Neeta Lulla Recalls Crafting Costumes for 'Devdas'

Creating Grandeur from a Compact Workshop

Speaking about the logistical constraints during early production, Lulla revealed that the dozens of ornate sarees and royal ensembles featured in the period drama were conceptualized and stitched in a modest work environment.

"I was a comparatively new designer back then, and I didn't have a big workshop," Lulla shared in a video retrospective. "My workshop was all of 350 to 400 square feet, with five to six master tailors who cut and stitched the garments with me. How we created those outfits and worked day and night to build the look for 'Devdas' still amazes me."

The scale of the film—which starred Shah Rukh Khan as Devdas, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Paro, and Madhuri Dixit as Chandramukhi—demanded unprecedented attention to textile detail, fabric drape, and historical continuity across multi-actor sequences.

Institutionalizing Costume Assistance in Hindi Cinema

To manage the extensive wardrobe needs of main leads and ensemble cast members, Lulla requested dedicated on-set support—a practice that was not standard industry protocol at the time.

"This was the first time I had requested assistance, and Sanjay [Leela Bhansali] gave me five assistants," Lulla noted. "This marked the first time in the history of Indian filmmaking that a designer had five dedicated assistants monitoring looks on set to ensure every frame looked absolutely impeccable."

Elaborating on the structural shift, Lulla added that Devdas helped establish costume design as a formal, highly coordinated department within Indian film production.

"What audiences saw as effortless grandeur was made possible by an entirely new way of working behind the scenes," Lulla stated. "With hundreds of handcrafted looks and intricate continuity across every frame, costume design evolved into a department that demanded precision, strategic planning, and structured collaboration."

Cinematic Legacy and Literary Roots

Based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s classic 1917 Bengali novel, Devdas tells the tragic story of a wealthy law graduate whose family rejects his union with his childhood love, Paro. His subsequent emotional spiral into alcoholism leads him to seek solace with the compassionate courtesan Chandramukhi.

Featuring supporting performances by Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher, Smita Jaykar, and Vijayendra Ghatge, the film remains a benchmark for grand visual storytelling in Indian cinema. Lulla's pioneering workflow set a new benchmark for costume departments, establishing protocols for continuity, team-led styling, and textile craftsmanship that remain standard across major Indian film productions today.