Recalls one of the most successful fashion designers of the country, Neeta Lulla. Preeti Devnani reports

Sridevi, Tabu, Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan, Shilpa Shetty, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee et al have all worn her clothes at red carpets, weddings and of course, on the big screen. This high-end designer, whose client list reads of the who’s who of India, was in the city to attend the second Sindhi convention at Sadhu Vaswani Mission. “Dada JP Vaswani is such a magnificent personality and to share the same dais with him was a real honour. There’s an aura around him and I could have never imagined that I would ever get a chance to address the people along with him,” says the fashion designer who was invited to speak along with other successful Sindhis at the convention on the topic ‘From Ordinary to Extraordinary’. And, keeping with the given topic, Lulla narrated her story.

“I was 16-years-old when I got married. I hated studies but my in-laws pushed me to study further. I did my 11th and 12th only on their insistence. After that I told them that I just couldn’t study anymore but they really encouraged me to do something more with my life,” she says. Lulla was thus given a choice between joining cookery and tailoring classes, and she chose the latter. Soon she found herself in the glamour world, working as an assistant fashion choreographer. “As I had entered the glitzy circle, I managed to bag a film assignment for which I had to design actress Kimi Katkar’s outfit. When I took the outfit for her, Kimi’s mother fired me saying that I did not even know the ‘F’ of Fashion. That moment I could have chosen to be pulled down by the rejection or work even harder. I sat up all night and made another dress which the next day Kimi approved. The rest is history,” recounts Lulla about her struggles. But after turning the pages of Lulla’s past, one comes across chapters that only read about her success. From winning two National Awards (one for Sridevi’s costumes in Lamhe and the other for Aishwarya’s outfits in Devdas) to being the name behind the stunning attires showcased in movies like Darr, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Jodha Akbar and Hollywood flick Mistress of Spices. Ask her what next, and she replies, “I’m busy working on my collection for the upcoming fashion week. I also have films like Shilpa Shetty-starrer Desire and a film based on Rajmata Vijaraje Scindia called Ek Thi Rani.”

Preeti Devnani/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication