Darling Mani

Here’s to Preetisheel, my Sardarni sister from Pathankot.
Mera Sher.😁 When I first heard her name, I’ll be honest, I was hesitant. There were all these opinions floating around, “she’s arrogant,” “she’s too expensive,” “she only does prestige projects.” And then I met her. In that one meeting, all of it just fell apart. It reminded me of something I’ve learned the hard way in this industry, never build your truth on borrowed opinions.
More often than not, they come from a place that has nothing to do with the person you’re about to meet. What I found in Preeti was not just an artist of extraordinary ability but a deeply warm, grounded and fiercely loving human being. The laughter we shared in the middle of madness, the long conversations about life, the endless hours spent obsessing over every character, those are memories I will carry with me for the rest of my life. There was something about her presence, that beautiful, reassuring smile, that made even the most impossible days feel manageable. And then there was her constant voice in my ear, lifting me up in ways I didn’t even know I needed.
“Aditya, tujhe pata nahi hai tu kya cheez hai, tujhe idea bhi nahi hai tu kya karne wala hai.”❤️ What she and her team pulled off on this film is nothing short of extraordinary. When most of the crew was waking up, they were already on set. And when everyone wrapped, they were still there. Running on barely 2–3 hours of sleep, day after day, with a kind of relentless focus that you rarely witness. No complaints. No noise. Just pure commitment to the vision. There were more than a hundred character designs across both parts (some extremely complicated ones like Nawab Shafiq and Bade Saab). Thousands of faces shaped, aged, transformed. An army of nearly 20,000 junior artists brought to life through detail, texture and truth. But beyond the numbers, what stays with me is the intent. For Preeti, it was never about “looks.” It was always about people. About making sure every character, no matter how small, felt real, lived-in and honest. She treated each face with respect, as if it had a story worth telling. That’s rare. Today, she’s not just my HOD. She’s family. A constant in my life, in cinema and beyond. Preeti, thank you for standing by me, for believing in me when I couldn’t see it myself and for pouring your heart into Dhurandhar the way you did. And this is just the beginning for us. Love, always. ❤️