Exclusive: Jaskirat To Hamza, Dhurandhar 2 Costume Designer Reveals How She Dressed Ranveer Singh

The star cast often takes the limelight in a film or series, but it's the crew that remains the unsung hero behind the magic that we witness on screen. Costume designers, especially, are the unsung heroes who create the looks, bringing the imagination of writers and directors alive. They design outfits, each piece adding a new layer to the character the actors play.

If it weren't for costume designers, actors wouldn't be able to blend into the ecosystem of a set while standing out in a scene - a visual portrayal of a director's vision. The same holds true for Aditya Dhar's recent blockbusters. One cannot talk about the success of these films without giving credit to Smriti Chauhan, costume designer for Dhurandhar Films.

Smriti Chauhan, along with her wardrobe supervisors, Alifiya Kurawar and Vidhi Gala, are the reason every cast member effortlessly looked the part they were playing, creating a fictitious world on screen that looked remarkably real. However, one of the most striking transformations that we witnessed on the silver screen was that of Ranveer Singh.

Costume designer Smriti Chauhan with her wardrobe supervisors, Vidhi Gala (L) and Alifiya Kurawar (R). Photo: Smriti Chauhan

"Ranveer Singh is a delight to work with. Once he puts his trust in you, he never questions your choices. What a delightful journey it has been, and I hope to get more such opportunities in life," said Smriti Chauhan in an exclusive interview with NDTV. 

In Dhurandhar, one of the most viral outfits was Akshaye Khanna's look in the FA9LA song, but in both films, Ranveer Singh's transformation will be remembered for ages. The costume designer spoke about how Jaskirat Singh Rangi shape‑shifts into Hamza Ali Mazari, blends into Rahman Dakait's gang, becomes the King of Lyari and the Wrath of God, and later swoons audiences with his climactic look as Jaskirat Singh Rangi in a pagri.

Ranveer Singh As Jaskirat Singh Rangi

When Dhurandhar: The Revenge begins, we see a young Jaskirat Singh Rangi on a mission to kill everyone who participated in destroying his family while he was training to join the Indian forces.

"Keeping the era in mind, we gave him a basic stripe T-shirt, which was prevalent in the 2000s. Since he comes from Pathankot; hence, there is a subtle small-town vibe to him, but we can't forget that the guy has done his studies and has already undergone training. He has met different people and has acquired some taste," shared Smriti. 

We see Jaskirat wearing a striped t-shirt and cargo pants in the massacre scene. "We had to keep in mind that this is going to be a long action scene, so we had to ensure his outfit was comfortable and functional because he had to jump, roll, fight, and shoot," she added.

She mentioned that cargo trousers were chosen not only because they are comfortable but also because they have pockets. "If he wanted to store more ammunition, we needed to show more pockets," she told NDTV.

"I remember Aditya Sir telling us, 'Give him those army boots that are used in training,'" shared the designer, remembering the director's brief. However, the original boots used for training are heavy; hence, she sourced ones that looked similar but were comfortable, allowing Ranveer to perform action sequences with ease.

Ranveer Singh Transitioning From Jaskirat To Hamza

Before Ranveer Singh becomes Hamza, we see him in one of his sharpest looks in Dhurandhar 2. This is when he goes to Kabul. "That is a clean, very urban look for him. We gave him a very sleek look, which corresponded to his name - Ryan Ricardo. Honestly, we did not know anything about his background or personality. He could have been anyone," revealed the designer.

Ryan Ricardo was an interpretation of an urban guy. But since he had long hair, tied in a ponytail, and a trimmed beard, he could not have been in corporate, therefore, Smriti did not give him formals. Instead, he sports a t-shirt and a leather jacket while travelling.

"We wanted this look to be distinct from what we have seen before, and what he was going to look like next. He had to look different; he could not look like Jaskirat after years of training," she added.

Ranveer Singh As Hamza Ali Mazari

Once Ranveer transitions into Hamza, we see his rugged personality. "We see him in a vulnerable state, where he burns the picture of his family. He gets a new passport and slips into this Pathani silhouette. He had to blend in now. You can't tell whether he is Afghani, Pathani, Baloch, or anyone else from that region," Smriti said, sharing how Hamza's looks were crafted.

We see him travelling through the Hindu Kush region, and it was imperative to the story that he blended in with everyone. "The colours selected here were neutral - literally the colours of nature," shared the designer, adding, "Whether he is going to the mountains, which boasts a lot of grey sand, or passing through a dense forest, which has a lot of olives, greens, and browns, he is a blend of all these colours."

Moreover, the idea behind this outfit was for it to age. "It will look lived in," she said, sharing the jacket featured corduroy sleeves and embroidery. The kurta has elbow patches, it has khadi and khader, of different patterns, dyed in different colours. The hood also features embroidery, and you notice him in the montage where he is walking in Dhurandhar. The shawl was also added to complete his silhouette.

"Everything on Ranveer has been customised. It was all handmade," stressed Smriti, adding, "patches of different fabrics, dyed in colours, and tassels added with wool. The idea was to blend him.

When Ranveer joins the gang, we see him initially in the down-trodden look, but as he moves up, his outfits become more fitted. "One brief that Aditya sir gave was that he has come here to become a part of the gang. He is going to pick up something from everybody," shared Smriti.

His accessory choices have evolved over the years and were inspired by other gang members. For example, the designer shared that the love for black was picked from Rahman Dakait (Akshaye Khanna), some accessories were inspired by Uzair Balock (Danish Pandor) and Rahman, and jackets were picked from Major Iqbal.

Hamza Alia Mazari As A Lover Boy

There is a subtle but evident shift in Hamza Ali Mazari's personality when he meets Yalina (Sara Arjun). "When Yalina comes into his life, we introduce a little bit of colours," shared the designer, adding that the first maroon pathani we see on Hamza was custom-designed for the scene in which he first meets the love of his life.

"We needed him to stand out, yet not much. We had to take a leap, but not too far that it would prick the audience's eyes... We wanted to add lover boy vibes to him, which is not the character of Hamza.  The shade was thoughtfully selected," she added.

Around this time, we also see Hamza's sleeves rolled up to add a layer of rowdy traits to his person. Now that he has blended in, he has to show off his "dabangg" personality and prove that he was one of them. "Buttons on his pathani start appearing, his pathani collars have a little bit of leather patch detail, and his plackets have stitches. Double stitches came in around this time. Tiny details started appearing on his outfits," elaborated Smriti.

Ranveer Singh As King Of Lyari

When Rahman Daikait is dead, and Uzair Baloch is in jail, Hamza Ali Mazari emerges as the King of Lyari. He sits on the throne as 'King of Lyari' flashes on the screen. "We never gave him black before he became the kind of Lyari. It was reserved for this moment," shared the designer.

From this point on, he wore black, darkest emerald, darkest wine, and darkest navy, but all of them appear black on camera. "We had to match his larger-than-life persona in the film. The idea of putting jewellery and accessories on him is to tell the world that he has actually become the king," she said, confessing that pathani was a limitation, so blazers came into play. 

"His look in Balochistan in that jacket, which has so many patches of leather, check texture, and khadi and linen and everything. He looked like a Greek God. He looked so handsome," shared Smriti, praising Ranveer and how he embodied the role of King of Lyari on the screen.

Ranveer Singh Brings Wrath Of God In Dhurandhar: The Revenge

In the climax, where Hamza Ali Mazari is fighting Major Iqbal, his outfit had to bring out that persona. That's when the silhouette of a waistcoat and long jacket came into the picture. "Since he could not wear and roam around in a long jacket otherwise, it had to be reserved for the right moment," added the designer.

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"It had to be black. This is also where he has to unleash it all. The weather was hot as hell, and we shot in May. He (Ranveer Singh) was wearing four layers, and the overcoat was made of stretch denim material. He wore everything while shooting in dust, grime, and blood, and he had to run, jump, use the gun, and kill people in that scene," shared the costume designer, praising the actor's commitment to his role and look on the screen.

"This is the vision we set out to achieve. We were two ways about it (long jacket) - whether he would wear it or not," she said, remembering telling Ranveer, "When you are going to run, the fluttering of the long jacket, it's going to look really nice."

"He did it. What an amazing person," added Smriti, with a hint of respect for Ranveer Singh in her voice.

Ranveer Singh As Jaskirat Singh Rangi

One of the most viral scenes from Dhurandhar: The Revenge is when Jaskirat Singh Rangi returns to India, and instead of going to the briefing, he dresses up, wears a pagri, and heads to meet his family. But he remains standing on the crossroad, tears welling in his eyes, unable to decide whether he should meet his loved ones or let them be since they have moved on in their lives.

For this, Smriti shared that she did not know what the background of the scene was going to be. She added that she was fortunate to find a shade of soft brown that aligned with the silhouette she had envisioned.

"This is the colour - it will speak volumes of vulnerability and add to the emotions of the scene. The pagri was a desaturated beige‑salmon tone, and it was custom-dyed," shared the designer.

"We wanted non‑interfering colours because we did not want anything to overpower the actor's performance. We didn't want any jarring colour that would clash with his skin tone or the colour of his eyes. The costume could not distract the audience while they were looking at Jaskirat Singh Rangi, who returned after an entire lifetime, not knowing if he would ever come back," she added.

"He is as naked as the colour of flesh. My idea of brown and salmon together was to add the nudish tone. Everything from his life has been chipped off. The feeling of turmoil that was in him, I did not want to represent it through the costume. It had to be all him (Ranveer)," Smriti said.

Beyond the magic witnessed on the silver screen, it was Smriti Chauhan and her costume designs that added multiple layers to each character Ranveer Singh played in the Dhurandhar films, bringing his journey to life.

"My team, especially my wardrobe supervisors, are my backbone. Without their love and support, I would not have been able to achieve what I did," she concluded, with a hint of pride and affection in her voice.

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