- Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar 2 features the song Didi by Khaled
- Didi is a 1992 Algerian rai track, blending folk and Western music
- Airlift's song Dil Cheez Tujhe De Di was inspired by Didi
The theatre was packed. It was a paid preview show of Dhurandhar 2, a 7 pm screening, and on the screen was Ranveer Singh making a dashing entry just before his coronation as the Sher-e-Baloch.
Long hair, sunglasses, and a Pathani kurta set paired with a long coat. Dancers in formation. Guns raised. A ritualistic moment where he touches his eyes to the gun before stepping forward. It was unabashedly maximal. And driving the entire sequence was one song - Didi by Khaled.
Of course, the moment also triggered flashbacks of Akshaye Khanna's Rehman Dakait, his iconic entry to FA9LA in Dhurandhar, and the dance steps that followed. Similarly, in Dhurandhar 2, what truly elevates Ranveer Singh's entry is the music. Without Didi, the sequence would not have landed the way it did. The song does not merely accompany the scene; it powers it.
For many viewers, however, the track also sparked a familiar memory - Akshay Kumar's Airlift and its much-discussed song Dil Cheez Tujhe De Di, sung by Arijit Singh.
A Hook With A Long Memory
Dil Cheez Tujhe De Di drew attention for its hook line, which reminded many listeners of a global hit from the early 1990s. The phrasing echoed "Didi, Didi," a song by Algerian artist Khaled that became hugely popular in India during 1992-93.
The track found mass appeal at a time when cable television had just entered Indian homes, exposing audiences to foreign music and videos. Its success led to Indian adaptations, including a Bollywood version in the 1993 film Shriman Aashique. Years later, the same musical reference resurfaced in Airlift.
When Airlift released, it was praised for its grounded storytelling and performances. Dil Cheez Tujhe De Di appears early in the film, showing Akshay Kumar's Ranjit Katyal and Nimrat Kaur's Amrita enjoying a lavish lifestyle and partying in Kuwait before the political crisis unfolds.
Musically upbeat and glossy, the song leaned heavily into style and spectacle at a point when the film would soon pivot towards fear, urgency, and displacement. While the song itself was not poorly composed, the way it took inspiration from Didi could have been more refined to retain a stronger sense of originality. In hindsight, the issue was not inspiration, but execution.
How Dhurandhar 2 Gets It Right
In Dhurandhar 2, the makers revisit the same sonic memory, but this time it falls into place more organically. With Ranveer Singh playing Hamza Ali Mazari, the sequel mirrors the dramatic entry beats of the first film while refreshing both its sound and visual language.
While Dhurandhar used FA9LA, Dhurandhar 2 opts for Didi, Khaled's 1992 track rooted in rai music. Rai, which originated in Algeria, blends traditional folk with Western influences and carries emotional depth along with rhythmic intensity.
The shift matters. Moving from a Middle Eastern pop beat to Algerian rai immediately changes the texture of the scene. Where Dil Cheez Tujhe De Di felt decorative, Didi feels elemental. The music commands the moment.
Placed during Hamza Ali Mazari's coronation as the Sher-e-Baloch, the song becomes part of the character building. It underscores power, dominance, and legacy. The visuals are loud, but not chaotic. The music grounds the spectacle.
What works most in Dhurandhar 2 is context. Didi arrives as propulsion, not as a pause. The visuals are controlled, the rhythm measured, and the background score supports the scene instead of overwhelming it. Ranveer Singh's performance plays a crucial role here, with his body language aligning seamlessly with the music. Even within excess, there is restraint - no exaggerated expressions, and enough space for small pauses to land. This subtlety was largely missing in Airlift's Dil Cheez Tujhe De Di.
A Remix That Knows Its Purpose
Unlike Dil Cheez Tujhe De Di, which struggled to leave a lasting impact within the narrative of Airlift, Didi has quickly become one of Dhurandhar 2's most talked-about moments. It stands out not just as a good remix but as a sequence that defines a character, paying tribute to the original while reworking it with clarity and intent.
Dhurandhar 2 proves that no musical idea is inherently flawed. What matters is intention, placement, and execution. By respecting its story and understanding what the song needed to achieve, the film redeems an idea that once felt slightly mishandled. In doing so, Dhurandhar does not just deliver a powerful remix - it reinforces how music, when used with purpose, can elevate cinema.
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