Glamour most important aspect in cinema: costume designer Neeta Lulla

This is because audiences are going to watch a film to forget about their worries and issues and they want to see something that transports them into a dream world, the four-time National Award winner told PTI in an interview.For Shaakuntalam, the designer created around 3,000 costumes for the lead actors, supporting cast and junior artists.The story of Shaakuntalam itself excited me, said Lulla, adding, she grew up reading about the mythological character in the classic childrens magazines Amar Chitra Katha and Chandamama.The couturier said she followed Gunasekhars brief to design costumes for the eponymous character.

People come to watch films in theatres to forget about their worries and glamour plays a key role in transporting the audiences to a ''dream world'', says veteran costume designer Neeta Lulla, whose latest work is multilingual mythological drama ''Shaakuntalam''.

Based on Kalidasa’s acclaimed Sanskrit play “Abhigyana Shakuntalam”, the upcoming film revolves around the love story of Shakuntala and King Dushyant, portrayed by Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Dev Mohan, respectively.

Lulla, whose film credits include “Chandni”, “Lamhe”, “Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!”, “Devdas”, “Balgandharva” and “Jodhaa Akbar”, said cinema may have undergone a sea of change but the glamour quotient continues to be a ''constant''.

“What is constant then and now is the fact that the glamour aspect in cinema is most important. This is because audiences are going to (watch) a film to forget about their worries and issues and they want to see something that transports them into a dream world,” the four-time National Award winner told PTI in an interview.

For ''Shaakuntalam'', the designer created around 3,000 costumes for the lead actors, supporting cast and junior artists.

''The story of 'Shaakuntalam' itself excited me,'' said Lulla, adding, she grew up reading about the mythological character in the classic children's magazines Amar Chitra Katha and Chandamama.

The couturier said she followed Gunasekhar's brief to design costumes for the eponymous character. ''Shaakuntalam'' marks the second collaboration between Lulla and the director after the 2015 Telugu film “Rudhramadevi”.

''The discussions were with Gunasekhar sir. Every time he would explain a scene, I would draw it out and then do the final sketch. Then we did Samantha's look test. She put her full trust in me and Gunasekhar sir and adapted to it beautifully. There were times when the costumes were heavy, but she really adapted to them well,'' she added.

Her team comprised around 20 to 25 people who worked on the accessories, flowers and costumes for the cast.

The Mumbai-born industry veteran said they used organic cottons and muls for the character of Shakuntala, and Kanjivaram, Kalamkari, and Patola for King Dushyant.

“There must have been 3,000 costumes in the film that we did for soldiers and demons. We sourced the material from South India, and then from North India we used Lucknow Chikankari. We weren't restricted to one place,” Lulla said, adding, period films take about eight to nine months of work.

''It is almost like having a baby, year after year,'' she quipped.

The film industry has changed for the better since the late 1980s when she began her career, said the 58-year-old designer. While the costume designers were treated respectfully, the script or characters were not discussed with them, she shared.

“When I came into the industry, the era of not giving respect to designers was changing because by then Xerxes Bhathena was already on the scene, he was one of the forefathers of costuming. There was (India's first Oscar winner) Bhanu Athaiya ji who was also someone who knew the craft because she studied it,” Lulla said.

Many times, she recalled, she would get a brief about the film for which she had to design the look at the nth hour.

“Films like ‘Judwaa’, ‘Coolie No. 1’, ‘Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke’, etc. where they would give me the concept or look one day in advance. So, there’s a change in where we have come today,” she added.

Going forward, Lulla wants to be part of films that challenge her.

“As a technician, one is greedy for good projects. Year after year, good projects are offered to me which have made me work beyond my capacity. A film has to be challenging and better than what I have done in the past. This is what keeps me going all these years,'' said the designer, who has also created looks for the upcoming movie ''Chandramukhi 2'' starring Kangana Ranaut.

“Shaakuntalam” will hit the screens on April 14 in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada. The film is presented by Dil Raju via Sri Venkateswara Creations in collaboration with Gunaa Teamworks with Neelima Guna as producer.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)