Meet man, popular Bollywood hair stylist, who worked with Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor, first salary was Rs 2000, now earns Rs..., owns..

A Bollywood film is made with the help of directors, producers, actors, and costume designers to bring one idea to life. However, there is another person who works behind the scenes and is equally responsible for not only making the actors stand out but also coming up with ideas to make a character relatable. That man is a hairdresser. Celebrity hairstylists today are some of the highest-paid people on set as they serve as trendsetters. Today, we will tell you about Darshan Yewalekar, a noted hairstylist in the Indian film industry, who has been the go-to person of Ranveer Singh for over 10 years. Darshan Yewalekar, apart from Ranveer Singh, has also worked with Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Ranbir Kapoor for some of their most iconic films. 

Born in Bhusawal, a city in the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, Darshan Yewalekar had humble beginnings. He belonged to a lower-middle-class family and only realised his interest in hair styling by seeing his mother [Anupama] work at her home salon - Mona Lisa. After Darshan Yewalekar passed Class 12, he was eager to move out of his small town and move to a bigger city. Darshan Yewalekar even got admission to study aeronautical engineering in Pune; however, his parents could not afford the fees. 

"As a compromise, I had enrolled in a course in microbiology, but my heart wasn’t in it. My parents saw this too and asked me if I wanted to take up a course in hairstyling," Darshan Yewalekar told The Better India. 

At the age of 16, Darshan Yewalekar moved to Pune and enrolled in a hairstyling course. While studying, Darshan Yewalekar's talent showed. He soon got an assignment in Indore, where he was paid Rs 2005, his first salary. 

Darshan Yewalekar said, "It was during that assignment that I got to style Salman Khan as an assistant hairstylist. It was through him that I got to meet Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who was working with Ranbir Kapoor in Saawariya (2007). I remember Sanjay Leela Bhansali met me and introduced me to Ranbir and said, these are my actors, now make them look good."

Darshan Yewalekar struggled to find his footing, but his life transformed after he got the chance to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali again for Ram Leela (2013). Darshan Yewalekar went on to work with Ranveer Singh in over six films, including Gunday (2014), Kill Dil (2014), Bajirao Mastani (2015) and Padmavat (2018), and 83 (2021). 

Darshan Yewalekar is now the proud owner of D Shave in Mumbai. At his barbershop, Darshan Yewalkar charges Rs 6500 for one hairstyle. There is no clear information about how much Darshan Yewalekar charges for his collaborations with actors in films, but it is sure to be in lakhs. Darshan Yewalekar is now also in the process of designing a course on hairstyling for those who might be keen on it.

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