New Delhi: Neeta Lulla is a designer known for her blend of elegance, luxury and ethnic glamour, and is one of the most recognizable faces in the fashion world. As she celebrates her 40th year in the industry, the designer looks back on her journey and says it hasn't been easy and she's had her fair share of struggles to get to where she is today. .
“My 40 years in the industry have not been easy and have been quite a struggle. I am not only a fashion designer but also a costume designer, a housewife and a mother. Lula when asked about her 40 years in the fashion industry told IANS that it was a herculean task to juggle these roles and seamlessly transition from one role to another.
“Time management and good organizational skills can be an asset,” said the designer, who has worked on more than 300 films and has been designing wedding dresses since 1985.
“Fortunately for me, my workplace was home at first and then closer to home, which was a huge advantage. It helped me manage both my work and home roles.” added Lula.
The designer, who won the National Film Award for Best Costume Design for “Jodha Akbar'' in 2009 and the Marathi film “Balgandharva'' in 2012, talks about being a woman designer in the industry. “Gender inclusivity has always been the norm in our industry,” Lula said.
“When I started working, there were a lot of influential people in the film industry and in the industry, and they were women. At that time, there was no restriction that it was limited to men, so there was a good space. At that time, there were a lot of women. oversaw the creative aspects of costume and fashion design for female actors.
For a male actor, Lulla said it was a male designer who created actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's unforgettable pearl-encrusted lehenga for her mehendi ceremony.
“But today there is more space and inclusivity in the scene for male designers to design for women and female designers to design for men, and that has always been a common aspect of the industry since then.” she added.
Lulla has been in the industry for 40 years as a fashion stylist and costume designer, working with the late Sridevi, Juhi Chawla, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rajinikanth, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan.
What about collaboration with the Indian film industry?
“It has been an amazing journey working with the Indian film industry. This year marks my 40th year in the fashion industry and in 2026 I will be working in films for 40 years. This journey has been filled with many fun rides, speed It's full of brakes, and challenges, but if I had to do this all over again, I'd be happy to do it,” said the 59-year-old designer.
She says the journey was “very fulfilling” and helped her “evolve as a person and as a creative talent.” Lula is currently working on five movies and there's no stopping her.
Without revealing many details, Lula said: “Right now, I have five films on my plate, five film projects in the works, and a musical in the works. I am also working on a new haute couture collection, which will be announced soon. Masu.”
(With inputs from IANS)
