10 Favorite Songs from Hindi Cinema

Songs are an important part of a hindi cinema. Special attention was given to record the songs by expert composers and singers & the songs were picturized at exclusive locations to suit the mood. A huge part of the budget was spent on the songs which in turn plays a pivotal role for the success of the cinema at box office. Thousands of memorable songs have been recorded in the history of hindi cinema. To pick 10 favorite songs out of this huge collection  is something near to impossible on my part. However I have tried my best to pick the songs which are extremely close to my heart.

1. Tere Bina Zindagi Se ~ Aandhi (1975)

Aandhi, directed by lyricist Gulzaar is a 1975 hindi movie based on the life of the-then prime minister of India Mrs. Indira Gandhi. This movie is noted for its songs composed by R D Burman, written by Gulzar and beautifully sung by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar. Tere bina zindagi se is picturised on the veteran actor Sanjeev Kumar and actress Suchitra Sen. Apart from the beautiful vocals of Kishore Da and Lata ji, the dialogues of Sanjiv Kumar and Suchitra Sen in the middle of this song is my favorite.

2. Suhaana Safar Aur Yeh Mausam Haseen ~ Madhumati (1958)

Madhumati, directed by Bimal Roy is a 1958 hindi movie and it was one of the earliest hindi film based on reincarnation. The music for the film was composed by Salil Choudhury with lyrics written by Shailendra. This particular song is sung by the veteran singer Mukesh and picturised on Dilip Kumar.

3. Jaane Kahan Gaye Woh Din ~ Mera Naam Joker (1970)

Mera Naam Joker, directed by the showman Raj Kapoor is a is a film about a clown who must make his audience laugh at the cost of his own sorrows. The music of the film was composed by Sankar Jaikishan. This song is sung by veteran singer Mukesh and is written by Hasrat Jaipuri. This song is picturised on Raj Kapoor, playing the role of the clown.

4. Man Kyon Behka Re Behka ~ Utsav (1984)

Utsav, directed by Girish Karnad and produced by Sashi Kapoor is an adaption of sanskrit plays Charudatta (by Bhasa) and Mrichakatika (by Shudraka). This song, composed by Laxmikant Pyarelaal, is a rare duet by Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle and picturised on the beautiful ladies Rekha and Anuradha Patel.

5. Lagi Aaj Sawan Ki Phir Woh Jhadi ~ Chandni (1989)

Chandni, directed by Yash Chopra is a musical love story. The success of the music of this film was instrumental in ending the era of violence in Bollywood and bringing back music into Hindi films. This song, composed by Shiv-Hari (Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma and Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasiya) and written by Anand Bakshi was sung by Suresh Wadkar and picturised on Vinod Khanna and Sridevi. The classical touch by both the maestros is clearly visible from the melody of this song.

6. Yeh Lamhe Yeh Pal Hum ~ Lamhe (1991)

Lamhe, directed by Yash Chopra is a controversial love story and was critically acclaimed for its music. This song, composed by Shiv-Hari (Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma and Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasiya) and written by Anand Bakshi was sung by Hariharan was picturised on Anil Kapoor. This song was not a part of the Album during its audio release. Yash Chopra recorded this song just before the release of the film and re-released the audio with the inclusion of this song.

7. Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaaye ~ Jurm (1990)

Jurm, directed by Mahesh Bhatt is a musical thriller. The music for Jurm was composed by Rajesh Roshan and the lyrics were written by Indeevar and Payam Sayeedi. This is an outstanding romantic duet from the score sung by Kumar Sanu and Sadhana Sargam.

8. Hum Bewafaa Hargiz Na The ~ Shalimaar (1978)

Shalimaar, directed by Krishna Shah is an indo-english thriller.  The music for this movie was composed by R. D. Burman. This is an romantic sad song sung by Kishore Kumar and picturised on Dharmendra.

9. Aaj Mausam Bada Beimaan ~ Loafer (1973)

Loafer  is a 1973 hindi movie directed by A. Bhimsingh.  The music for this song was composed by the duo Laxmikant-Pyarelaal and lyrics was written by Anand Bakshi. This song is sung by Mohd. Rafi and picturised on Dharmendra.

10. Kahan Tak Yeh Man Ko ~ Baton Baton Mein (1979)

Baton Baton Mein is a 1979 romantic comedy film produced & directed by Basu Chatterjee. The music for this film was composed by Rajesh Roshan. This song is sung by Kishore Kumar and picturised on Amol Palekar.