Dhurandhar Costume Designer Smriti Chauhan: 'Ranveer Wanted To Wear Accessories Even During Action; Akshaye Was Against Pathanis'
Costume designer Smriti Chauhan, who shaped Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna's looks in Dhurandhar and its upcoming sequel, reveals the process behind creating their on-screen styles.
By Seema Sinha
Published : March 17, 2026 at 3:44 PM IST
Her phone may not be buzzing incessantly, but costume designer Smriti Chauhan has definitely entered the mainstream commercial world of Bollywood in a big way with historic, humongous success of Dhurandhar. With the sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, inching towards release, Chauhan's excitement is palpable.
“There is a lot of subtext from Dhurandhar because the world still remains the same. But are the clothes designed differently and the world would seem a bit different? Well, it might be because there is progress in the story. There would be growth and falls, whether it is production design or costume design. All that would bring about different visual language but something that marries Dhurandhar and the sequel because you can’t separate the two. They are children from the same mother, but are they twins, not particularly,” says Chauhan.
“I am excited. It is a mix of excitement, anticipation, anxiety and nervousness because expectations from the sequel have gone much higher. That is making me a bit nervous. The humongous success of Dhurandhar was unexpected. We just did our job and left everything to fate and the audiences. We don’t think about what the results will be when we are working; I have given 200 percent," she further adds.
Talking about the brief given by director Aditya Dhar, Chauhan says, “Set in Pakistan, he wanted to create a world which is extremely stylish yet believable. We had to make Ranveer look like we have not seen him before. The challenge with him was that he has done so many looks, he is a diva himself in terms of fashion. Forget the different looks that we have seen him in public appearances or events, even in films he has played Khilji in Padmaavat, Bajirao, and then a college boy in his debut Band Baaja Baraat. He has a tremendous range. We have seen him in angrakhas, vintage clothes, western clothes and outfits you can’t even imagine.”
The team spent two to three months preparing Ranveer’s looks. They went through six different presentation decks and multiple iterations for each phase of his journey. Three comprehensive look tests were done even before shooting.
“When audience is watching they don’t look at Ranveer wearing a pathani; they are only thinking about the character Hamza Ali Mazari wearing a pathani. Later they start talking about Ranveer looking hot in that kind of attire and look, and that is how we devise a character. And Ranveer gets totally absorbed, he does his homework more thoroughly than half the crew. He’d ask, ‘Why linen? Why not silk? Why this jewellery? Why this structure?’ But he was thrilled by the first presentation we gave to him. He suggested that we give him some accessories for a certain part of the look. But we convinced him that we cannot do that as it is an action-packed film, how could he be seen wearing accessories, he would hurt himself with so much action. There were a few moments of silence. Ideas keep developing on the go, it is not that we follow any rule. There is constant improvisation with every film. Variables and locations keep changing depending upon what is served to you,” says Chauhan.
However, later, as the character rises in stature, accessories become key and Ranveer is seen loaded in accessories. As the film is packed with lengthy action sequences, some shot over 10 to 12 days, Chauhan’s team had to create silicone jewellery that looked real but wouldn’t injure the actor or break under impact. ”Later I ended up giving him so much jewellery in one of his avatars and to make silicone jewellery for action sequences was quite a nightmare for our department,” says Chauhan.
The other challenge was creating the traditional Balochi salwar. The authentic garment is made out of 30 to 40 meters of fabric. Chauhan’s team created prototypes using 17 to 20 meters to make it work for the action sequence. They experimented with fabric weight, fall, pleats and movement. “We kept making so many prototypes. When he wore it, it looked less; when we spread it out, it was huge. Overall, it was a massive learning experience,” she recalls.
The other challenge for Chauhan’s team was designing for a body that kept changing. Ranveer bulked up for a portion of the film and then shed weight rapidly for another. “We had to ensure that with every change in his body, the clothes didn’t show that change. The look had to stay consistent,” she shares. The character evolves from a street nobody to someone big. The costumes had to mirror his transformation. Initially, his look is rooted in ruggedness. “We understood which materials are working the best and which are looking rugged. His entire journey in this film is like that of a nobody becoming somebody, so that journey itself was amazing," she says.
Chauhan further reveals that the idea of a full beard was rooted in the character’s geography and cultural background. “We knew there was going to be a beard because of the region he comes from, what he’s performing and who he is,” she says.
Akshaye Khanna, Chauhan says, wanted to be a little more rookie and street-like, “Like a gunda because that is how the character emerges. He was against the idea of wearing a Pathani because he felt the whole world is wearing Pathani, so why should he be wearing the same attire. We had to convince Akshaye saying that he belongs to that place and Pathani doesn’t go out of their lives. Of course, you see them in denims, T-shirts and shirts, but it is not possible that they won’t have Pathani in their wardrobe. His character growth is such, he eventually enters into politics and politicians definitely wear Pathani, also they have to connect with their awaams (public). If you look at politicians in Pakistan... be it Zardari, Bhutto or Imran Khan, they all wear Pathanis. We took time to convince him. After his look became a big hit, I sent him a message saying the look that has hit the roof is the Pathani one that you didn’t want to wear (laughs). I can’t convince any actor of what they should wear until I am 300 percent convinced. He said he will wear Pathani only in three places and we thought we will bring it to five places but at least he should start somewhere,” says Chauhan with a laugh.
For the first political rally shown in Dhurandhar, Chauhan says, Akshaye didn’t want to wear a jacket and was insisting upon wearing a Pathani. “We had to tell him that you are winning the election, you are greeting people, you can’t be seen in a Pathani in front of ‘Nabeel’ who is wearing a suit. We had to convince him saying your character is rising from just being a goon. Next time Khanna wanted to know why he was given a blazer and we told him because he had won the elections and he wore it. Most of the time actors have many questions, if you have a logical answer, you have done your job.”
In a career span of 15 years, Chauhan’s filmography includes titles such as What are the Odds, Angrezi Medium, The White Tiger, Dahaad and Delhi Crime among others. From mere afterthought to recognised art form, costume designers are slowly being regarded as an integral part to storytelling, she says.
“They are slowly getting their due. Earlier, when film offers came to me I didn’t have the option of selecting. You don’t have so many offers; it is not that you can choose. In your initial days you want to grab anything that comes your way because you need to be proving your mettle. From then to now people’s perceptions have changed. Now there is an understanding that the contribution of a costume designer is important,” says Chauhan who bagged Dhurandhar on the basis of her work in Delhi Crime, Dahaad and Tumbbad.
She furthers, “But I am still waiting for the change to happen. It is too soon for me to say if there is any change in my life yet. The only change now is that people know more of my work. And the fact that the Dhurandhar costume is being noticed is my biggest win. That is the change I am thriving on, and that is the change I am enjoying fully. When you do period costumes for Baahubali, Avatar or Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films people talk about it, but if cinegoers start talking about costumes in day-to-day films, then that would bring a big change in the industry and in my career as well. That is also a costume designer’s journey. When you relate to a character then you are very engrossed and invested in the story and you don’t notice costumes but if you notice costumes in the second or third watch then that is a big achievement. I can notice these changes but what turn my career will take I still have to see."
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