Neeta Lulla is an Indian costume designer, fashion stylist and couturier. She is best known for designing costumes for Bollywood actresses Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai in the film Devdas (2002).
Wiki/Biography
Neeta Lulla was born in Mumbai on Friday, March 5, 1965 (59 years old in 2024). Her zodiac sign is Pisces. She grew up in Ahmedabad. She was a tomboy in her school days and was not interested in studies. She preferred extracurricular activities over reading. While her mother was worried about her grades, her father encouraged her to play sports. When she was in high school, in order to cultivate her interest in reading, her father bought her the popular biannual magazines Seventeen and Cosmopolitan (available only in select stores). These magazines showed the chemistry between Bollywood and fashion and slowly ignited the spark of fashion and modeling in her. To escape from high school education and a college degree, Neeta chose to get married. However, after marriage, her husband asked her to complete her studies. It was then that she decided to pursue a diploma in pattern making and garment manufacturing from SNDT University, Mumbai. While in college, Hemant Trivedi trained her in makeup, fashion choreography and modeling shows.
appearance
Height (approximate): 5′ 4″
Hair color: light brown
Eye color: Black
Family and caste
Neeta Lulla was born into a Hindu family. Not much is known about her parents and siblings.
Neeta Lulla and her parents
Husband and children
Neeta Lulla is married to psychiatrist Dr. Shyam Lulla. They have a son, Siddharth Lulla, who is a businessman. They also have a daughter, Nishka Lulla, who is also a designer.
Neeta Lulla and her husband
Neeta Lulla and her son
Neeta Lulla and her daughter
Profession
Neeta started her career as an assistant to fashion choreographer Jeanne Naoroji. She assisted him in various fashion shows for about two and a half years. Meanwhile, Lulla also received an offer from the college as a fashion coordination lecturer. However, after gaining enough experience and knowledge in the fashion industry, Neeta decided to start her own business. Lulla started her career in a room at home with just a Kaarigar (worker) and a sewing machine. She worked at home for a while but the results were not impressive. In 1988, her brother-in-law (a producer) gave her the opportunity to design costumes for the Bollywood film “Tamacha”. Although Lulla performed well in “Tamacha”, it was the Bollywood film “Lamhe” (1991) that really catapulted her to fame. Before venturing into the mainstream fashion world, Neeta designed costumes for some of the Bollywood blockbusters, including “Manikarnika”, “Hum Aapke Hai Kaun”, “Darr”, “Khal Nayak” and “Taal”. She gained popularity by designing costumes for Bollywood actresses Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the film Devdas in 2002. She has even worked for Bollywood actresses like Juhi Chawla, Shilpa Shetty, Salma Azad, Isha Koppikar and Sridevi. Apart from Bollywood films, she has also worked as a costume designer for Bollywood films like A Night with the King, Mistress of Spices, Bride and Prejudice and Fury.
Costumes designed by Neeta Lulla at Devdas
In 2014, she partnered with Bollywood director Subhash Ghai to start a fashion college in Mumbai, ‘Weslinwood International Nita Academy of Fashion’. The college offers a wide range of courses in fashion, online marketing and merchandising for budding fashion enthusiasts.
Westlingwood International Nita Fashion Academy
Awards
National Film Awards
- Best Costume Design (Lamhe (1991))
- Best Costume Design (Devdas) (2002)
- Best Costume Design for Jodhaa Akbar and Balgandharva (2008, 2011)
Neeta Lulla wins National Film Award
Other Awards
- IIFA Best Costume Design Award (2000, 2009)
- Bollywood Film Awards (2001, 2003)
- Zee Cine Award for Best Costume Designer (2002)
- Kingfisher Fashion Award (2005)
- Satya Brahma Award for Fashion Designer of the Decade (2016)
Favorite things
- Fashion Designer: Alexander McQueen
- Perfume: Angel by Thierry Mugler
- Vacation destinations: Rome, Africa, Dubai
Facts/Trivia
- Her hobbies include traveling and adventure sports.
- Lulla is often seen drinking alcohol on various occasions.
- She is one of the top fashion designers in India and is known for her exquisite fashion collections.
- Neeta is the only Indian fashion designer to have received four national awards for her contribution to the fashion industry.
- In college, Lula wanted to be a choreographer.
- Neeta started the business with just a sewing machine, a quilting machine and a capital of Rs 500 and over the years, the number of customers has exceeded 10 lakh.
- The House of Neeta Lulla has four different brands namely ‘Nisshk’, ‘Neeta Lulla’, ‘Little Nisshk’ and ‘N Bride’.
- Lulla also designed wedding and reception outfits for Indian comedian Bharti Singh.
Bharti Singh wearing Neeta Lulla collection
- As of 2020, Neeta has designed costumes for more than 350 domestic and international films.
- Neeta Lulla, her husband Shyam Lulla and Divya Bharti’s maid Amrita were at Divya Bharti’s house in Tulsi, Versova, Mumbai, when Divya died on April 5, 1993. The actress fell to her death from the 5th floor of the building she was in. Neeta was very close to the actress and designed several outfits for her.
- When asked how she achieved national and international stardom in an industry known for nepotism, Neeta said,
I just cut out the nepotism, focused on the quality of my work, and let my product be the focus.”
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education