“There is a seminal moment when he gets dressed,” says Ranveer Singh’s personal stylist, Nitasha Gaurav in the course of our hour-long conversation, “It’s just before he steps out, when I make him wear his coat. That’s our clincher moment. It’s when he looks into the mirror and we both go like, ‘Oh, Yahh!’”.
The queen of quirk follows this up with animated laughter.
Meet Nitasha Gaurav, who transforms our brazenly boisterous birthday boy Ranveer Singh - he turns 33 today (6 July) - into the king of quirk. From clashing psychedelic prints, low-waist pleated skirts to post-apocalyptic clothing and OTT sunglasses, our man here can pull off literally everything! We caught up with the lady behind it all. Excerpts from the interview:
The Day It All Began
“It all started when I first shot with Ranveer for Filmfare just after his debut film, Band Baaja Baraat. Everyone thought he was from Delhi. So we were doing a photo story on how he was a Bandra boy. So we shot all over Bandra where he grew up, for example, his school, where he played football, Carter Road etc.
- 01/06Ranveer Singh’s first Filmfare photo shoot styled by Nitasha Gaurav in 2013.(Photo Courtesy: Facebook)
- 02/06Peace Haven ground where Ranveer used to play football.(Photo Courtesy: Facebook)
- 03/06Ranveers’s school, Learners’ Academy in Bandra.(Photo Courtesy: Facebook)
- 04/06A true blue bandra boy, Ranveer shot for the magazine at Pali Hill.(Photo Courtesy: Facebook)
- 05/06His meeting point back in the day, the New India General Store.(Photo Courtesy: Facebook)
- 06/06Ranveer Singh at Carter Road.(Photo Courtesy: Facebook)
“I remember those pictures were very regular, run-of-the-mill pictures. He was shot as a boy next door. It was a very candid shoot, not at all fancy! But the pictures were very well received and then he called me to do another shoot with him and then one thing led to another and here we are,” says Nitasha.
Making Memories
More than a memory of Ranveer Singh, my first memory of him is actually a memory of his mum.Nitasha Gaurav, Ranveer Singh’s stylist
“I remember it was a very early morning shoot and we had to be at his house at 4 am. Since he had already started getting quite famous, we obviously couldn't shoot in the middle of the day in Mumbai. So as soon as we finished the shoot at 7 am -7:30 am, we all went back to Ranveer’s home and his mom (Anju Bhavnani) had laid out this big breakfast for us. I remember that more than anything else from the shoot! She is such a loving and warm person,” she says.
Ranveer’s Style Sensibilities
Nitasha spills some of Ranveer’s style secrets. She says: “He loves colour, he is flamboyant and extremely confident as a person. He is not looking for approval. And that immediately sets him free in a way that you can't even imagine. He wears what he is drawn to. He likes print on print on print. He is almost childlike, actually! How children are drawn to color and bright vibrant things? And things that cause a degree of excitement when you see them. Even he responds to bright, cheerful and happy prints in the same way.”
In many ways when I think of men’s fashion in this country, I think of it as pre-Ranveer and post-Ranveer.
He is an embodiment of a certain kind of perfection of a free mind. So, he is almost an ideal for somebody who has broken away from these shackles and is flying free.
“If you look at a lot of how celebs before Ranveer dressed in a certain way, as if hero hai toh aisa dikhna chahiye or aisa hona chahiye. Here comes a man who goes through all these theories and doesn't give a damn and then everything that he does... first there is usually an uproar as to ‘OMG, he wore this! or OMG, he wore that!’ and then suddenly you see it everywhere and suddenly everybody is wearing it,” she says.
Decoding Ranveer’s Famous Looks
1. The Condom Look
That was a Demobaza outfit, where everybody called him a condom. Well that’s a post-apocalyptic brand (designers) and they do all these post-apocalyptic types of clothing. I think his hair wasn’t done that’s why he had a hood up. But I think he looked good fun.
“Ranveer is not someone who would ever say ‘my favourite outfit is a white shirt and blue jeans’. So that look was Ranveer Singh's answer to a white t-shirt and blue jeans with Demobaza,” Nitasha laughs.
2. Fancy Workout Wear
- 01/04Ranveer snapped post work-out by the paparazzi. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 02/04Jazzy does it for Ranveer. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 03/04Doesn’t he look effortlessly cool in this airport look? (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 04/04Ranveer looks ‘Oh, so charming!’ in this Mario Attire(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
“Because why not? Like I said, what is a glory in a plain black tracksuit? To him that's his normal. He'll wear it and he enjoys it. And because he has an association with Addidas Originals, he is possibly the only Indian that has access to a lot of really interesting merchandise that comes from them. So that's his comfort wear.”
Some people’s comfort wear is to wear the safe and the whatever, but this is Ranveer Singh. The parameter is different. He is also somebody who is very into music, so if he is listening to a certain kind of music, he will be feeling a certain way in his head and then he will dress a certain way!
3. The Poster Print Suit
It’s the Filmfare award, so of course you have to look not just glamorous, but you have to stand out in a sea of all those black and blue suits. And this is Ranveer Singh! So, this time we did a suit with the movie poster-print from the 80s and 90s.
4. The ‘No F*cks Given’ Look
Ranveer Singh outrageously pushed the fashion boundaries in his Muppet pyjamas, a statement t-shirt and a silk tiger print dressing robe, paired with Sylvester Stalone slippers and a cane at the GQ Best Dressed Men Awards.
“Ranveer was going to the GQ awards and he kept saying, ‘lets do something different.' We had developed a version of this look for something else and then when the GQ awards came around, he said 'Oh can we do that.' So the t-shirt idea was his. Infact he called me at some 3 in the morning to say I want a 'No Fucks Given T-shirt'.
5. The Kedia Look
He wore this Rohit Bal outfit for a show with Amitabh Bachchan while promoting Ram Leela and of course became the talk of the town. It was a black color little jacket with a long knee length kedia paired with a churidaar. And he looked so amazing!
Gunning for the Outrageous
“Ranveer doesn’t take it all too seriously. He is not worried about what people will think of him and so in the process, he ends up standing out! In fact, he is the only one who would be able to attempt something like this or have this kind of fun. In hindsight, if I think about it, we have done a lot of classics too which nobody remembers,” says Nitasha.
It’s not like he has never worn a black suit or a blue tuxedo, but nobody remembers those looks. For all the 60 times he has worn outrageous clothes, there have been 40 when he has dressed up conservatively or he has donned classics.
Is Standing Out The Key?
“Ranveer is extremely vivacious. He is an extrovert, he likes people and drawing them to himself. Even if you hear stories of his childhood, Ranveer would put up shows for his family and do things or dress up in a certain way, simply to entertain them!” Nitasha points out.
It’s not standing out for the sake of standing out. I mean, here is a man who truly enjoys all the madness and craziness of having fun with fashion. In fact, because he is the only one who would be able to attempt something like this, he stands out.
Inky-Pinky-Ponky
Ranveer is not very fond of the colour pink.
“I think he has only worn one pink suit. It's not that he has ever declined wearing pink. But in all the times we have showed him the option, it’s not ever been on the list of his favorites,” shares Nitasha.
Sneak-Peek Diaries
Ranveer must be owning hundreds and hundreds of shoes. There is a room full of them... he has countless sunglasses, hats, and shoes.
Working With the Man
And how’s it working with Ranveer Singh?
There’s one thing about working with Ranveer - you can get calls and messages from him at some strange times. He can stay awake all night, where as I go to sleep very early. But over time, I have discovered there is a streak of madness in both of us, which is how I guess we vibed.
Nitasha adds: “But yes, I am quite supportive of all his madness.”
The Dream Team
“Ranveer has had the same team for the past 5-6 years, including his hair stylist, make-up guy, manager, and me. We have all been there from the beginning and when you work with somebody over a period of time, you have a good understanding. Like I know all the clothes in his cupboard. So, if he mentions something, I know what he is talking about,” Nitasha signs off.
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