Ranveer Singh’s hair artist breaks down the creation of his ferocious Khilji look in ‘Padmaavat’

Mumbai, Feb 12 (IANS) Ranveer Singh’s iconic portrayal of Sultan Alauddin Khilji in “Padmaavat” left an indelible mark on audiences, and much of that impact came from the character’s bold and ferocious look.

Now, hair artist Darshan is revealing the secrets behind creating Khilji’s fierce appearance, from his meticulously grown beard to his striking long hair. In an exclusive interview with IANS, Darshan has revealed the intricate process behind creating the look that transformed Singh into the menacing Khilji.

Talking about the process, the actor’s hairstylist explained that the first step was understanding the essence of Khilji’s character. Darshan shared, “The first thing I heard about this character was like he’s like a Mughal king who is demolishing and devastating and like ruthless. So, the beard was the first calling that we focused on; we grew the beard. We had to grow it for almost one hour, three months, I guess, maybe a little more than that.”

“And the day of the look test, we knew for a fact we did Bajirao where he was bald, but we wanted to explore the area where what if we go completely extreme and give him long hair, you know, this guy who has long hair and he’s really, I think, menacing and like a lion’s mane because he was powerful, he was ferocious. And that’s when the idea of long hair sprouted. And also the prosthetic artist, I think at that time, Preeti Sheel was in sync with this, and we started working with the extensions, which were created for this character, we grew his hair long as well. So, I remember the first look test, we all were in sync as a whole team. we were, we trimmed the beard and created that Khilji protruding look and a unique one. And keeping the hair long, we created four or five styles. And I think it was just a good prep where the first look test was point to the point and we achieved what we wanted in the first look test,” Darshan added.

Darshan also mentioned that the filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s creative vision was at the forefront of the transformation of Ranveer Singh’s Khilji look in “Padmaavat.” According to him, Bhansali was instrumental in exploring different variations of the character’s look.

“I think Sanjay sir was there, and he was driving the whole variation. Look, what are the possibilities of this king having different kinds of looks? So, all departments kind of synced in and we tried variations, two chotis and like a bun, where it’s half bun where he’s sitting and there’s like half gulalon his face, you know? That was during the shoot; that was something that we created randomly, a last-minute change. So yes, we really played long and Bhansali sir gives you that space and always pushes you to bring something different and always unique out,” Darshan further revealed.

Set in 1303 AD during medieval India, “Padmaavat” tells the fearless story of Queen Padmavati, played by Deepika Padukone, and her battle against the ruthless Sultan Alauddin Khilji. (Ranveer Singh). The film highlights her strength in protecting her kingdom and honor from Khilji’s sinister ambitions.

Also starring Shahid Kapoor, the historical action thriller re-released in theatres on January 24.

-IANS

ps/