Long before her creations began to cause flutter on the fashion runways, fashion designer Neeta Lulla made waves with her undeniably splendid designs for Bollywood's leading ladies.
From Sridevi, Juhi Chawla, Tabu, Mahima Chowdhary to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and even Abhishek Bachchan,Hrithik and Sanjay Dutt, the designer has adorned them all.
Here's a look at some of her memorable costume collections in the Hindi Bollywood movies.
Jodha Akbar
Lulla says that when she started the designing work for the film, after having read the script as well as the Akbarnama, her brief to herself was, "to create a look which is believable and which is accepted by the audience." Judging by the response to the costumes, Lulla has succeeded in her endeavour.Spotting the interest that the clothes in the film had evoked, Samsaara, a high-fashion retailer with a presence in five cities including Dubai and Kuwait, decided to retail 18 of the dresses designed by the Neeta Lulla.The costumes price tags was between Rs 7,000 and Rs 2 lakh for the lehangas that Aishwarya Rai wore.In nut-shell costumes were majestic and highlight of this period drama.
Devdas
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's take on the famously melancholic condition of a despondent lover wore a hard-to-miss luxurious appearance. Lulla's wardrobe for Ash's Paro high on vibrant colours, rich fabric and studded embellishments reflected this grandeur perfectly.Being a costume drama specialist has its advantages as Lulla discovered while working on Ashutosh Gowarikar's period romance, Jodhaa Akbar.To design lehengas befitting royalty, she used silks and brocades from Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai with fancy zardozi and gota patti embroidery at work. And the opulent outcome of her ornate imagination was for all to see.
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
On Bhansali's magnificent canvas, designing clothes always seems like both a challenge and a dream. Lulla came out on tops in both these departments with her dazzling designs for her favourite client, Aishwarya.Quite a few of her tailored delights became hugely popular, especially the peaches 'n' pink chaniya-choli (worn by Ash in the Aankhon ki gustakhiyan number), lavender blue crystal-studded net lehenga (as seen on Ash during the Chand chupa ditty) as well as the mirror-work saris featured in the latter half of the musical.
Taal
Taking a break from heavy zardozis and rich brocades, Lulla kept it minimalistic and elegant for Subhash Ghai's melody-filled Taal.
In fact, some of her inspiration while catering to Ash's earthy hued outfits was derived from Osho ashram.
Mission Kashmir
Best remembered for the heavy-duty intensity shared by its leading men -- Sanjay Dutt and Hrithik Roshan -- Mission Kashmir also had the perky Preity Zinta adorning some of Lulla's lavish garments to a glamorous effect. Prominent among them is the cream 'n' gold Bumbro outfit.
Darr
After making off-shouldered sari blouses popular on Juhi Chawla, Lulla contributed majorly in lending the chirpy she-comedian a super sexy makeover with her sensual creations in Yash Chopra's obsession-themed romance, Darr.
Needless to say, Juhi never looked this smouldering.
Jeans
From Pharaohs to Grecian queens, Lulla took inspiration from all the Seven Wonders of the World and its ancient inhabitants to deliver one inspiring creation after another for the Ajooba song in Jeans.While the film, directed by Shankar, itself wasn't particularly remarkable, Lulla's larger-than-life inventions for Aishwarya certainly were.
Lamhe
Working with a filmmaker who knows his mind helps incredibly, insists Lulla.And that was exactly the case while working with romance veteran Yash Chopra on the offbeat Lamhe. The designer successfully created two different looks for Sridevi's mother-daughter dual portrayal.While Sri strutted in traditional Rajasthani attire in the first half, it was contemporary casuals for her in the second.
