Samantha Ruth Prabhu in director Gunashekhar’s ‘Shaakuntalam’
| Picture Credit score: Particular Association
It took Neeta Lulla and her crew practically eight months of planning and manufacturing to design greater than 3,000 outfits for the complete solid of the mythological drama Shaakuntalam. Directed by Gunasekhar, it stars Samantha Ruth Prabhu within the title position. The Telugu movie is an adaptation of Kalidasa’s play Abhijnanasakuntalam and is scheduled to hit theatres on April 14, in a number of languages.
For Neeta, who has been designing because the mid-Eighties and has to her credit score greater than 300 films, Shaakuntalam prompted her to dip into childhood recollections. “We had a couple of five-feet tall work that depicted the story of Shakuntala, in our residence whereas rising up. I distinctly keep in mind the ethereal photos of Shakuntala and one other picture of the fish and the ring from the story,” she says.
Ethereal appears to be like
Neeta had labored with director Gunasekhar for his 2015 Telugu interval drama Rudhramadevi starring Anushka Shetty and was accustomed to his penchant for larger-than-life interval and historic dramas. Since Shaakuntalam has its roots in mythology, she referred to volumes of Chandamama and Amar Chitra Katha. “It was fascinating to translate these fairytale-like appears to be like on display for the romance drama. The analysis was not robust, in contrast to a period-specific historic drama.”
Samantha Ruth Prabhu in director Gunashekhar’s ‘Shaakuntalam’
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association
A few of the interval dramas that Neeta has designed costumes for embody Devdas, Jodhaa Akbar and Thalaivi. Her work for Devdas and Jodhaa Akbar fetched her the Nationwide Award for greatest Costume Design in 2002 and 2008. In contrast to these movies that required opulent costumes to befit a royal and an aristocratic setting, Neeta says Shaakuntalam warranted her to maintain issues easy but alluring.
For the parts that unfold within the forests, Neeta sourced flowy effective depend natural cottons and muls from weaver clusters close to Visakhapatnam, Pochampalli and Kanchipuram. Materials that employed vegetable dyes had been most popular. “We needed to recreate the look of a bygone period and on the similar time make it interesting to a up to date viewers. We designed such that the silhouettes add to the sensuality of Shakuntala for the parts the place she meets King Dushyanta (Dev Mohan) within the forests. “For Samantha, Dev and everybody else, we didn’t use any material dyed in factory-made chemical colors since it might have been too consideration searching for and obvious for that period. We used vegetable dyes even once we needed vibrant, jewel-toned outfits.”
Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Dev Mohan in ‘Shaakuntalam’
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association
Floral equipment
Neeta’s crew stored sketching the completely different appears to be like for Samantha and Dev each within the forests and the courtroom. A factory-like manufacturing adopted to test the fittings for the outfits for each member of the solid. Concurrently, a crew was concerned in making floral jewelry for Shakuntala and her associates. “The contemporary flowers would arrive round 5.30am and one crew would make floral jewelry — garlands, flowers for the hair, armlets and different equipment. I’d do a few of the difficult patterns myself,” provides Neeta.
Neeta coordinated with Hyderabad-based Vasundhara Jewellers for the adornments. “For Dev’s outfit, we needed lion motifs on his shoulders and jewelry that appeared like physique harnesses. Pearls and gems had been bejewelled on the clothes together with hand embroidery”. The jewelry crew got here up with sketches and prototypes that went by means of modifications. Neck items, hair equipment, bejewelled shirt buttons, tassels, armlets, bangles with motifs of animals and birds had been designed. “It required technical finesse and the crew was receptive to recommendations,” says Neeta.
Designer Neeta Lulla
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association
Neeta’s affiliation with the Telugu movie business dates again to the time she designed for Sridevi for the fantasy drama Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari co-starring Chiranjeevi and Ram Gopal Varma’s heist thriller Kshana Kshanam starring Sridevi and Venkatesh. “The administrators are very conscious of what they need from the costume division and there’s a easy coordination within the visualisation stage. It’s an business that respects its technicians,” she says.
In recent times, Neeta had additionally designed for Krish Jagarlamudi’s Telugu interval drama Gautamiputra Satakarni. She is now engaged on Pawan Kalyan’s new Telugu movie directed by Samuthirakani.
Concurrently, she and her crew are busy coordinating for the Kangana Ranaut starrer Chandramukhi 2 in Tamil. Broach that subject and Neeta says it’s too early to debate it.
Ask her how she has managed to design for greater than 300 movies and if there’s a technique to picking her work, she says with fun, “I’m a grasping technician who needs extra work, and fortunately difficult initiatives which might be research-worthy stored coming my method.”