Among the several films directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, his 2002 release – ‘Devdas’ – still stands out. The movie is praised for its plot, the opulence, the cast, and the drama. This Shah Rukh Khan starrer has several iconic scenes that fans remember even after two decades. One of them is the climax scene where Paro runs towards Devdas with her red and white saree on fire. In a recent interview, designer Neeta Lulla revealed that the director wanted two 15-meter-long sarees for the scene. Here’s why.
Speaking on ‘Wiping Out The Norm’, designer Neeta Lulla shared some BTS facts about ‘Devdas.’ She opened up about the climax scene and revealed that at the very last minute, Sanjay Leela Bhansali asked her to arrange not one but two 15-meter-long silk sarees. Lulla recalled, “He told me, ‘I just visualized her (Aishwarya) running down the stairs with her pallu burning, and I need a 15-meter-long silk saree for the flutter. I need two of these sarees because if one burns, we have another.”
The designer continued, “This was all happening at Goregaon’s studio. We didn’t have mobiles at the time; we only had pagers. In front of me, he called Aishwarya and Kirron Kher to ask if they had two such identical puja sarees. All this time, I kept asking him if I could leave. They soon realized nobody had it. By this time, it was 10:30 at night. Sanjay asked me if he could shoot the next day. I said, ‘Of course and left the studio.’”
Lulla revealed that she finally got the sarees when she convinced a cloth vendor to open his shop for her at midnight. She said, “He came at 12-12:30 to open the shop. I got the fabric, and since I had already called my embroidery team, they had already started stitching the borders. We finished the sarees at 6 in the morning, and I reached the set at 9:30 when the shooting began.” And that’s how the iconic scene was brought to life.
Starring Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, and Shah Rukh Khan, ‘Devdas’ was showcased in the Out of Competition section at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. The film was made on a budget of Rs 500 million. Out of 106 nominations, the film has swept up 69 awards.
