The filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has travelled on a nostalgic trip down memory lane with "Safar" from his hit 2017 film "Jab Harry Met Sejal," one of the most powerful tracks in the film's release. Starring Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma, it may have had mixed reviews when first released but as never before its music, especially 'Safar,' resonates more deeply than ever and has been able to resonate with audiences from every corner.
Discussing the making of the song and its story, Imtiaz has mentioned that there was a huge evolution of the song throughout its creation. Even though originally conceived as a deeply blues-like musical piece, Safar was gradually adapted into an entirely different sort of genre. The new genre of the song gave the piece an identity all its own and distinguished it from traditional Bollywood entertainment.
#ImtiazAli revisits the soul of #Safar from #JabHarryMetSejal and his unforgettable shoot with #ShahRukhKhan.https://t.co/Z8vLPEwuWL
— Filmfare (@filmfare) April 20, 2026
For Imtiaz, the musical tone was already established long before words were written illustrating how sound followed mood in the telling of story. A scene from the Budapest station served as one of the song’s most memorable scenes from filming for the director.
Shah Rukh Khan’s character is sitting in silent reflection on this sequence, as a train draws near and captures the feeling of stillness amid motion. Imtiaz described it as a very moving scene and stressed how in many ways the visual language of the space mirrored the true emotional core of the song. The lyrics to “Safar” also have a special place in Imtiaz’s heart, especially the lines, “idhar ka hi hoon na, udhar ka raha, safar ka hi tha main safar ka raha.”
“Because these words carry a deep sense of displacement a feeling resonated deeply in us all today in a fast-moving, ever-changing world,” he said. Believing that one does not belong to the land of where one comes from, nor where one is going, is a common experience among humans, so the way the song conveys that emotion is particularly touching.
Jab Harry Met Sejal recounts the tale of Sejal, a spunky girl who loses her engagement ring on a trip to Europe. She goes to Harry, an engaging but emotionally stoic tour guide, for help, and what starts out as a quest soon becomes a revelation of who she really is and how much she loves him. And, through “Safar,” Imtiaz Ali effectively put forward some of that journey not just across the country, but in the very human heart.”
