I am in the middle of my Christmas vacation with my wife Shusmita, son Ahyan and daughter Suhaila trekking through the landscapes of South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini. While the views are breathtaking, the soundtrack to my trip is undeniably intense. I found myself listening to two songs on repeat—Fa9la and Ishq Jalakar—from the colossal hit, Dhurandhar.
The movie has already crossed 1051 crore rupees worldwide, becoming the 7th highest-grossing Indian film of all time in just 24 days.
The Titans: Ranveer vs. Akshaye
I admit, I have tried not to like Ranveer Singh for many years. But in Dhurandhar, he won me over completely. Gone is the manic energy; instead, we get a calm, composed, ferocious look that is terrifyingly quiet. If we are comparing recent alpha-male cinema, Ranveer in Dhurandhar is miles ahead of Ranbir Kapoor in Animal.
And yet... he is completely outshined by Akshaye Khanna.
Akshaye’s portrayal of the anti-hero Rehman Dakait is the stuff of legends. I can only compare his performance to Amjad Khan’s Gabbar Singh or Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight. People compared Bobby Deol’s villain arc in Animal to this, but Akshaye wins on all fronts. He is menacing, unpredictable, and charismatic.
Two dialogues from the movie are etched in my memory:
- "Ghayal hoon… isliye khatarnak hoon"
- "Rehman Dakait ki diye huey maut bari kasaiwa hoti hai"
The supporting cast, including Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, and San
The Music: A Fusion of Eras
Music Director Sachin Sachdev has delivered a masterpiece soundtrack.
First, there is Fa9la (Fasla).
But the song that moved my soul is Ishq Jalakar.
Sachdev took a 1960s Qawali (originally sung by legends Mohammed Rafi, Manna Dey, and Asha Bhosle) and fused it with contemporary EDM. It sounds risky, but it is better than the original. It perfectly captures Ranveer’s state of mind: a convicted prisoner on a suicide mission to infiltrate a Pakistani terrorist group, trying to find meaning in the jaws of death. Here is the video and lyrics of the song.
The Evolution of the Hero: Why This Resonates with Gen Z
Listening to Ishq Jalakar while traveling, I realized how much the concept of the Indian Hero has shifted.
In my parents' generation, the hero was the "Angry Young Man" (Amitabh Bachchan). He was righteous, he made no compromises, he was honest, and he was a winner at the end. The struggle was external—against the system.
In my generation, that rage subsided. We leaned into longing, desire and romantic rebel, typified by Shah Rukh Khan. The hero wasn't fighting the system; he was fighting for love and personal fulfillment.
But my son’s generation—Gen Z—is different. And Ranveer Singh’s character represents them perfectly. They aren't looking for righteousness (Amitabh) or romance (SRK); they are looking for identity.
Why? because today:
- Careers are unstable- Identities are fluid
- Futures feel postponed
- People are over-qualified but under-settled
- They are connected yet lonely, informed but uncertain
When Ranveer’s character walks to the beat of Ishq Jalakar, the lyrics speak to this specific void:
“Aadhi banke aaya hoon, mera hausla bhi ayyāsh hai” (I arrive incomplete... even my courage is indulgent/reckless)
This is not weakness; it is self-aware brokenness. It rejects the idea of the "pure hero." It embraces the contradictory modern self.
The refrain, “Na to karvan ki talash / Na to hamsafar ki talash” (No search for a caravan, no search for a companion), hits hard.
This is Post-Hope Cinema. It isn't optimistic, but it isn't nihilistic either. It’s just raw honesty. Dhurandhar works because it tells the youth: You don't need to be healed to be valid. You don't need clarity to move forward.
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