Neeta Lulla recalls Sanjay Leela Bhansali demanding change to Aishwarya Rai's climax sari the night before shoot, as he wanted to burn it: ‘Can I leave?'
Although Bengali novelist and short story writer Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Devdas (1917) has inspired numerous film, television and theatrical adaptations over the years, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2002 movie remains a fan favourite. The period romantic drama film, featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit in the lead roles, became not only a critical and commercial success but also a landmark in the careers of all those associated with it. While various aspects of the movie received widespread acclaim, the production design, costume design and choreography were particularly lauded. Among the five National Film Awards the film won, three were for these elements.
The film's opulent costume design was handled by Neeta Lulla, Abu Jani, Reza Shariffi and Sandeep Khosla. Recently, Neeta spoke about her experience working on the film and how, one day, she was suddenly faced with the challenge of sourcing a long saree for Aishwarya Rai overnight for a crucial scene. Discussing Aishwarya's iconic look in the film's climax, she told News18, 'I had only overnight to create that look. The whole film featured saris that were 12–14 metres long. I had cut up two or three saris to create the entire ensemble. For the final scene, Sanjay felt he needed a cotton (Durga) Puja saree.'
See Inside Photos | Farah Khan says she regrets not marrying Jaaved Jaaferi after seeing his luxury Bandra apartment
She continued, 'We had the sari, and everything was ready. The night before the shoot at Filmistan, we were in Aishwarya's van, looking at the outfit around 7 pm after pack-up. At that moment, Sanjay said his idea was to have the sari's pallu catch fire and felt it wouldn't be long enough. Hearing this, I said, 'Can I leave?' He was confused. I left the set and started making calls, trying to figure out a solution. I called one of my fabric vendors and got him to open his shop at 11 pm. In the meantime, I had asked my team of embroiderers to start working on borders and everything. By 8.30 am the next day, we had two 13-metre saris ready on set.'
Also starring Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher, Smita Jaykar, Manoj Joshi and Ananya Khare in key roles, Devdas was bankrolled by Bharat Shah under the banner of Mega Bollywood. The film featured cinematography by Binod Pradhan, editing by Bela Sehgal, songs composed by Ismail Darbar and background score by Monty Sharma.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Neeta Lulla reveals she had to make Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's saree for 'Devdas' climax overnight as Sanjay Leela Bhansali wanted a longer pallu
Sanjay Leela Bhansali 's 2002 release 'Devdas', featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Madhuri Dixit, still holds a special place in every movie lover's heart. The film was praised for its grandeur and won five National Film Awards, three of which were for production and costume design. Designer Neeta Lulla recently reflected on the high-pressure environment behind one of the film's most iconic scenes. She shared a moment when Bhansali requested changes to Aishwarya's saree in the climax, which made the crew work swiftly at the last minute. Neeta Lulla about designing saree for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan In an interview with News18, Neeta shared, 'I had only overnight to create that look. The whole film featured saris that were 12–14 metres long. I had cut up two or three saris to create the entire ensemble. For the final scene, Sanjay felt he needed a cotton (Durga) Puja saree.' Sanjay Leela Bhansali asked for a lengthy saree Bollywood directors and their muses On the night before filming a crucial scene for Devdas, Neeta visited Aishwarya at her vanity van to try the outfit. It was around 7 p.m., and Sanjay Leela Bhansali was not satisfied with the length of the saree's pallu. He envisioned the pallu catching fire in the shot and wanted it to have more length to make it look realistic. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like まともに歩けず先生から「もう諦めて」と宣告。でも10分間の整体後… ウィンキューブHD 続きを読む Undo Neeta politely excused herself and immediately set things in motion to solve the problem overnight. Neeta Lulla's last minute preparations She began making phone calls in search of a solution and managed to convince one of her trusted fabric vendors to open his shop at 11 p.m. to supply the necessary material. She also directed her team of embroiderers to begin work on adding borders and embellishments to the fabric. They successfully created not one but two sarees, each 13 metres in length. By 8:30 a.m. the following morning, they had completed the outfit. About Devdas Devdas also featured Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher, Smita Jaykar, Manoj Joshi, and Ananya Khare in key roles.
India.com
6 hours ago
- India.com
Meet Dishani, 'daughter' of Mithun Chakraborty, superstar picked her from garbage in..., as beautiful as any actress, her debut film is...
Apart from Mithun Chakraborty and Yogita Bali's three sons – Mahaakshay, Ushmey and Namashi, the power couple has a beautiful daughter named Dishani Chakraborty. Like her father, she also has a passion for acting and has built her career around it. However, what many people don't know is that Mithun Chakraborty adopted her. Mithun and Yogita fell in love with Dishani at first sight. After completing the paperwork, they brought her home, and since then, she has been the darling of the entire family. The superstar is very fond of his daughter – she is truly everyone's favourite in the house. Yogita Bali with Dishani Dishani Chakraborty was born in Kolkata. At the time, a report was published in a Bengali newspaper stating that a newborn baby girl had been found abandoned by her family and left in a garbage heap. A few passers-by had noticed her, and one of them took her home. Mithun read the news the next day and immediately rushed to meet the girl. The actor instantly expressed his wish to adopt the baby to the rescuers. His wife, Yogita gave her full support to him in the noble cause and took an instant liking to the baby. Dishani completed her early education in India before moving to Los Angeles, USA, for higher studies. She graduated with a degree in acting from the New York Film Academy. According to media reports, the star kid has been fond of acting since childhood, and her favourite hero is Salman Khan. Dishani Chakraborty made her acting debut with a Hollywood film She made her acting debut in Hollywood with her short film, Gift , released in 2017. Her other projects are Holy Smoke, Underpass, Why Did You Do It? and Two Faced. Dishani was last seen in a short film, The Guest in 2022, which garnered her a lot of applause.
Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Indian Express
Neeta Lulla recalls Sanjay Leela Bhansali demanding change to Aishwarya Rai's climax sari the night before shoot, as he wanted to burn it: ‘Can I leave?'
Although Bengali novelist and short story writer Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Devdas (1917) has inspired numerous film, television and theatrical adaptations over the years, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2002 movie remains a fan favourite. The period romantic drama film, featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit in the lead roles, became not only a critical and commercial success but also a landmark in the careers of all those associated with it. While various aspects of the movie received widespread acclaim, the production design, costume design and choreography were particularly lauded. Among the five National Film Awards the film won, three were for these elements. The film's opulent costume design was handled by Neeta Lulla, Abu Jani, Reza Shariffi and Sandeep Khosla. Recently, Neeta spoke about her experience working on the film and how, one day, she was suddenly faced with the challenge of sourcing a long saree for Aishwarya Rai overnight for a crucial scene. Discussing Aishwarya's iconic look in the film's climax, she told News18, 'I had only overnight to create that look. The whole film featured saris that were 12–14 metres long. I had cut up two or three saris to create the entire ensemble. For the final scene, Sanjay felt he needed a cotton (Durga) Puja saree.' See Inside Photos | Farah Khan says she regrets not marrying Jaaved Jaaferi after seeing his luxury Bandra apartment She continued, 'We had the sari, and everything was ready. The night before the shoot at Filmistan, we were in Aishwarya's van, looking at the outfit around 7 pm after pack-up. At that moment, Sanjay said his idea was to have the sari's pallu catch fire and felt it wouldn't be long enough. Hearing this, I said, 'Can I leave?' He was confused. I left the set and started making calls, trying to figure out a solution. I called one of my fabric vendors and got him to open his shop at 11 pm. In the meantime, I had asked my team of embroiderers to start working on borders and everything. By 8.30 am the next day, we had two 13-metre saris ready on set.' Also starring Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher, Smita Jaykar, Manoj Joshi and Ananya Khare in key roles, Devdas was bankrolled by Bharat Shah under the banner of Mega Bollywood. The film featured cinematography by Binod Pradhan, editing by Bela Sehgal, songs composed by Ismail Darbar and background score by Monty Sharma.
