Wake up or catch up: Saif Ali Khan explains how Dhurandhar changed Indian cinema
Saif Ali Khan agrees that Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar films changed how Indian cinema uses music. He pointed to songs embedded in the narrative and the franchise's strong reach across streaming and theatres.
Actor Saif Ali Khan has said Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar films have changed the way Indian cinema approaches music. Speaking about the franchise, Saif said the films marked a clear shift in filmmaking and praised their soundtrack for moving away from conventional film music.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Saif reflected on how the success of the Dhurandhar films has influenced the industry and the way he now looks at scripts and cinema. He said, “I see a time before Dhurandhar and a time after. It’s up to us whether we catch up or not and wake up or not. It seems like an obvious idea to make amazing music rather than create a new album for each film, and to draw on all kinds of things from all around the world, while not being too frightened of English also."
Saif also spoke about how the films used music within the story instead of treating songs as standalone promotional tracks. He said this approach made the soundtrack feel fresh and more natural on screen.
The Dhurandhar films featured music composed by Shashwat Sachdev. Alongside original tracks such as Shararat and Gehra Hua, the composer also reworked classical songs into new versions, including Ishq Jalakar, Lutt Le Gaya and Run Down the City – Monica. The same musical approach continued in Dhurandhar: The Revenge, combining original songs with recreations and remixes. Both albums received a strong response from audiences and topped streaming charts after their release.
Among the soundtrack, Saif singled out Shararat, a dance number featuring Ayesha Khan and Krystle D’Souza. In the film, the song plays during the wedding celebrations of Ranveer Singh’s character Hamza, with the two actors appearing as dancers while the sequence cuts between the performance and the ongoing story.
Explaining why the song stood out to him, Saif said, “Something as revolutionary as that. Imagine if that was to change the way of hiring a beautiful leading lady to do an ‘item’ for you. If you just treat it as a song and have these two girls performing as you would in a wedding, it doesn’t jar the eyes at all.”
The Dhurandhar franchise has also recorded strong commercial success since its launch. The first film was released in December 2025, followed by Dhurandhar: The Revenge in March 2026. Together, the two films have earned more than Rs 3,100 crore at the box office, with the sequel becoming the second-highest-grossing Indian film ever.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the films starred Ranveer Singh in the lead alongside Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Rakesh Bedi and Sara Arjun. Meanwhile, Saif was last seen in the Netflix crime thriller Kartavya, where his performance received praise. He is now gearing up for the period drama Hum Hindustani and Priyadarshan’s Haiwaan, which will reunite him with Akshay Kumar after nearly two decades.
Actor Saif Ali Khan has said Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar films have changed the way Indian cinema approaches music. Speaking about the franchise, Saif said the films marked a clear shift in filmmaking and praised their soundtrack for moving away from conventional film music.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Saif reflected on how the success of the Dhurandhar films has influenced the industry and the way he now looks at scripts and cinema. He said, “I see a time before Dhurandhar and a time after. It’s up to us whether we catch up or not and wake up or not. It seems like an obvious idea to make amazing music rather than create a new album for each film, and to draw on all kinds of things from all around the world, while not being too frightened of English also."
Saif also spoke about how the films used music within the story instead of treating songs as standalone promotional tracks. He said this approach made the soundtrack feel fresh and more natural on screen.
The Dhurandhar films featured music composed by Shashwat Sachdev. Alongside original tracks such as Shararat and Gehra Hua, the composer also reworked classical songs into new versions, including Ishq Jalakar, Lutt Le Gaya and Run Down the City – Monica. The same musical approach continued in Dhurandhar: The Revenge, combining original songs with recreations and remixes. Both albums received a strong response from audiences and topped streaming charts after their release.
Among the soundtrack, Saif singled out Shararat, a dance number featuring Ayesha Khan and Krystle D’Souza. In the film, the song plays during the wedding celebrations of Ranveer Singh’s character Hamza, with the two actors appearing as dancers while the sequence cuts between the performance and the ongoing story.
Explaining why the song stood out to him, Saif said, “Something as revolutionary as that. Imagine if that was to change the way of hiring a beautiful leading lady to do an ‘item’ for you. If you just treat it as a song and have these two girls performing as you would in a wedding, it doesn’t jar the eyes at all.”
The Dhurandhar franchise has also recorded strong commercial success since its launch. The first film was released in December 2025, followed by Dhurandhar: The Revenge in March 2026. Together, the two films have earned more than Rs 3,100 crore at the box office, with the sequel becoming the second-highest-grossing Indian film ever.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the films starred Ranveer Singh in the lead alongside Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Rakesh Bedi and Sara Arjun. Meanwhile, Saif was last seen in the Netflix crime thriller Kartavya, where his performance received praise. He is now gearing up for the period drama Hum Hindustani and Priyadarshan’s Haiwaan, which will reunite him with Akshay Kumar after nearly two decades.
