Meet the man behind Ranveer Singh’s original turban in Dhurandhar

Punjab: The success of Aditya Dhar’s blockbuster film Dhurandhar is generally considered significant for the small artists, actors, and people of Amritsar who were a part of it in some way or the other. While success and happiness are now about their 15 minutes of fame, it also reflects a combination of inspiration, opportunity, and recognition. One such young entrepreneur from the city, Balwinder Singh, is also proud of Dhurandhar’s success. Why? Because Balwinder is the man behind the original, clean-cut dastaar (turban) worn by Ranveer Singh as Jaskirat in the film. Not just him, but as a turban trainer, Balwinder tied the turbans for all the characters who wore them in both films. Balwinder, who runs his own turban studio, Inder Pagdi House, in Kot Khalsa, said, “I designed Afghani and Baloch turbans for the characters in Dhurandhar, and later designed a Sikh dastaar for Ranveer Singh, a freestyle turban and pinda for Atiq’s character, and Punjabi-style safas for other characters.” Balwinder had previously worked with actor Anupam Kher in Calories, a Canadian-Indian film, before being approached by the makers of Dhurandhar. Balwinder Singh with the cast and crew of the film Dhurandhar. Balwinder said, “Aditya Dhar was very impressed with how I tied the Punjabi Dastaar, which is the authentic semi-Patiala royal turban worn by Ranveer’s character in the film. I feel that in earlier Bollywood films, the Dastaar wasn’t portrayed authentically and with the respect it deserves.
While working on the film, I told the crew that we would respect the dignity of the Dastaar. We would tie it and, after the scene, untie it and set it aside with respect to ensure its dignity. It’s not a fashion accessory; it’s very sacred to us.” He is full of praise for Ranveer Singh, who he said always took care while wearing the Dastaar. On the work front, Dhurandhar said that Balwinder was a learning experience for him. He said, “I didn’t know how to tie a Baloch-style turban, which uses a 16-17 meter piece of cloth and requires very specific folds and tying. I was shown photos and videos, after which I learned to tie a freestyle Baloch turban.” Balwinder said that nowadays, the most popular turbans among the youth are the Patiala Shahi, Barnala Shahi, Amritsari Watan Wali Dastaar, and the very popular Sidhu Moosewala-style Watan Wali Freestyle turban.