Even as “Dhurandhar: The Revenge”, starring Ranveer Singh, rewrites box office history–earning Rs 919 crore in its first six days–Jalandhar is celebrating a quieter triumph of its own. Three of the film’s most acclaimed voices—Khan Saab, Jyoti Nooran and Jasmine Sandlas—hail from the city or have been raised here. Together, they have elevated the “Dhurandhar 2” soundtrack into more than just a film album.
Khan Saab: The voice Ranveer kept asking for
Born Imran Khan in Kapurthala’s Bhandal Dona village, Khan Saab grew up in Jalandhar, deeply influenced by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, whom he considers his ustad. He began training at the age of five. Financial constraints cut short his college education and he briefly worked odd jobs before music found him again under the mentorship of Garry Sandhu—who also gave him his stage name.
His 2018 song “Zindagi Tere Naal” crossed 200 million views on YouTube, and the comparisons to Nusrat, once considered presumptuous, began to stick.
For “Dhurandhar 2”, Khan Saab has delivered what many are calling the soul of the soundtrack. Music director Shashwat Sachdev reinterpreted “Jaan Se Guzarte Hain”, a 1977 qawwali from “Maikadah”, channelling the legacy of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and it was Khan Saab who brought it to life. A video from the March 17 music launch in Mumbai, showing Ranveer Singh repeatedly asking him to sing the lines, has gone viral. He has also contributed to the film’s pulsating title track “Aari-Aari”.
Jyoti Nooran: A legacy five generations deep
Hailing from Phillaur in Jalandhar district, Jyoti Nooran represents one of Punjab’s most storied musical lineages. She is the great-granddaughter of Sufi singer Bibi Nooran and the granddaughter of Swarn Nooran. Her father, Ustad Gulshan Mir, trained Jyoti and her sister Sultana for ten years, a rigorous and immersive education rooted in the Sham Chaurasia gharana.
The Nooran Sisters rose to prominence with their song “Tung Tung” featured on MTV India’s “Sound Trippin” in 2012, followed by “Patakha Guddi” for AR Rahman in the film “Highway” (2014), which won them two Mirchi Music Awards. In Dhurandhar 2, Jyoti has brought her versatility to two very different tracks, the haunting “Tere Ishq Ne” and the high-energy “Vaari Jaavan”, the latter a collaboration with Shashwat Sachdev, rapper Reble and Jasmine Sandlas.
Jasmine Sandlas: Jalandhar girl, California soul
Born in Jalandhar, Jasmine Sandlas moved to Stockton, California, at the age of 12, where West Coast music became a second influence layered over her Punjabi folk roots. Before her breakthrough, she worked retail jobs and later as a teacher for two years. She was writing songs by the age of 16. Her debut single “Muskan” (2007) became a worldwide hit and she went on to win Best Female Act in 2019.
In “Dhurandhar 2”, Sandlas has contributed to three tracks: “Jaiye Sajna” (with Satinder Sartaaj), “Main Aur Tu”, and “Aari-Aari”. At the music launch, her performance drew cheers and waves from Ranveer Singh.
The lyrics of “Jaiye Sajna” echo the film’s emotional intensity, with Sartaaj—who hails from nearby Hoshiarpur, joining her in the chorus.
After the launch, Sandlas shared her gratitude on social media, calling her collaboration with Sartaaj “a dream come true” and praising Shashwat Sachdev for pushing her “limits to write these songs”. She also thanked director Aditya Dhar, writing: “Your intention is as pure as a snowflake before it touches the ground. Thank you for choosing me. I am forever grateful.”