Costume designer Smriti Chauhan reveals how Dhurandhar’s look was shaped by extensive online research into Lyari and Karachi’s underworld. From Pathanis to football jerseys, each detail helped create an authentic world for Ranveer Singh and the ensemble
Smriti Chauhan
What’s not to love about styling five of Bollywood’s most good-looking men — Ranveer Singh, R Madhavan, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, and Sanjay Dutt? But with Dhurandhar, costume designer Smriti Chauhan had a bigger responsibility — to stay true to the world of Lyari, in which director Aditya Dhar’s spy actioner is set. The costume designer says that rigorous research by Dhar and Ojas Gautam, director’s assistant, preceded the styling.
“Aditya and his team couldn’t conduct field research because the world they created was Pakistan,” she begins. So, they settled for the next best thing. “They did deep research — mostly online, and referred to many books. For the underground parties of the Karachi underworld shown in the film, [we referred to the] raid videos online. Many are available on YouTube. YouTube and Getty videos were circulated among teams so that all departments could get as much information possible,” Chauhan recalls.
The director was certain of a few things that had to be depicted through outfits. Chauhan cites an example, “Lyari’s love for football had to be shown. So, Mukka, one of the gang members, is seen in football jerseys quite a few times.”
With the story set in Lyari, Chauhan says Pathanis dominated the style palette. “But each Pathani has different shoulder pleats, bottom cuts, and fits. Pairing them with waistcoats, jackets, shawls also helped in differentiating them.”
Ranveer Singh as Hamza Ali
Hamza is spontaneous. So, I depicted that spontaneity in his silhouettes, like a sharply tailored kurta layered under a distressed jacket. The raw detailing reflects his volatile energy.
R Madhavan as Ajay Sanyal
His character is inspired by Ajit Doval. Since Doval is usually seen in suits, we gave Madhavan variations of suits with breakdowns over time — broader cuts in the ’90s, then slimmer cuts.
Sanjay Dutt as Chaudhary Aslam
We stayed true to the real-life figure’s white Pathani, unbuttoned cuffs, and gruff texture. His hair and beard styling reflect this as well.
Arjun Rampal as Major Iqbal
His character is rugged and grunge, yet an ISI Army General. To reflect that, we fused military design with coarse, rugged fabrics, switching between safari suits and Pathanis, based on the scene in question.
Akshaye Khanna as Rahman Dakait
Rahman is calm on the surface, but with depth like a still pond. I gave him darker colours like black and navy. They reflect his character’s gravitas.
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