Costume Queens

Costume designers Neeta Lulla and Niharika Khan have jointly been awarded the National Award for Costume Design at the 59th National Awards announced on Wednesday. While Lulla got the honour for recreating the essence of a bygone era with elaborate costumes in the Marathi film Balgandharva,Khan got it for her work on Vidya Balan’s look in The Dirty Picture. Previously,Lulla won the National award for her designs for Lamhe,Devdas and Jodhaa Akbar. “The kind of work that goes into each film is essentially the same. In an epic film,which has historical evidence and value,there’s the element of research. The costumes need to be realistic. It’s about walking the fine line between today’s fashion statements and a historic period,” says Lulla. Her next assignment is for the Rani Mukherji-starrer Aiyya. Khan views her first National award as an encouraging acknowledgement of her work. For The Dirty Picture,she had to tread carefully to ensure that the clothes didn’t turn out looking like a spoof on south Indian films. “Vidya had to look sexy enough for you to want to know her story,” Khan says. From Khoya Khoya Chand,Rock On,The Dirty Picture to her next film Chashme Buddoor,the costume designer has intentionally picked films with different subjects. “When you want to start a career in your 40s,you have to prove to yourself that you can do everything. I don’t want to be typecast,” she says.