‘A time before ‘Dhurandhar’ and a time after’: Saif Ali Khan opens up on the Ranveer Singh film, hails ‘revolutionary’ song ‘Shararat’ Veteran actor Saif Ali Khan recently opened up about how filmmaker Aditya Dhar’s blockbuster ‘Dhurandhar’ franchise has completely shifted his perspective on cinema and storytelling. Praising the Ranveer Singh-led action thrillers which disrupted the box office across late 2025 and early 2026, Khan claimed that the industry can now be split into an era “before ‘Dhurandhar’ and a time after.” The ‘Kartavya’ actor specifically lauded composer Shashwat Sachdev’s innovative, globally-inspired approach to music, singling out the track ‘Shararat’ as “revolutionary” amid jarring item numbers.In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Saif explained that the success of the franchise has made him look at films differently. He believes the industry now has an opportunity to embrace new ideas instead of following traditional formulas. Sharing his thoughts, Saif 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 creating 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 Ali Khan weighs in on the music of ‘Dhurandhar’
Saif Ali Khan also praised how ‘Dhurandhar’ incorporated music into its storytelling. According to him, the songs were designed to naturally blend into the narrative instead of existing only as promotional tracks. He felt this style made the musical sequences more immersive and believable. The actor suggested that such an approach could influence how filmmakers use songs in future projects.The music for the franchise was composed by Shashwat Sachdev. The albums included original tracks such as Shararat and Gehra Hua. The sequel, ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, followed a similar musical format by combining original compositions with remixes and recreated songs. Both soundtracks went on to receive a strong response from listeners and performed well on streaming platforms.
Why ‘Shararat’ stood out?
Among the songs featured in the franchise, Shararat left the biggest impression on Saif Ali Khan. The dance number features Ayesha Khan and Krystle D’Souza and appears during the wedding celebrations of Ranveer Singh‘s character, Hamza. Instead of functioning as a separate performance, the song unfolds alongside the film’s narrative. This storytelling choice particularly impressed Saif. Explaining why he admired the sequence, he 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.”
More about ‘Dhurandhar’
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the Dhurandhar franchise has emerged as one of Indian cinema’s biggest commercial success stories. The first instalment was released in December 2025, while Dhurandhar: The Revenge arrived in March 2026.On the work front, Saif Ali Khan was most recently seen in the crime thriller ‘Kartavya’ which received good reviews.