After Dhurandhar’s success , Bollywood is facing a massive wake-up call, and according to Saif Ali Khan, the industry is officially entering a whole new era. The veteran actor recently opened up about how filmmaker Aditya Dhar’s smash hit Dhurandhar franchise, fronted by a powerhouse Ranveer Singh, has completely shattered his outlook on filmmaking, storytelling, and the way Hindi cinema handles its music.
In a candid chat with The Hollywood Reporter India, Saif didn’t hold back, claiming that the industry’s timeline can now be split into two distinct chapters: “a time before Dhurandhar and a time after.”
The Dhurandhar Paradigm: Why Bollywood Must Adapt or Get Left Behind
For years, Hindi cinema has leaned on predictable formulas, but the massive box office disruption caused by the first film in late 2025 and its rapid-fire sequel Dhurandhar : The Revenge in early 2026 proved that audiences are hungry for something completely different.
Saif believes it is time for filmmakers to stop playing it safe and adapt to the shifting tide before they get left in the dust.
“I see a time before Dhurandhar and a time after,” Saif explained. “It’s up to us whether we catch up or not and wake up or not.”
Instead of treating movies like factories for cookie-cutter musical tracks, Saif urged creators to pull inspiration from all over the world and stop being so terrified of blending languages. He added that “it seems like an obvious idea to make amazing music” instead of just creating a routine album for each film, and that filmmakers need to start drawing on global influences “while not being too frightened of English also.”
Kill the ‘Item Number’: How ‘Shararat’ of Dhurandhar rewrote the Rules of Movie Music
One of Saif’s biggest praises was saved for composer Shashwat Sachdev and the way the films seamlessly stitched music directly into the actual plot. Instead of hitting pause on the movie just to throw in a flashy, disconnected promotional track, the franchise made its music an active part of the narrative.
The Track That Changed Everything
The standout moment for Saif was the hit track Shararat.
Featuring Ayesha Khan and Krystle D’Souza, the song unfolds organically during a wedding celebration for Ranveer Singh’s character, Hamza. Saif called the sequence flat-out “revolutionary” for how it challenges Bollywood’s long-standing obsession with forced item numbers.
“Imagine if that was to change the way of hiring a beautiful leading lady to do an ‘item’ for you,” Saif said. “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.”
What’s Next for Saif?
While championing the forward-thinking style of Aditya Dhar’s cinematic universe, Saif himself was last seen in the crime thriller Kartavya, which earned solid reviews from critics. However, if his latest comments are anything to go by, the actor is clearly looking to align himself with the kind of filmmaking that pushes boundaries rather than looking back.
With the second instalment still holding strong despite finally slowing down at the box office, the message to the rest of the industry is loud and clear: change is officially here, and the clock is ticking for everyone else to catch up.