Styling for Kapil Sharma and Honey Singh made me what I am today, says Pranay Parmar

God helps those who help themselves. We have heard this saying since time immemorial. However, this holds true for Pranay Parmar in real life too.

Pranay’s journey started in Mumbai. He was born and brought up in this city of dreams. Today, Pranay Parmar is a brand to reckon with in the world of hair styling. He has been working with renowned stand-up comedian and actor Kapil Sharma for several years and has even styled for various celebrities including Honey Singh. However, this journey hasn’t been a cakewalk for him.

How did you start your professional journey?

After the completion of my course, I started working in Hakim’s Aalim Salon itself. I learned a lot during the course as well as on the job. However, I wanted to progress at a fast pace, and that’s when I got an opportunity to work as a hair stylist in Enrich Salon in 2010. After working there for a year, I moved on and started working for various shoots, including photo shoots, and for marriages. This way, I continued for 2 years and finally got a chance to work for Balika Vadhu. However, unfortunately, after a few months, the work stopped, and I was at crossroads again.

After this setback, how did your life change?

I was dismayed initially, but I knew that God had bigger plans for me. I took a business loan and opened my own hair studio in Kamothe, Navi Mumbai. It became an instant hit, and its popularity grew by leaps and bounds. One day, I received a call from Honey Singh’s manager. They asked me if I was interested in working for him, and I instantly said yes. It was like a dream come true to work for Honey Singh, and one of my styles known as the Signature Honey Cut became very famous. I worked for him for several years for music albums, live shows, movies, and more, and then, unfortunately he fell sick. Subsequently, I started working in my hair studio again. In between, I worked for Rajniesh Duggall and several other artists. Then, I received the golden opportunity of working for the king of comedy Kapil Sharma. It has been four years now that I have been working along with him. I would like to thank Sufiyan Siddiqui for this turning point in my life, and as Kapil is extremely happy with my work, I want to work for him until eternity. I have two hair studios now: one is at Dombivali and the other at Kamothe. By God’s grace, both of them are doing very well and have a loyal clientele.

Any memories of your childhood?

Tragedy struck early in my life. I was only 2 years old when my father passed away, and we were left stranded. We did not know what to do. Then, I was raised by my maternal uncle. We stayed with him, and he took care of my schooling and college. I completed my Bachelor of Arts from Mumbai University. After that, I took the plunge for survival. My maternal uncle’s name is Dilip Devada. I knew that I had to make it big in life, but I had to start somewhere. My uncle had a small barber shop, and he was my first guru in this profession. Thus, I became a barber, and by God’s grace and my perseverance, I mastered the art of hair cutting and styling people within no time. Then, I told my uncle that I would like to take a giant leap in the field of hair styling itself. As we were from the lower strata of society, it was with great difficulty that we could make ends meet. In those days, it was not easy to do a hair-styling course from a top institution. However, my uncle and mother gathered every penny for me to enroll for a course in famous hair expert Hakim Aalim’s institute in Versova.

Keep up the good work, Pranay!