Hairstylist Darshan Yewalekar 'pushes boundaries on haircut and colour' for Saif Ali Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat's looks in Jewel Thief

From trading Jaideep Ahlawat’s ‘earthy’ looks for a ‘suave’ one to giving Saif Ali Khan mid-length hair, hairstylist Darshan Yewalekar decodes their distinct avatars in Jewel Thief

Heist thrillers are usually about novel robbery plans and taut storytelling. And style, adds Darshan Yewalekar. The celebrity hair designer is confident that Saif Ali Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat’s Jewel Thief—The Heist Begins delivers on the style quotient. While he has frequently worked with Khan, Kookie Gulati and Robbie Grewal’s directorial venture gave him the chance to collaborate with Ahlawat. “The brief was to create a debonair character,” says the hairstylist.

Darshan Yewalekar

So far, Ahlawat has largely played the common man. The upcoming Netflix film gave the actor and Yewalekar the chance to run wild with his styling. Think gelled hair, jewellery and bold accessories. He elaborates, “From Three of Us [2023] to Maharaj [2024], Jaideep sir has sported distinct looks. The brief was to make him look suave and different from his previous earthy characters. We wanted to press the accelerator on fashion to create charisma around his character. Jaideep sir and I decided to push the boundaries on haircut and colour. We had to work on the look a few times to get the colour and tone right.”

For Khan, Yewalekar designed an effortlessly stylish look. “I had designed his look in Laal Kaptaan [2019], and he recommended me to Siddharth and Mamta [Anand, producers]. I design looks after reading the script and understanding the characters’ arcs. Saif loves playing with his hair and we experimented on different styles till we zeroed in on the mid-length, wavy hair.” Interestingly, Yewalekar has also styled Khan’s son Ibrahim Ali Khan in his upcoming films Nadaaniyan and Sarzameen. “Like his father, Ibrahim has a willingness to experiment. They are knowledgeable, yet they give you the space to experiment,” he states.

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