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.
