Akshaye Khanna’s viral Sher-e-Baloch song is Dhurandhar’s most explosive twist

The Sher-e-Baloch song from Dhurandhar has gone viral on social media for all the obvious reasons. Chief among them is Akshaye Khanna’s swagger – the way he commands the Arabic beat, the slow-motion haze wrapped around every move, and the magnetic presence he brings to the frame. But what most people don’t realise is this: it’s not meant to be just a crowd-pleasing visual, but it’s crucial to the film’s internal architecture. Composed by Bahrain-based rap artist Flipperachi, Sher-e-Baloch or FA9LA is more than a catchy number. It’s the film’s make-or-break moment, the hinge on which director Aditya Dhar balances everything. It features two key players – Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna – and in a three-hour, 33-minute thriller, this single song becomes the glue that holds their performances, motivations and the entire plot together. It even acts as a precursor to what the second part of the film might unleash. To realise why Sher-e-Baloch is so significant, one must first understand the characters Singh and Khanna portray. And here come the spoilers. If you want to avoid them, stop reading now. But if you choose to continue, things are about to get interesting. In Dhurandhar, Khanna plays Rehman Dakait, revered as Sher-e-Baloch – the pivotal figure at the heart of the Baloch vs Pakistan conflict. Rehman is the leader of a community grappling with decades of political marginalisation, economic neglect, and state violence since Balochistan’s annexation in 1948.