Aditya Dhar's newly launched spy-thrillerDhurandhar has been making waves in cinemas since its premiere on December 5, 2025. The film features a stellar
cast, including Ranveer Singh, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Rakesh Bedi, and others, who are receiving accolades for their remarkable performances. In addition to the film itself, the soundtrack is also dominating international music charts. The song Ishq Jalakar - Karvaan performed by Shahzad Ali is garnering acclaim for his contribution to this memorable piece. Recently, Shahzad participated in an interview with Zoom, where he shared insights about his experience working on the song. He reminisced about his initial encounter with the film's lead, Ranveer Singh, during Dhurandhar's song launch event, recalling how they embraced and exchanged compliments.
Ishq Jalakar singer Shahzad Ali reflects on first meeting with Ranveer Singh at Dhurandhar song launch
In a conversation with us, Ishq Jalakar vocalist Shahzad Ali fondly recounted his first meeting with Dhurandhar star Ranveer Singh, describing it as an unforgettable experience.
As fans are aware, the song Ishq Jalakar is crucial to the film’s storyline, and when asked if he was familiar with the plot or had previously met Ranveer before recording, Shahzad shared a touching story from the film’s music launch. He recounted, "Meri mulakat hui thi ranveer Paaji se, aur unhone mujhe gale lagaya aur ye bada hi khatarnaak moment tha. Unko pata tha ki ye gana Shahzad Ali ne gaya hai par unko ye nahi pata tha ki Shahzad dikhne main kaisa hai. Toh hum music launch par khade the, aur zahir si baat hai Ranveer Singh was also there. Main door khada tha, aur unko sirf dekh raha tha aur Khushi mehsus kar raha tha ki mene jiske liye gaya wo mere saamne khada hai."
(Translation: I met Ranveer paaji, and he embraced me—it was an incredibly moving moment. He was aware that the song was sung by Shahzad Ali, but he hadn’t seen what Shahzad looked like. We were at the music launch, and naturally, Ranveer Singh was present as well. I stood at a distance, simply watching him, feeling elated that the person for whom I had sung was right in front of me.)
Shahzad reminisces about first encounter with Ranveer Singh
Reflecting on the moment, he mentioned that Ranveer recognized his voice but had never met him face-to-face. While standing at a distance during the event, Shahzad quietly observed Ranveer, feeling a surge of joy that the actor for whom he had performed was right there.Shahzad further revealed that Ranveer spotted him, signaled for him to approach, and engaged him in conversation. The actor praised his looks, which filled Shahzad with immense happiness and gratitude. Ranveer also mentioned that he intended to create a buzz on stage that day, to which Shahzad responded that he too was ready to make an impact. He even noted that while performing Ishq Jalakar, he would draw inspiration from Ranveer’s presence.
Recalling how Ranveer called him over, Shahzad shared, "Unhone mujhe haath dikhaya aur mujse baat ki aur main khush ho gaya. He spoke to me and said that I was looking very good and I thanked him. Unhone mujhe kaha ki main stage par jaa ke aaj dhamaal macha dunga and I responded main bhi dhamaal machane ke liye aaya hu. Jab Main Ishq Jalakar perform karunga toh main aapse thodi energy lena pasand karunga. So, unko pata chala ki mene gaya hai, unhone mujhe gale lagaya, aur adhe ghanta baat ki. Ranveer ne ye bhi bataya ki mera sabse favourite track hai ye. Aur main is gaane par nachunga hi nachunga chahe aap mujhe stage par mat bulao lekin main zarur aaunga."
Ranveer and Shahzad connected over shared daughter's name - Dua
What truly astonished Shahzad was when Ranveer mentioned knowing his daughter’s name, Dua. Ranveer explained that music composer Sashwat Sachdev had informed him about it and added that Shahzad was fortunate for him. Shahzad concluded by expressing that Ranveer’s kindness made him feel valued, emphasizing that this humility and respect are what truly characterize a remarkable artist.
He shared with a smile, "Aur mujhe ye bhi pata hai ki aapki beti ka naam Dua hai and I was shocked. Unhone kaha Sashwat Sachdev ne mujhe bataya, aur main bohot khush hua. And you're lucky for me this time and thank you so much ki aapne apne beti ka naam rakha. He was very happy to meet me and spoke to me half an hour and he made me realise that both of us are artists. Ye bohot badi baat hoti hai ek artist ke liye that we both belong to same strata - this is one quality of a big artist."
About Dhurandhar
Dhurandhar continues to perform impressively at the box office. On Thursday, it started off slowly, with collections reaching Rs 23 crore by evening. The film's cumulative earnings now stand at Rs. 460.25 crore in India, as reported by Sacnilk.
