Ranveer Singh is renowned for his chameleon-like ability to disappear into his characters, with each role boasting a distinct and memorable visual identity. His upcoming film, 'Dhurandhar,' where he plays spy Hamza Ali Mazari, presented a unique challenge: creating a look that was both raw and cinematic, yet distinctly different from his iconic portrayal of Alauddin Khilji in 'Padmaavat.' The mastermind behind this transformation, acclaimed makeup and character design artist Preetisheel Singh, has now revealed the fascinating, detail-oriented process.
The Khilji Conundrum: Drawing a Clear Distinction
With Ranveer Singh sporting long hair and brown eyes in 'Dhurandhar,' similarities to his earlier role as the menacing monarch Khilji were inevitable and a primary concern. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Preetisheel Singh addressed this head-on. She assured the team she would not repeat herself, having been the architect of the Khilji look as well.
"I told them not to worry, because I also did his Khilji look, so why would I repeat myself?" Singh stated. Her strategy involved meticulous additions to build a completely new character. She gave Ranveer freckles and tanned his skin tone, elements absent in the Khilji persona. This careful layering of details was fundamental in crafting a separate identity for the spy, Hamza Ali Mazari.
Crafting the "Greasiness": The Art of Rugged Realism
Preetisheel Singh's philosophy for 'Dhurandhar' was rooted in authenticity, tracking the character's journey. "I wanted to track that journey from getting into the 'spy look', where he doesn’t have access to money, doesn’t even have a house to stay in, being on the streets, to entering the gang," she explained. This narrative arc directly influenced the physicality of the look.
The key, according to Singh, was texture—specifically, the texture of the hair. She intentionally introduced a greasy, unkempt quality to reflect the character's gritty, street-smart existence. "He is not grooming himself every day, with unkempt, grungy hair, tied into a ponytail sometimes. You see that greasiness in the texture coming across. Texture is very important to me," she elaborated. This greasiness became a visual shorthand for the character's rugged rawness and difficult circumstances.
The Time Investment: Wigs, Extensions, and Bloodwork
Creating such a nuanced look was not a quick process. Preetisheel Singh revealed that the makeup and hair application typically took around 1.5 hours for each shoot. However, the time could extend further depending on the scene's requirements.
"If there was bloodwork, with scars and bruising, maybe two hours," she noted. A significant part of the process involved managing the character's evolution over time within the film's plot. Since his character grows his hair and beard over the years depicted in the story, Singh relied heavily on hair and beard extensions and wigs.
This was crucial as the shooting schedule required jumping between different timelines of the character's life. The back-and-forth necessitated a versatile and modular approach to the prosthetic and hair pieces, ensuring consistency and continuity while reflecting the passage of time.
Through this detailed revelation, it becomes clear that Ranveer Singh's powerful on-screen transformations are the result of a collaborative, painstaking creative process. Preetisheel Singh's work on 'Dhurandhar' underscores how character design in Bollywood is not merely about appearance but is intrinsically tied to storytelling, requiring hours of brainstorming and precise execution to bring a fictional spy's world to believable life.
