Saif Ali Khan Opens Up About Impact Of Ranveer Singh’s ‘Dhurandhar’ Franchise On Bollywood
Saif Ali Khan recently said that Hindi cinema has entered a "before and after Dhurandhar" era, praising Ranveer Singh's blockbuster franchise.
The release of director Aditya Dhar’s ‘Dhurandhar’ franchise has sent shockwaves through the Hindi film industry, and actor Saif Ali Khan is the latest prominent voice to acknowledge its unprecedented impact. Speaking recently with The Hollywood Reporter India, Saif praised the Ranveer Singh-starrer, noting that the monumental success of the two films has created a distinct shift in the cinematic landscape. Released in December 2025 and March 2026, the ‘Dhurandhar’ films collectively amassed a staggering Rs 3100 crore at the global box office – a feat previously unseen in Hindi cinema.
The sequel, ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, earned Rs 1813 crore on its own, making it the second-highest-grossing Indian film ever. To put this dominance into perspective, the second-highest earner in the first six months of 2026 was ‘Border 2’, trailing far behind at Rs 450 crore.
Reflecting on these massive figures, Saif challenged the industry to be more introspective. “People are more excited or interested to see something that is quite passionately made and is a little different and is about… kind of something. I see a time before Dhurandhar and a time after. So it's up to us if we catch up or not and wake up or not,” he stated.
He added, “I think we should get it right more often, and be braver. Just the difference between… I'll go back to the popularity and the commercial success of something like Dhurandhar, compared to other movies. Why is that gap so huge?”
Beyond the box office, Saif was highly appreciative of the franchise's musical approach, spearheaded by composer Shashwat Sachdev. The films featured a chart-topping blend of original tracks like ‘Shararat’ and ‘Gehra Hua’, alongside clever remixes of classics such as ‘Ishq Jalakar’, ‘Lutt Le Gaya’, and ‘Run Down the City – Monica’.
Calling the film's musical choices “revolutionary,” Saif explained, “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.”
He specifically pointed out how the dance track ‘Shararat’, featuring actresses Ayesha Khan and Krystle D'Souza performing at the wedding of Ranveer Singh’s character (Hamza), defied standard Bollywood tropes. The dance was seamlessly interspersed with other narrative scenes. “Instead of hiring a beautiful leading lady to do an item song for you, if you just treat it as a song and have these two girls performing something as you would in a wedding, (it) doesn't jar the eyes at all, or take the attention away. So clever in some ways,” he noted.
The ‘Dhurandhar’ ensemble cast also featured Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Rakesh Bedi, and Sara Arjun.
Saif’s candid reflections come during a transitional phase in his own career. His last definitive theatrical hit was 2020’s ‘Tanhaji’ alongside Ajay Devgn. Subsequent releases like ‘Jawaani Jaaneman’, ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’, and ‘Vikram Vedha’ struggled at the box office. He was also part of high-budget projects that underperformed against expectations, such as ‘Adipurush’ (starring Prabhas, which made Rs 393 crore worldwide) and ‘Devara Part 1’ (starring Jr NTR and Janhvi Kapoor, which claimed Rs 428 crore globally but only Rs 292 crore in India).
However, Saif has recently found major acclaim on OTT platforms, earning high praise for his performance in the Netflix crime thriller ‘Kartavya’. Looking ahead, he is set to star in the period drama ‘Hum Hindustani’ and will reunite with Akshay Kumar after nearly two decades for director Priyadarshan’s upcoming film, ‘Haiwaan’.
