Be it dressing for red carpet appearances or for her extravagant looks in films, Sridevi was a hands-on actor, reveal designer Neeta Lulla and stylist Tanya Ghavri
First brush
My first stint with Sridevi was a photoshoot for Rakesh Shrestha in the early 1980s for a cover for the Movie magazine. I had just finished studying design and Sridevi was this big-screen goddess everybody was talking about post Himmatwala. I went for the shoot with this little pouch that had a pair of earrings and crushed fabric in gold. Those days, when she came back from Madras, she would stay in Centaur Hotel. She asked me if I got the dress, I replied in the affirmative; she looked at my little bag and me and said, “Is the dress in this?” and was taken by surprise how a costume could fit in a little pouch. She had curlers on and I asked her to not remove them and draped a turban on it. That image also inspired a Lux campaign and was recreated in a white outfit. She later asked me if I would want to work on films and I was signed as one of the three costume designers for Chandni.
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On the sets of Chandra Mukhi
The perfectionist
I did a few costumes for Juhi Chawla and her for Chandni, after which, she gave me a big portion for Lamhe. We worked on Khuda Gawah, Heer Ranjha, Kshana Kshanam, Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari and many other films. At that time, we would work on three films at one go. I would carry a lot of swatches with me, and they were never enough. I don’t know how she would come up with a different colour format altogether. In 1992, when we did Heer Ranjha, she used orange and pink together for the first time; it became such a rage. In Chaalbaaz, we did lime green and lemon yellow; nobody was using bright happy colours then. She would even point at a leaf and ask for one shade lighter. If you didn’t get the shade right, she would point out that it was not the colour that she asked for.
On the sets of Roop ki Rani Choron Ka Raja
She had this magic with colours; I owe my colour sensibility to her. She was doing the Jumma Chumma shows worldwide at the time, and had to perform her taandav dance sequence from Chandni for which she needed a white Amrapali costume in two days. She returned from the show, and was a little perturbed about her outfit. She explained that I had used three different fabrics in white that didn’t match, and only worked together in a yellow light. I have never come across a professional who knows her job so well and can teach you what a fashion institute cannot. On screen, she was this lioness who was ready to dominate it and create magic. Off screen, she was a loving friend you would be protective about.
- Neeta Lulla
Sridevi, the aesthete
She was innately stylish, had a strong aesthetic and knew what worked for her and what didn’t. As a stylist, I work with a lot of people, but for some reason my work reflected better on her and is more special. Ma’am had an amazing sense of jewellery; she was very picky about her pieces. We would source a lot from jewellery designers in Rajasthan. Sometimes, she would find a stunning neckpiece, send me a photo and say, “Let’s find an outfit for this beautiful piece.” She was very hands-on; she would directly call me to discuss looks. We would discuss colour combinations, embroideries, and her likes and dislikes. When she trusted someone, she gave a lot of creative liberty.
Her go-to option
She was a tall woman and looked beautiful in sarees; it was her go-to attire, whether it was Manish Malhotra, Tarun Tahiliani or Sabyasachi Mukherjee.
Tanya Ghavri
Beyond showbiz
There were days when I would miss her call in a shoot. I would call back the next day and apologise to her but instead she would say, “Sorry, I called you a couple of times on a busy day”! I learnt it from her that however big you become, there is a sense of respect she would give everyone in their area of expertise. Even when I wasn’t around to get her ready, she would send me plenty of photos to post on Instagram. There are countless beautiful images from her films and magazines, through the ages.
- Tanya Ghavri
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