Darshan Yewalekar has also revolutionised hair design in Hindi cinema with successes like ‘Bajirao Mastani’, ‘Padmaavat’, ’83’ and ‘Sky Force’
It could not have been easy to recreate the pre-independence era of 1919 in Karan Singh Tyagi’s film ‘Kesari-Chapter 2’, but hair designer Darshan was up to the task, having nailed period-specific looks in films like ‘Bajirao Mastani’, ‘Padmaavat’, ’83’ and ‘Sky Force’. The man who has designed for stars like Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan and Salman Khan recalls what it was like to tackle the challenge of designing for the entire cast of ‘Kesari-Chapter 2’.
He says, “We had enough research and references to recreate the hair design for each character. Regina Cassandra’s hair, for instance, had to have a slight distinction as she hailed from the South. And when her husband was knighted by the British Queen, her hairstyle also grew slightly European. For Madhavan sir, we worked on a distinct beard which was inspired by the 1920s. We did three look tests with him and experimented with the beard colour till we got it right. “ 
Styling for Mark Bennington, who played General Dwyer, was also very interesting and Darshan says, “We had a reference point for General Dyer’s image and it was critical to find the right wig and moustache that would immediately transform Mark into the character. I was also flown to London to test wigs and moustaches for Mark’s look test and it was worth it. I’m glad we made that trip to London and spent the requisite resources to create an authentic character.”
For Akshay Kumar and Ananya Pandey as well, the styling progressed seamlessly. As Darshan says, “Director Karan Tyagi gave importance to each and every character’s detailing. The teams of Akshay sir and Ananya also made me integral to their styling, and they brilliantly executed the final looks. Karan’s support was really overwhelming, and I really cherish the experience of working on this film.”
The style palette of ‘Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins’ has also created quite a buzz, especially for Jaideep Ahlawat’s image-shattering look. Darshan is glad his work is being recognised widely and says, “Jaideep sir was open to suggestions about cut and colour and the final result has pleasantly surprised even the fans who have loved him for his earthy roles. Working with Saif sir after ‘Laal Kaptaan’ was also great fun as he is an innately stylish person and open to experimentation.”
For the young boy who grew up in Bhusawal (Maharashtra) in a family of modest means and started his journey from a local salon with a salary of just ₹2,000 a month, designing for some of the biggest stars and production houses is a testimony to immense grit and the power of dreams. Darshan has also founded DBarbershop in Mumbai to elevate the barbering culture in India by blending traditional barbering artistry with cutting-edge technology. As he says, “My broader mission is also to train the next generation of barbers and hair designers. I want to open new doors for them because, in my journey, I, too, was afforded that opportunity. I truly want to give back and make a difference.”
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