Dhurandhar, the Ranveer Singh starrer two-part film franchise that emerged as an all-time blockbuster, also won a lot of praise for its use of old film songs stylistically against action set pieces. However, in a recent interview, veteran lyricist Sameer criticised the film’s use of songs, holding it accountable for making songs less prominent. 

Speaking with Komal Nahta, Sameer said, “Upar se Dhurandhar ne aur satyanaash kiya. Unhone music ko utha ke background mein daal diya.. They recreated my song ‘Hum Pyaar Karne Waale’ in Dhurandhar: The Revenge. But on the screen, shots are being fired nonstop. Where is the song, buddy?” Citing another example, Sameer pointed to the upcoming Ajay Devgn starrer Chauhaan, adding, “Look at the teaser. ‘Jumma Chumma’ plays in the background while all the action happens on screen.”

Stating that he has no authority or influence to stop such practices, Sameer added, “This will continue to happen until everything doesn’t come to an end.”

While speaking about the overall quality of music, Sameer said he wasn’t surprised to hear news of Arijit Singh quitting the industry. “Things became monotonous for him; the sound of most songs is the same. He wasn’t getting variety. Udit Narayan and other singers in those days were offered variety of songs. This is the reason why there has been a deterioration of music. Top banners run by Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar, Sajid Nadiadwala used to patronize good songs. What happened to them?”

Sameer, who was the most popular lyricist of the 90s and 2000s, slowly began fading away in the 2010s. His last major song-writing credits have arrived in films like Bad News (2024) and Sikandar (2025).

His upcoming work includes Salman Khan starrer Maatrubhumi.