Aki Narula Age, Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Profession(s)	Fashion Designer, Costume Designer, Stylist
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 168 cm in meters- 1.68 m in feet & inches- 5’ 6”
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Career
Filmography	• Monsoon Wedding (2001) • Bunty Aur Babli (2005) • Garam Masala (2005) • Bluffmaster! (2005) • Don - The Chase Begins Again (2006) • Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007) • Tashan (2008) • Bhoothnath (2008) • Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) • Dostana (2008) • Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) • Kambakkht Ishq (2009) • Shortkut (2009) • Kurbaan (2009) • Paa (2009) • Housefull (2010) • Lamhaa (2010) • I Am (2010) • Tees Maar Khan (2010) • Chillar Party (2011) • Rascals (2011) • Rockstar (2011) • Agent Vinod (2011) • Housefull 2 (2012) • Highway (2014)
Awards, Achievements	• 1994: Regional Damania Fashion Award • 2009: Bollywood Style Awards for styling Kareena Kapoor in the film "Tashan" • 2013: IIFA Award for Best Costume Design in the movie "Barfi"
Personal Life
Date of Birth	Year, 1968
Age (as of 2021)	53 Years
Birthplace	Kolkata
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Kolkata
School	La Martiniere Calcutta (1987)
College/University	• St. Xavier's College, Kolkata • Arizona State University, US
Educational Qualification(s) [1]Indobase	• Bachelor's degree in Commerce from St. Xavier's College • Course in Communications from Arizona State University (1992)
Religion	Sikhism [2]Tweak India
Address	C/O Swaraj Designs F-322, 3rd Floor Lado Sarai New Delhi 110030
Hobbies	Painting, Reading, Cooking, Experimenting with interiors, props and set dressings
Tattoo	Front of his neck: Swaraj
Controversy	Copied a Dress: A well-known Indian designer Suneet Varma accused Aki Narula for copying his creation from 2003 Fall/Winter collection. Apparently, Narula had styled Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji in the "copied" dress for the Yashraj film Bunty Aur Babli in 2005. Suneet also wanted to sue the designer along with Yash Chopra and Rani Mukerji for infringement of copyright, but he could not do so due to a lack of substantial evidence. Aki narula, however, said in an interview that he was ignorant of any such "copying." [3]Rediff
Relationships & More
Sexual Orientation	Gay [4]Facebook - Gay Rights In India
Marital Status	Unmarried
Affair/Boyfriend	Shakeel Sutarwala (publicist)
Family
Wife/Spouse	N/A
Parents	His father is an engineer and his mother was a homemaker. [5]The Telegraph
Favourites
Indian Fashion City	Delhi
Stylist	Arjun Bhasin

Some Lesser Known Facts About Aki Narula

• Aki Narula is an Indian fashion and costume designer, and stylist in Bollywood, who is well-known in the industry for his styles in some of the hit movies including Bunty Aur Babli (2006), Dostana (2008), Rockstar (2011), and more. The designer is popular for designing eclectic clothes that are bright, fun, and cool. Aki’s speciality is his variation with drapes and texture.

• Narula revealed in an interview that he found his passion for apparel designing when he was pursuing graduation. At the time, Aki started designing clothes for concerts, college plays, and for his annual college fest. The designer has no formal training in fashion designing. He added, ^[6]The Telegraph
  

  While studying commerce at St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta, I was completely taken up by fashion. And despite no formal training in fashion designing, I began to design outfits for my friends.”

• After completing his graduation, Aki joined the Lintas Group as a management trainee and worked there for ten months. He then got himself enrolled at Arizona State University to pursue a course in communications. In 1992, Narula returned to India and joined a cost accountancy programme. ^[7]Indobase

• In 1994, Aki Narula finally switched his career to fashion designing after he was named the Best Fashion Designer from Kolkata at the Damania Fashion Awards, held by Damania Airlines across five Indian Metros cities. ^[8]AFA India

• Within three years of stepping into the fashion industry, Narula launched his namesake fashion brand label “AKI” in 1997, the collection for which was showcased at his first fashion show at “Melange,” a designer boutique at Opera House, Mumbai. In the subsequent years, Aki started retailing his designs at 11 stores across the country. His fashion label introduced the chic style in the industry. ^[9]Indobase

• He was also a part of the first India Fashion Week in 2000, organised by the Fashion Development Council of India (FDCI). Aki’s collection received an overwhelming response that pushed him into the limelight in the fashion industry, and Selfridges, a high-end department store in the UK bought Narula’s complete collection. He also remained a part of Lakme Fashion Week from 2000 to 2008. ^[10]The Telegraph

• In February 2002, Narula was appointed as the Design Director of Sheetal Design Studio in Mumbai. A year later, he started selling his collection internationally at Zingara, Cannes, and St. Tropez. ^[11]Indobase

• The fashion designer also presented his collection at the Grand Finale of India Fashion Week in 2004. ^[12]Indobase

• In 2005, Aki made his Bollywood debut by styling actors for Mira Nair‘s film Monsoon Wedding. The designer landed the project after receiving appreciation for his collections at various fashion shows. Soon after entering the film industry, Narula got the opportunity to work with different actors in some movies; however, according to him, he first received fame as a wardrobe stylist in Bollywood with Yash Raj Films’ Bunty Aur Babli in 2005, which was directed by Shaad Ali.
  

  Rani Mukerji and Abhishek Bachchan styled by Aki Narula in Bunty Aur Babli

  After his big break, Aki started to be known as the designer who redefined Patiala salwar and Kurtis, which landed him a number of film offers. ^[13]The Telegraph When the stylist was asked in an interview about entering Bollywood and his initial experience in the industry, Narula said, ^[14]MissMalini

  I hated it. Coming from the fashion fraternity into films, I absolutely hated my first day on a film set. Just the whole process seemed different and the experience wasn’t pleasing at all.”

• Aki’s move from fashion designing to styling in films, apparently, pushed him away from the mainstream fashion industry, including international Fashion Weeks. Narula commented on this shift in an interview: ^[15]The Telegraph
  

  “It’s films more than anything else that drives me. I think I am having a good time here. There are multiple projects happening at the same time, and I am required to be on set and travel. I don’t miss fashion designing but I often think about it. Fortunately, in some of the films, I do get an opportunity to create my own line. I miss my label and the shows, but for me to do that would be missing out on whatever I am doing for the next two-three releases that I am going to have this year.”

• Apart from styling in Hindi films, Narula had also designed clothes for theatre and a national award-winning Bengali film. He had also designed lifestyle linen, candle stands, and screens. ^[16]AFA India

• Aki’s one of the most popular collaborations was with the sports-lifestyle brand Puma in 2009. The endeavour created a range of apparel, footwear and accessories under the collection named ‘Black Label’, which went on sale at the Puma stores in February 2010.

• He also collaborated with Belvedere Vodka in 2011 and designed their bottle for (Belvedere) Red Special Edition in India with a line of limited edition red chiffon scarves. The collaboration aimed to raise awareness for HIV/AIDS. The scarves were available for sale at selected luxury designer stores in early 2012. ^[17]iDiva
  

  Aki Narula with Belvedere special edition bottle

• The fashion designer also appeared on Indian television in TLC’s show “What Not to Wear India.” He hosted the show alongside actor Soha Ali Khan in September 2012. The show featured Narula and Khan educating the Indian audience about body types, clothes’ fabrics and prints, and some style tips in its 13 episodes. Narula recalled his first experience as a TV show host in an interview and said, ^[18]Mint
  

  I could not have had a better TV debut. For me, the high point was talking to real people and getting some real insights. I could share what I’ve learnt in the past 10 years with real people and dealt with personal and emotional issues.”

• The Indian stylist and his partner Shakeel Sutarwala reportedly met in 2008 at a beach house in Juhu, Mumbai. The couple has been together since. ^[19]Facebook – Gay Rights In India

• One of the most sought-after fashion designers in the film industry, Narula has styled many Bollywood biggies like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, John Abraham, and more.

• The Indian fashion retails his collection from some of India’s premium luxury stores like Melange in Mumbai, Ensemble in Delhi and Mumbai, Ogaan in Delhi and Kolkata, Ffolio and Cinnamon in Bengaluru, Sosas in Goa, Kali in Kolkata, Camelot, You Grasshopper, 1 MG Road, etc. ^[20]AFA India