed in a floral, purple saree, while Vidya is dressed in a gold and pink half saree. The decor of the event which took place at Ridhira Retreats in Hyderabad consists of fresh flowers, banana leaves and more. Lakshmi even put up a memory wall to celebrate her daughter stepping into womanhood.
Designer Asmita Marwa also took to Instagram to post pictures of Vidya’s half saree ceremony. “The most beautiful half saree ceremony for my gorgeous friend @lakshmimanchu Lakshmi Manchu’s daughter. The air was filled with the scent of tuberoses and the gentle notes of classical music — so refreshing, soulful and beautiful,” she wrote, posting pictures and videos of the event. One video shows Carnatic musicians performing as Vidya is blessed by guests who attended the ceremony. She also added, “God bless you always, my lovely girl Apple.”
For the unversed, a half saree ceremony is a traditional South Indian rite of passage celebrating a girl’s transition from childhood to womanhood, typically held days after her first menstruation. The girl is usually gifted her first half saree (skirt, blouse, dupatta) by her maternal uncle. Guests are served a traditional feast, particularly sweets, to mark the occasion.
About Lakshmi Manchu
Lakshmi is the only daughter of actor Mohan Babu and the late Vidya Devi. She has two brothers, Vishnu Manchu and Manchu Manoj, both of whom are actors too. Manoj is her half-brother, born to Mohan and Vidya’s sister Nirmala Devi, whom they also consider their mother.
Lakshmi married Andy Srinivasan, an IT professional, in 2006 and their daughter, Vidya, was born through surrogacy in June 2014 via surrogacy. Andy has settled in the US while Lakshmi and her daughter settled for many years in Hyderabad before moving to Mumbai. The actor last starred in the 2025 Telugu film Daksha: The Deadly Conspiracy and the Tamil film Pookie, which released this year.
