Chauhan also opened up about her early conversations with director Aditya Dhar, who made it clear from the beginning that they were aiming to create a distinct visual world for the film. “When we had the first meeting, he categorically told us that we will make a world. And while we took real images from the internet of what Pakistan looks like, how Lyari looks, we pushed the design of our main and secondary actors two levels ahead. Because we wanted to create our own world, one that is believable and, at the same time, gives you an Akshaye Khanna moment.”

Speaking about the challenges, she added, “We had massive action scenes and massive crowd sequences, so the work that goes behind it is a thousand times more and mostly it’s unpredictable. Because when you shoot action, you never know what might be needed at any moment. And with crowds, it’s important to make sure they look the part because the camera can move anywhere.”

Watch the full conversation with Smriti Chauhan here:

Aditya Dhar lauds Smriti Chauhan

Meanwhile, Aditya Dhar has been consistently taking to X to post long notes of appreciation for his team, from the cinematographer and editor to the music composer, hairstylists, and now the costume designer. On Friday morning, he shared a heartfelt post for Smriti Chauhan.

In his note, he recalled one of their earliest conversations about the character arc of Ranveer Singh’s role. He wrote, “I still remember one of our very first conversations, when we spoke about how Jaskirat starts with a hint of colour and how, by the end, Hamza is almost swallowed by black. How, somewhere along the way, the colour quietly leaves his life without drawing attention to it. At that point, it was just a thought, a tiny, slightly mad detailing idea I threw at you. And you just held on to it. That’s when I knew.”

Dhar also revealed that Chauhan had initial doubts about taking on a project of such scale, though he was certain she was the right choice. “Because while you kept saying ‘Adi Sir, I don’t know if I’m the right person for this,’ I was sitting there thinking, ‘This is exactly why you are.’ You didn’t come with baggage. You didn’t come with a fixed ‘style’ of what this world should look like. You came with honesty and that dangerous thing called ZIDD. And then you went and did what you do best, you over-delivered in the most ridiculous, unbelievable way.”

Also Read | Dhurandhar 2: Aditya Dhar genuflects and the story sinks into subservience

Highlighting the scale of her work, he added, “Who stitches 10,000 costumes for a film and close to 1,000 Pathanis in the first 30 days and still worries about the detailing of a button on a junior artist’s cuff? Who creates 250+ looks for Hamza and still loses sleep over whether the ring on his little finger feels emotionally correct? Who manages thousands of accessories over a 1.5-year shoot and still shows up every day like it’s day one? Only you.”

Before signing off, Aditya Dhar’s praised Smriti Chauhan’s presence on set, writing, “The most helpful, most generous human being on set. Always there. Always giving. Always smiling through the chaos (even when I know some days you wanted to kill most of us). What you built wasn’t just costumes. You built a world. A language. An identity that breathes through every single frame of Dhurandhar.”

Dearest Smriti

I still remember one of our very first conversations, when we spoke about how Jaskirat starts with a hint of colour and how, by the end, Hamza is almost swallowed by black.
How, somewhere along the way, the colour quietly leaves his life without drawing attention… pic.twitter.com/vJEa24o7MC

— Aditya Dhar (@AdityaDharFilms) April 10, 2026

About Dhurandhar

Dhurandhar is a two-part epic spy actioner directed by Aditya Dhar. The film boasts a massive ensemble cast including Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi, and Sara Arjun.