Satyanash kar diya: Lyricist Sameer Anjaan slams Dhurandhar for destroying old songs

Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan, known for writing songs such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Tum Dil Ki Dhadkan Mein, has criticised the use of old songs in Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar. He expressed disappointment over the way the film uses familiar tracks against violent action sequences, arguing that the practice takes away from the essence of the original music.In a recent conversation with Komal Nahta on his YouTube podcast Game Changers, Sameer spoke at length about the changing role of music in Bollywood. He specifically called out Dhurandhar over its use of old songs during violent sequences. He took issue with the way familiar tracks were used as background music during action scenes, saying it stripped the songs of their original context.“Films like Dhurandhar have made the situation even worse. Satyanash kar diya. They picked the music and put it in the background. In the trailer of Chauhan, they are playing Jumma Chumma during an action sequence. They recreated my song while they are firing guns. Where is the song?” he said.Sameer also expressed frustration over the lack of control lyricists have over how their creative work is eventually used. “My father doesn’t own the industry for me to make them stop. But this will continue until they ruin it all completely and then have nothing left. Nadeem tells me, ‘Pandit ji, you don’t worry. Just watch them quietly until they burn out everything we have. We will enter the picture after that,’” he added.He went on to express disappointment with some of Bollywood’s biggest production houses, particularly those that he felt had once championed good music. “I am more disappointed in the top banners owned by Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar. They used to patronise good music. I don’t understand what went wrong with them. They too don’t concentrate on music anymore,” Sameer said.Sameer also spoke about the growing trend of recreating old songs. While he acknowledged that remixes and recreations could introduce older music to younger audiences, he said filmmakers should know where to draw the line.“The fact is that you cannot stop inventions. However, that is not the problem. Recreating a song has both pros and cons. Like when they remade my ‘Dilbar’ song, it got reintroduced to Gen Z. However, the problem starts when, while recreating a song, you ignore the original lyricist even when they are available and give the writing work to someone else, who then gives vulgar lines unrelated to the word ‘Dilbar’. They are insulting the literature. If you can improve something, please do. But don’t play with something to spoil the original,” he said.He further argued that established songs should be treated with greater respect and that age should not be used to dismiss experienced lyricists.Sameer also criticised filmmakers for sidelining songs and said the industry had increasingly prioritised sex and violence over meaningful music.“Songs today don’t have meaning because the people today don’t have emotions and depth left in them. Cinema often mirrors society. With the introduction of OTT and other mediums, they are only paying attention to sex and violence and have sidelined music,” he said.The Dhurandhar franchise, despite receiving mixed reviews, has earned over Rs 3,000 crore collectively from its two films.- EndsPublished By: Prachi aryaPublished On: Sep 14, 2026 20:27 IST