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EXCLUSIVE| Gupt director Rajeev Rai credits Aryan Khan for Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela’s comeback: ‘Just so happy for him’
Gupt director Rajeev Rai opens up about how Shah Rukh Khan and Aryan Khan brought the 1997 classic back into the spotlight through The Ba***ds of Bollywood
Nearly three decades after its release, Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela from Gupt(1997) is once again ruling charts and playlists, thanks to its prominent use in the climax of Netflix’s The Ba***ds of Bollywood. But for the film’s director Rajeev Rai, the renewed popularity of the track is less about nostalgia and more about fresh creativity.
“The credit for the song’s success this time does not belong to me, to be honest, it belongs to Aryan,” Rajeev told us, referring to the show’s creator, Aryan Khan. “Because he took the song and he used it for his series, and it has worked brilliantly. Honestly, I am just very elated that I contributed to making something that helps make his career,” he added.
The 70-year-old director, who helmed the Bobby Deol starrer that made the song iconic in the late ’90s, admits he doesn’t usually allow his music to be repurposed. “I generally don’t give my music away. It’s not that I am not selective, but I don’t like to seem getting overused. Here, I didn’t blink an eyelid,” he explained.
According to Rajeev, a key factor was trust. “SRK (Shah Rukh Khan) has been gracious to me. When he asked me, I was like whatever you want. So happy it worked out for them,” he said.
The numbers reflect just how well it has worked: within four days of the show’s release on September 18, 2025, the song picked up more than 5 million new YouTube views and is trending across Instagram and Spotify.
For Rajeev, the surge is both humbling and rewarding. Gupt’s soundtrack, composed by Viju Shah, was a rage when it released in July 1997, and Rajeev takes pride in seeing it resonate decades later. “It’s wonderful to see something created years ago find such relevance today. Sometimes all it takes is the right moment and the right storyteller to bring it back,” he concludes.
