Meet Balwinder Singh, the Turban Expert Behind Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna’s Iconic Looks in Dhurandhar

While you have been enjoying the ‘peak detailing Aditya Dhar’ Dhurandhar memes, you may have missed this small but significant detailing that made Rahman Dakait and Hamza common household names. It’s their outfits and the overall look amplified their turbans or pagdis. While Smriti Chauhan was responsible for costume design in the film, pagdi special Balwinder Singh was on board to tie turbans for the cast, including actors Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna.
Balwinder Singh with Aditya Dhar (Photo: Balwinder Singh)
Talking to about his humble beginnings, Singh, whose nickname is Inder, shared in Hindi, “I have been doing this for 15 years. Not as a job, but as a passion project. I always had this hob of tying a dastaar (pagdi). I used to visit the gurdwara in my neighbourhood in Amritsar, Punjab. There are various activities in gurdwaras. Some play the harmonium, others take up service. So, I was inclined towards kirtan, and then I got interested in tying a dastaar. I only went to learn dastaar for a week. After that, I started practising on my own, and I tied different types and styles like Balochani, Safa, Rajasthani turban, to name a few.”
Balwinder Singh tied Ranveer Singh’s character Hamza’s turban (Photo: Balwinder Singh)
Singh first started tying turbans for his friends. “If someone gives me a photo, I can recreate the same style in no time. That is how I cultivated my hob into my passion. No one told me to take this up. It has now become my identity,” the 30-year-old said.
Singh used to work on textiles in his shop near the Golden Temple. That’s when he met a TV crew that had come to shoot, in 2020-21. “I told them about my work. That’s how they got in touch with me for auditions. I started with small TV serial stints. Then, I was approached to tie a turban for an art in the Anupam Kher-led 2025 Canadian film Calorie. I gave an audition and got selected. I also got feedback that I have done a good job,” Singh, who stays in Amritsar with his 1.5-year-old daughter, wife, and parents, said.
Balwinder Singh with Smriti Chauhan (Photo: Balwinder Singh)
Then, he was approached for an audition for filmmaker Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar. “The shoot was in Amritsar in 2023. I got selected in the audition. I was told to recreate the styles of Balochan. I tried it on myself using photos and videos. And costume director Smriti Chauhan ji shared that the Sardar pagdi is also needed for Ranveer Singh sir’s character. So, I tied pagdi for Ranveer Singh sir and Akshaye Khanna sir, as well as the background artes. It took two and a half months for my work to be completed,” he recalled.
Singh shared that the actors were only expected to wear the pagdi at the time of the shoot. “If they felt uncomfortable, I used to tie again to maintain continuity,” he mentioned.
Sharing his experience of working with Ranveer, Singh said, “Ranveer sir ka nature bahut badhiya hai (Ranveer sir has a fantastic nature). The last time we were shooting in Leh Ladakh, I wasn’t feeling well because of altitude sickness. Ranveer sir was enquiring about my health. Mera haal chaal poocha…kaise mere haal chaal hai..koi dikkat toh nahi hai? (He asked how I was feeling. If I were facing any issues.) It felt like home away from home. He gave me that respect.”Story continues below this ad
Saying that he often used to tie the turban in one of Ranveer’s two vanity vans on set, Singh said, “Ranveer sir praised me. When we were shooting in Chandigarh, he had to tie the pagdi himself…so he asked me…”Kya mujhe bhi classes mil sakti hain? (Can I also get classes?)”.
Singh admitted that his interaction with Akshaye was cordial but limited. “Akshaye Khanna ji bahut lajawab the (Akshaye Khanna was truly outstanding). He only used to speak at the time of costume trials,” he added.
Balwinder Singh with Danish Pandor (Photo: Balwinder Singh)
According to Singh, the movie was shot in Amritsar, Ludhiana, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, Leh-Ladakh, Thailand, and Mumbai. “I didn’t go to Thailand and Mumbai as I didn’t have any work there,” he said.
Singh said he would have loved to see his name in the credits. “I thought I would be credited, but I wasn’t. I did feel a little bad about it. But it’s okay. I had no idea about Dhurandhar’s budget when I was working on it. As Dhurandhar: The Revenge is set to release soon, I am excited. Whether there is any benefit or not for me, I am happy with my work,” he added.Story continues below this ad
Singh said he was approached for Sunny Deol’s Border 2 too but had to turn down the request as he had “wedding bookings for the same period”. “I am grateful for these opportunities. Zaroori nahi hai apni waah waah karte raho (It’s not necessary to keep singing your own praise),” he added.
Singh says that now that he has worked in Bollywood and in an international film (Calorie), he wants to work in a film that pays tribute to Sikh hory. “That would be the icing on the cake,” he said.