Neeta Lulla, costume designer of Jayalalithaa biopic 'Thalaivi', looks back on her journey
Recently back from a 22-day, 11-city tour in America, designer Neeta Lulla is unstoppable. With 375 movies under her belt, the high priestess of Bollywood fashion tells us how travel is always rejuvenating for her and recharges her for more work! Busy with new projects, the Mumbai-based Lulla wound up her event at Kolkata with FICCI recently – right after showcasing her opulent bridal collection, Vrindavan Symphony, in Jaipur last week.
Soon the celebrated designer is headed to Chennai to source and authenticate the costume for her new film — former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s biopic – the much talked about Kangana Ranaut-starrer, Thalaivi.
The designer, who has just finished her work for Panipat with Ashutosh Gowariker, has another South film coming up with director Gunasekhar. We catch up with Lulla as she tells us about her bridal aesthetics, movie projects and the journey so far.
Bride mantra
Known for her penchant for Edwardian design aesthetics with heavy lace and collars, the award-winning designer has been doing weddings since 1985. In fact, her flagship store, House of Neeta Lulla, has collaborated with Portico to include wedding décor in their list of design offerings.
So what does a modern bride want? Does she want a lighter, easy wear? Lulla quips, “A woman’s vanity is not challenged by the weight of her wedding dress!”
However, Lulla concedes that while the bride wants glamour and grandeur – today’s bride is also well-travelled and discerning – and ‘her style sensibilities are diverse and her identity is well-defined.’
Hence as a designer, one has to understand the bride’s sense of personal aesthetics and then create her wardrobe accordingly. While the designer agrees that every girl wants to be the centre of attention on her big day, she adds, “I also advise them about sustainability. I design trousseaus that can be worn with different coordinates – so that their wedding clothes don’t remain as one-time wear.”
‘Filmi’ lines
As design houses across the country are entering the wedding business and the film industry, we ask the veteran designer if she was ahead of her times. Interestingly, Lulla tells us that back in the ’80s working for the films was not a badge of honour.
She remembers making avant-garde creations for movies, featuring metal detailing and quirky designs that were then labelled as ‘filmi’! Talking about Bollywood on-screen fashion and how it has evolved over the years, she shares, “I used to work from home those days and clients would come to place their orders and immediately say, please don’t make it filmi.”
The irony was that eventually, they would meekly ask for “that off-shoulder blouse that Juhi (Chawla) wore in Darr.”
Fame comes calling
With a casual air that belies her three decade long journey from a single karigar and second-hand Usha sewing machine (that she bought at Rs 500 by selling sandwiches) – to 80 machines, 72 karigars and 200 embroiderers today, the celebrated couturier tells us how as a teenager in Hyderabad, her first brush with fashion was the magazine Seventeen that her father got for her twice a year.
“I was never interested in reading. In fact, even at school, I struggled with academics. However, this magazine would have me engrossed with all the pictures. I remember Cindy Crawford was a teen model then!” says Lulla who got married at the age of 16 and eventually pursued her interest in fashion at SNDT University where she was guided by Hemant Trivedi and she started off as a fashion choreographer.