Mumbai: Saif Ali Khan has heaped praise on Aditya Dhar’s two-part ‘Dhurandhar’, saying they have transformed the way Indian cinema approaches music and storytelling.
The actor also singled out the franchise’s song ‘Shararat’, calling it ‘revolutionary’ and a defining moment in contemporary filmmaking.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Saif reflected on the impact ‘Dhurandhar has had on the industry, saying the films marked a significant turning point.
According to Saif, the ‘Dhurandhar’ success story has reshaped the way he evaluates scripts, describing them as a clear dividing line between what Indian cinema was before and what it has become since.
“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,” the actor was quoted as saying by the portal.
Saif also spoke about how the ‘Dhurandhar’ films used songs as part of the story instead of including them only for promotion, which made the music feel more natural and added to the overall viewing experience.
‘Shararat’, the dance track featuring Ayesha Khan and Krystle D’Souza, was one of the film’s standout songs, according to Saif.
“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 been a massive box office success. The first film was released in December 2025, followed by ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ in March 2026.
Together, the two films have earned over Rs 3,100 crore worldwide, with the sequel emerging as the second-highest-grossing Indian film of all time.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the franchise stars Ranveer Singh in the lead, alongside Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Rakesh Bedi and Sara Arjun.
Saif was last seen in the Netflix crime thriller ‘Kartavya’, where his performance was widely appreciated.
He will next be seen in the period drama ‘Hum Hindustani’ and Priyadarshan’s ‘Haiwaan’, which reunites him with Akshay Kumar after nearly 20 years.
