Costume designer Smriti Chauhan is among the artistic forces behind Ranveer Singh’s look in Dhurandhar. She says the movie’s now-viral bearded avatar was born from months of iterative work, collaboration and a deep integration of costume with hair, make-up, lighting and efficiency. In an unique dialog with Filmfare, Chauhan breaks down the meticulous course of, from conceptual sketches to 40-metre salwars and silicon jewelry designed to outlive high-octane motion.

Area, story and technical precision

Chauhan reveals that the thought of a full beard was rooted within the character’s geography and cultural background. “We knew there was going to be a beard due to the area he comes from, what he’s performing and who he’s,” she says. The hair and make-up workforce performed a decisive function as effectively. They dictated the pores and skin tone, lens color and texture selections that wanted to sync together with her costume palette. “Costume and hair and make-up can’t be separated,” Chauhan emphasises. “The look comes alive solely when all three, costume, HMU and lighting – work in concord.”

Ranveer’s inputs and a pointy eye for element

Chauhan was nervous as she met Ranveer Singh for the primary time whereas engaged on the film. Nevertheless, she says that the actor instantly put her relaxed. However Singh was removed from a passive participant. He dissected supplies, cuts and equipment with precision. He’d ask, ‘Why linen? Why not silk? Why this jewelry? Why this construction?’ In response to the designer, his questions pushed her to have strong solutions.

Smriti additionally shares, “And when you’ve got the solutions, it offers you extra readability. So with Ranveer, he ensured that he helps the 2 of us get readability on the character. He additionally added some technical bits. He requested me so as to add a wire on the collar in order that it stays like that when he’s shifting round.”

Ranveer’s bodily transformation

One of many largest challenges for Chauhan’s workforce was designing for a physique that stored altering. Ranveer bulked up for a portion of the movie after which shed weight quickly for one more. “We had to make sure that with each change in his physique, the garments didn’t present that change… The look needed to keep constant,” she shares.

The character evolves from a road no person to somebody large. The costumes needed to mirror his transformation. Initially, his look is rooted in ruggedness. “So all of this got here collectively working very intently with him. We understood which supplies are working one of the best and which is wanting rugged. His whole journey on this movie is like that of a no person turning into any individual, like actually large. In order that journey itself was grand.”

The nightmare of action-friendly jewelry

Later, because the character rises in stature, equipment grow to be key. Satirically, Chauhan had laughed off Ranveer’s early questions on equipment due to the heavy motion sequences. However he persevered. “Lower to the primary sequence within the teaser – he’s loaded in equipment. I can let you know this, I’ll throw a rug on him and he’ll carry it with perfection. The following factor you recognize is that now we have added so many equipment on him,” she provides.

Because the movie is full of prolonged motion sequences, some shot over 10 to 12 days, Chauhan’s workforce needed to create silicon jewelry that appeared actual however wouldn’t injure the actor or break below impression. “It was a nightmare however turned vital.”

The Balochi salwar problem

One of many movie’s most technically difficult items was the normal Balochi salwar. The genuine garment makes use of 30 to 40 metres of cloth, which is not possible for motion scenes. As an alternative, Chauhan’s workforce created prototypes utilizing 17 to twenty metres. They experimented with cloth weight, fall, pleats and motion. “We stored making so many prototypes. When he wore it, it appeared much less; after we unfold it out, it was large. General, it was an enormous studying expertise,” she remembers.

Months of prep, shows and look checks

The workforce spent two to a few months making ready Ranveer’s appears to be like. They went via six completely different presentation decks and a number of iterations for every section of his journey. Three complete look checks have been performed even earlier than capturing. Furthermore, sudden scheduling modifications accelerated every part. “We thought we’d shoot in October, however all of the sudden the shoot acquired pulled to July. We have been like, ‘What?’ However fortunately we had performed early homework,” she remembers.

The second Ranveer known as her a ‘Rockstar’

Chauhan remembers one in every of her most overwhelming moments when Ranveer appeared on the first main look check and instructed her he’d “by no means seen this degree of detailing.” “Coming from somebody who’s labored with the best designers worldwide, it meant the world. It pushed me to lift my very own bar,” she says.

Regardless of the dimensions, the stress and the physicality of the movie, Chauhan says Ranveer’s collaborative nature made the method clean. “He’s one of the best workforce participant I might have requested for. His encouragement, his curiosity, his involvement – every part helped construct the character’s world,” she quips.

Additionally Learn: Sara Arjun gives Dhurandhar co-star Ranveer Singh a moving tribute as she shares BTS photos