Shedding the chocolate boy image often takes actors years and multiple films. From R Madhavan and Shahid Kapoor to even Aamir Khan, many have spent a significant part of their careers trying to move beyond the boy-next-door label. However, with his second outing Sarzameen, following his romantic debut in Nadaaniyan, Ibrahim Ali Khan is already looking to break that mould.
How, you ask? Writer and director Kayoze Irani had a clear vision for how his characters evolve through different timelines in the upcoming film. With technical support from celebrity hair designer Darshan Yewalekar, the transformation became sharper and truer to the character.
While Irani attributes much of Khan’s looks to his Pataudi lineage, he set out to portray “a boy shaped in a forge and raised in a cantonment” by changing the character’s appearance over time. “Iggy is handsome, charming, and gorgeous. But what I wanted from him, character-wise, was less of Ibrahim and more of the role,” says Irani.
Darshan Yewalekar and Kayoze Irani
Khan plays Harman, the disciplined son of an Indian army officer, who later goes rogue and joins a militant group. In the initial part of the story, the character is shown as “someone who is correct, proper, and disciplined. Then I wanted to shift gears. I wanted him to break out and be rebellious. Darshan and I focused on ideas that would give him this rugged and very masculine look.”
Irani reveals that Khan’s hair and beard go through the most transitions in the film. “He has the most complex character in the film. [To showcase] the many layers in his character, we went from big beard, small beard, long hair, short hair, to rugged looks. I wanted to stay away from the ‘chocolate boy’ looks and Pataudi genes, so we went all out. I didn’t want him to have that amazing hair and be cute at all.”
Irani says the best part was Khan’s involvement from day one. “Ibrahim was always focused on being the character, not just the hero.” He adds that the styling was essential to reflect the baggage the character carries and the new world he steps into. “Every aspect of life plays into it — from what you wear, how you walk, to how you carry yourself. That’s how the character finds depth. The character’s psychology always drove the visual identity.”
Yewalekar, who was presented with a detailed script, put together a mood board mapping all of Khan’s transitions. He explains, “Kayoze’s brief was very clear. He wanted the audience to believe the character is in different phases of his life just through his looks. It is always a challenge to transform a good-looking, camera-friendly, and chocolate boy into the kind of character he needed to be for this film. From day one, I felt we had to be hands-on. Our homework was solid. In fact, even when the shoot reached the halfway mark, we sat down again and discussed more ideas.”
