‘Devdas’ Changed Costume Design In Bollywood, Says Neeta Lulla

MUMBAI- National Award-winning costume designer Neeta Lulla has recalled how Devdas, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, marked a turning point in costume design in Indian cinema by introducing dedicated costume assistants on set.

Reflecting on her experience of working on the 2002 blockbuster starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Madhuri Dixit, Lulla shared that the film changed how large-scale costume execution was handled.

“I know I spoke about Devdas some time back, but going through my archives and some old photographs, I found these interesting pictures, and they brought me back to memories from when I was working on Devdas. I was a very new designer, comparatively new, and I didn’t have a big workshop then,” said Lulla.

She added that her workshop was about 350–400 square feet with five to six master tailors. “How we created these outfits, how we worked day and night, and created the look for Devdas still amazes me,” she said.

Highlighting the key shift, Lulla said, “This was the first time I had requested assistance, and Sanjay had given me five assistants. This was also the first time in the history of filmmaking that a designer had five assistants to monitor the looks on set so that they looked absolutely impeccable.”

She emphasized that ‘Devdas’ was not just visually grand but also changed the working structure behind costume design. “For the first time, a dedicated team of costume assistants became an essential part of the filmmaking process,” she noted, adding that the scale of handcrafted looks and continuity demands required precision, planning, and collaboration. (IANS)