Dhurandhar’s makeup artist opens up about creating Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna’s look for the movie; read
Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar was one of last year’s biggest blockbusters, celebrated not just for its story and scale but for its unforgettable characters. While the performances drew applause, it was the film’s transformative looks that became a talking point. Now, makeup and prosthetics designer Preetisheel Singh shares how she built those iconic on-screen personas.
“I prefer calling it character designing…”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Preetisheel clarifies that she prefers calling her work ‘character designing’ rather than merely ‘prosthetics’ since it involves a combination of hair, make-up, and prosthetics that comes together in her lab in Versova, Mumbai.
As for her process? It begins long before the cameras roll. Preetisheel first reads the script and then sits with the director to understand the emotional as well as physical arcs of each character. Then come the digital prototypes; once approved, her team uses three-dimensional silicone casts of the actors’ faces — designed to replicate the natural texture of skin.
Over nearly fifteen years, Singh has become one of Bollywood’s most respected prosthetic designers, with credits in Haider (2014), Bajirao Mastani (2015), Padmaavat (2018), Kalki 2898 AD (2024), Chhaava (2025), and most recently, Dhurandhar.
The craft behind Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar look
Talking about her work on Dhurandhar, Preetisheel reveals how crucial it was to define Ranveer Singh’s appearance with restraint.
“Cracking Ranveer Singh’s hair was important. We had to strike a balance between making it cinematic but not distracting, because he is not a front-and-centre character in the first part. I wanted to show the initial rugged rawness, where he is not grooming himself every day — with unkempt greasy hair, tied into a ponytail sometimes. I even gave him freckles on his face and tanned his skin tone. This builds character,” she said.
“For Akshaye Khanna…”
Each leading man in Dhurandhar came with his own design challenge. Preetisheel recalls, “For Akshaye Khanna, there is a suaveness in his character. He doesn’t need to say much to command attention. I gave him soft waves, and we showed the receding hairline. It is not a full head of hair. I remember doing the trial — he was looking at himself in the mirror, and reminded me of his late father, Vinod Khanna.”
“To make Arjun Rampal look unattractive was difficult…”
Transforming Arjun Rampal took a different approach. “To make Arjun Rampal look unattractive was difficult. I wanted his face to be layered under a lot of character streaks and gave him a nice scar across his face. We did the gold plating for two teeth on top and the lower set as well. On the first day of shooting, he had asked if we could take another shot, with a close-up of his face. He did this side smirk, and suddenly you realised, the teeth are what completed his character, Major Iqbal,” Preetisheel said.
Recognition for an overlooked art
Despite her contributions to some of India’s most visually striking films, Preetisheel says prosthetics is still undervalued. “Except for the National Awards, it is barely acknowledged,” she notes. “Prosthetics is still considered a slapdash thing, only meant to turn people into an old or fat person. It is high time we — and I include the casting director in this — get the recognition that is due.”
From bruised skin tones to freckled faces, Preetisheel’s artistry in Dhurandhar proves how much detail goes into shaping a cinematic world that feels real. “It is very important to me that even when they are not speaking, the character comes through strongly,” she adds. Each look took around one and a half hours to prepare, or two hours when blood, scars, and bruising were involved. “Time was always of the essence,” she says, “but the results were worth it.”
As Dhurandhar continues to be celebrated for its scale and storytelling, Preetisheel’s craft reminds audiences of the invisible artistry that makes cinema memorable.
