How Satinder Sartaaj recorded Dhurandhar 2's viral Jaiye Sajana hook in 15 minutes

Satinder Sartaaj and Bhushan Kumar recalled how Jaiye Sajana for Dhurandhar: The Revenge was created in a last-minute rush. The song's organic response has led T-Series to release an extended version.

In Short

• Bhushan Kumar said the film's music worked because of clear direction
• Satinder Sartaaj recorded the song Jaiye Sajana in 15 minutes
• Kumar announced that the label is releasing an extended version of the track

At a time when film music is often engineered for virality, one of Dhurandhar: The Revenge’s biggest musical moments came together in under 20 minutes and has since taken on a life of its own. The song in question is Jaiye Sajana, which features the voice of Satinder Sartaaj and Jasmine Sandlas. In an exclusive chat with India Today, Bhushan Kumar, T-Series honcho, and Sartaaj spoke about how the song came to life.

For Bhushan Kumar, the film’s musical success is ultimately rooted in directorial clarity. “Music is a very important part of any film,” he says, adding, “but it depends on how the director visualises it. The way Aditya Dhar and Shashwat Sachdev have placed songs in this film across action, emotion, every situation, it’s very difficult for anyone to even think like that.”

He credits the larger team’s conviction for him to come onboard for music for Dhurandhar 2. “I had full belief in Aditya and Shashwat,” he says. “When they explained the music and the vision, I knew this was something special. That’s when it became clear we should be associated with this film.”

Kumar admits he was taken by surprise by the now-viral track, Jaiye Sajana. “I first heard the song at the launch,” he says.

“And when his voice comes in, that spirituality, it’s very powerful. You can’t imagine that placement otherwise," he adds.

Given the popularity of Sartaaj’s portion in the song, Kumar announced that the label is releasing an extended version of the track. “The way it went viral after the film released it became the number one song of the album. People are asking for it everywhere. That’s why we decided we must give an extended version to the audience,” he adds.

‘I didn’t even realise what I was stepping into’

For Sartaaj, the journey into the film was anything but planned. “The call [from Dhurandhar team] came on March 15,” he recalls. “I had a show in Ludhiana that afternoon. Someone called saying there’s one line in a big film they want me to do. Honestly, I didn’t pay much attention at first.”

It was only mid-conversation that he realised the scale of what he was being approached for. “Five minutes into the call, I got to know that Shashwat was on the call,” he says. “I told him, ‘I’m very ignorant about these things. I don’t follow much — I just write, compose, sing.’”

What followed was a race against time. “They told me the print had to go in a couple of hours because the film was releasing overseas,” Sartaaj says. “So I said, okay, let’s try. In about 15 minutes, I heard the track, wrote the line, composed it, sang it, and sent it,” he adds. “I shut my studio and went for my concert. That was it.”

The response, however, was anything but routine. “Later I started getting messages, long voice notes, reactions, people saying they loved it,” he says. “That’s when I realised something has connected.”

‘This song didn’t even exist in that form’

Kumar reveals that Sartaaj’s contribution was a late addition and not part of the original blueprint. “This song, in this form, didn’t exist earlier,” he says. “Shashwat told him, ‘If you sing this, my song will come into the film.’ It was that last-minute.”

No pressure, just instinct

Despite the scale and expectations around Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Sartaaj insists he didn’t approach the track with pressure. “I didn’t think about whether it would go viral or not,” he says. “For me, it was just someone asking with love, there is a moment, and I should respond honestly.”

Kumar echoes that sentiment from the production side. “There is always pressure with a big film,” he says. “But when the conviction is strong, and when the director knows what he wants musically, that pressure turns into confidence.”

With the track now dominating charts and social media, the team is leaning into its organic popularity. “When he performed an extended version at his Ahmedabad show, people wanted more,” Kumar says. “So, we discussed and decided to release a full version for the fans.”

Meanwhile, Dhurandhar The Revenge, featuring Ranveer Singh in the lead role, along with Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Rakesh Bedi, R Madhavan, Manav Gohil, Gaurav Gera, among others, is on a box office rampage, breaking one record after another. The sequel, released on March 19, has emerged as the biggest Indian blockbuster worldwide.

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