He discusses, how he collaborated with the star to give him distinct styles in ‘Goliyon ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’ , ‘Gunday’, ‘Bajirao Mastani’ , ‘Padmaavat’, ‘Simmba’, and the recent, ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar*’

Be it his double ponytails, man buns, piled up curls, wavy dos, spikes, quiffs or a stylish side-parting, Ranveer Singh knows how to carry an unconventional look. He never steps out with boring hair and the man behind this hair magic is celebrity hair designer Darshan Yewalekar. Says Darshan, “For over a decade, Ranveer and I have collaborated on the kind of style he wants to sport on a given day. It is while approaching specific characters in films that we have more structured discussions about the context and the milieu the story is set in and the social and personal graph of the protagonist.”

Darshan shares how he styled some of the most memorable protagonists played by Ranveer:

Goliyon ki Raasleela Ram-Leela: In this film, Ranveer had to portray the emotions of rage as well as intense love and the hair gave him a certain vulnerability while the beard gave him the slight undercurrent of menace, says Darshan. He adds, “Sanjay Leela Bhansali is very precise with the graph of his characters and it is always inspiring to see a character through his eyes, Once you do it, everything else falls into place.

Gunday: The beard and the long hair Ranveer sported in the film were in keeping his character, says Darshan and adds, “Bikram, the character Ranveer plays in the film was a free-spirited rebel, with shades of grey and his long hair and beard indicated defiance. Ranveer loved this look and in fact posted a recent picture on Instagram which reminded Arjun Kapoor of ‘Gunday’ and he commented, “This hair beard is Bikram circa 2014.” This is kind of a contemporary look that anyone with good hair can pull off, anytime, anywhere.”

Bajirao Mastani: In this film, Ranveer’s look, says Darshan, was very much in line with Maratha’s history and culture. He adds, ” Ranveer actually had the courage to shave his head for the role, and then as the story progresses, his hair grows a little. Again, planning these variations within the shooting schedule was the toughest part as this was an iconic film being shot on a mammoth scale and we could not make any mistakes.”

Padmaavat: The character of Khilji, says Darshan, was imagined by director Sanjay Leela Bhansali in a certain way and the challenge was to bring that vision to life. He adds, “I gave Ranveer, wild untamed energy. His hair and his beard added to the sense of danger the character was supposed to exude. Needless to say, it became one of the most memorable looks Ranveer has sported though it was tough to maintain for continuity over the long months the film was shot. The look was tough to carry, as we had blended extensions with Ranveer’s own hair with over 18 clips and Ranveer had to manage action sequences with all the discomfort.”

Simmba: Sangram “Simmba” Bhalerao played by Ranveer evolves through the course of the film, says Darshan and adds, “The idea was to keep the focus away from his hair and give him a very efficient cut that did not come in the way of the action sequences. The look was perfect for the character’s progression too as Simmba goes from wanting to look like an honest cop to actually becoming one.” Ranveer’s slick, minimal hair went with his cop avatar and was loved by his fans who are now waiting for a sequel.

Jayeshbhai Jordaar: This one was tricky because as Darshan says, simplicity is at times, the hardest to achieve. He says, “Jayeshbhai is a gentle soul and I had to think of a look that captured his ordinary existence and also a little spark of defiance that he carries within. After a long narration from the director, I understood that Jayeshbhai’s masculinity is not filmy. He is a different kind of a ‘mard’ who is progressive even though he lives in a conservative milieu. The tightly combed hair and the diffident moustache created the look of a man who is ordinary to look at but can be surprisingly heroic in a crisis.