'We catch up or not and wake up or not': Saif Ali Khan says Dhurandhar changed Indian cinema
Saif Ali Khan said the franchise's approach to music has influenced how he now looks at scripts and believes the industry must "catch up."
- Jul 9, 2026,
- Updated Jul 9, 2026 7:39 PM IST
Actor Saif Ali Khan believes the Dhurandhar films have changed the way music is made and used in Indian cinema, calling the franchise a turning point for filmmakers.
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Saif reflected on the impact of Aditya Dhar's films, saying they have influenced the way he now looks at scripts and cinema.
"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," he said.
Music became part of the story
Saif said one of the biggest changes the franchise brought was how it used songs within the story instead of treating them as standalone promotional tracks. According to him, this made the music feel more natural and better connected to the narrative.
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The music for the Dhurandhar films was composed by Shashwat Sachdev. Along with original tracks such as Shararat and Gehra Hua, the soundtrack also featured reworked versions of classic songs, including Ishq Jalakar, Lutt Le Gaya and Run Down the City – Monica. The same musical approach continued in Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which combined original songs with recreations and remixes. Both albums received a strong response from audiences and topped streaming charts after their release.
Why 'Shararat' stood out
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."
Dhurandhar's box office success
The Dhurandhar franchise has also enjoyed strong commercial success. The first film was released in December 2025, followed by Dhurandhar: The Revenge in March 2026. Together, the two films have earned more than ₹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.
What's next for Saif Ali Khan?
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 believes the Dhurandhar films have changed the way music is made and used in Indian cinema, calling the franchise a turning point for filmmakers.
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Saif reflected on the impact of Aditya Dhar's films, saying they have influenced the way he now looks at scripts and cinema.
"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," he said.
Music became part of the story
Saif said one of the biggest changes the franchise brought was how it used songs within the story instead of treating them as standalone promotional tracks. According to him, this made the music feel more natural and better connected to the narrative.
Don't Miss: More than 9 in 10 job seekers encounter fake job offers
The music for the Dhurandhar films was composed by Shashwat Sachdev. Along with original tracks such as Shararat and Gehra Hua, the soundtrack also featured reworked versions of classic songs, including Ishq Jalakar, Lutt Le Gaya and Run Down the City – Monica. The same musical approach continued in Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which combined original songs with recreations and remixes. Both albums received a strong response from audiences and topped streaming charts after their release.
Why 'Shararat' stood out
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."
Dhurandhar's box office success
The Dhurandhar franchise has also enjoyed strong commercial success. The first film was released in December 2025, followed by Dhurandhar: The Revenge in March 2026. Together, the two films have earned more than ₹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.
What's next for Saif Ali Khan?
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