Bollywood veteran Saif Ali Khan has unequivocally declared Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar franchise, starring Ranveer Singh, a watershed moment for Indian cinema. In a candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, the actor praised the spy action thriller for its impactful narrative and innovative musical approach, singling out the chart-topping song “Shararat” as truly “revolutionary.” His remarks come months after the franchise dominated the global box office, setting new benchmarks for the industry.
Saif Ali Khan on the ‘Dhurandhar’ Phenomenon
Speaking passionately about the transformative effect of Dhurandhar, Saif Ali Khan stated, “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.” He emphasised the urgent need for filmmakers to be “braver” and “get it right more often,” lamenting the significant gap between groundbreaking successes and other industry offerings. “Just the difference, I mean, I go back to the popularity and the commercial success of something like Dhurandhar and other movies. Why is that gap so huge?”
Khan specifically highlighted the unique musical treatment in Dhurandhar, particularly the song “Shararat”, composed by Shashwat Sachdev and sung by Madhubanti Bagchi and Jasmine Sandlas. He praised its seamless integration into the narrative, departing from the conventional item number format. “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 actor advocated for a more global and diverse approach to film music, suggesting it’s “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 Dhurandhar franchise, comprising Dhurandhar (released December 5, 2025) and its sequel Dhurandhar: The Revenge (released March 19, 2026), has been a monumental success, collecting over INR 3100 crore at the global box office. Directed by Aditya Dhar and produced by Jio Studios and B62 Studios, the films feature an ensemble cast led by Ranveer Singh, alongside Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, and R Madhavan.
Saif Ali Khan’s Upcoming Slate
Saif Ali Khan himself has a robust pipeline of projects, showcasing his versatility across genres. His recently released film, the dark thriller Kartavya, premiered on Netflix on May 15, 2026. Directed by Pulkit and produced by Gauri Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, it saw Khan in the role of a morally complex cop, starring alongside Rasika Dugal and Sanjay Mishra.
Fans can look forward to his theatrical release, Haiwaan, where he reunites with Akshay Kumar under the direction of Priyadarshan. This Hindi remake of the Malayalam thriller ‘Oppam’ is slated to hit cinemas on September 11, 2026. Saif Ali Khan’s insightful comments underscore a growing desire within the industry for bolder, more original content, a shift he believes ‘Dhurandhar’ has decisively catalysed.