My TOP 10 Hindi songs

Why ten? Well, the list could easily be longer. But in the end I went with those, that I listen to the most. In the bus, in train during my lengthy traveling from home to university city, before I go to sleep.... Whenever there is an opportunity. These are the songs that actually are so beautiful, that I bothered to look out the best lyrics translations – only to fall in love with them even more knowing what magic there is in the words and not just in melody or singer´s voice. And I really love them for the melody, not picturization, however beautiful it might be. So let´s meet my Top 10 Bollywood songs.

10. Tumse Milke – yes, I know this one is not an original, but simply a Hindi version of „When I need you“. But Tumse Milke has innocence and peace to it, which the original lacks. It seems simpler, less forced, more sensitive. Not to mention the words are more romantic. Sung by Suresh Wadkar and Asha Bhosle, it was picturized on Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit for a film Parinda (1989).

9. Main Agar Kahoon – starting off with gentle, music box tinkeling, this is one of the memorable melodies that made part of a magic for Om Shanti Om (2007). Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal lent their voices to Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in this utterly romantic song. Result is a sheer beauty.

8. Dilli – something completely different from any other song in the list. This isn´t romantic, not by a long shot. And it is nothing else but pure rock. And it rocks big time. Main melody for a movie No one killed Jessica (2011) set a high standard for song very early this year and I don´t think there shall be many songs to be better or that would even manage to match it. Sung by Tochi Raina, Shriram Iyer and Aditi Singh Sharma, it can be heard during the opening titles of the film, brilliantly setting the mood.

7. Silsila Ye Chaahat Ka – the first Bollywood song I´ve ever heard. It was the voice that completely amazed me. Shreya Ghoshal has been truly gifted. Composed and made for Bhansali´s Devdas (2002) it was used as an introduction for Aishwarya Rai as one of the main characters. And it was probably her most amazing introduction ever.

6. O Re Piya – best song from a very under-rated soundtrack of a very under-rated film Aaja Nachle (2007). Lyrical, poetical, but full of life. The voice of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is so powerful and engaging that even though I did not understand the lyrics at first, he presented me with a beautiful story full of beautiful images. The song was partly a background score, used for a flashback sequence.

5. Masha Allah – if I could, I would list the whole soundtrack of Saawariya (2007) in here! Because it is probably the most amazing soundtrack ever. In the end I decided that this song should appear in the list, because it was the first one from the album that I heard and immediately was enchanted. Kunal Gajawala with a help of not-enough-praised Shreya Ghoshal sung for Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor, as the two were escaping each other in a dreamy, blue world...

4. Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya – maybe it is the most famous Bollywood song ever. And it has reason. It is simply brilliant. Re-written countless times, it was chiseled out to perfection. Picturized on Madhubala, the song was brought to life by Lata Mangeshkar and it is in my opinion by far her best piece ever. The soft melody grows more and more demanding by a second, until it fills you with an indescribable excitement.

3. Maar Daala – the ultimate mujra song. Try to forget for a moment about Madhuri Dixit being beyond words in it (hard, I know) and enjoy the longing, love and beauty of the piece. Brilliant voice of Kavita Krishnamurthy singing absolutely heavenly words will send shivers down your spine. Devdas (2002), just like Saawariya, was simply full of wonderful music.

2. Mere Haath Mein – Sonu Nigam has become my favourite Bollywood singer ever with this song. And Sunidhi Chauhan matched him here without a fail. Amazing, amazing, amazing. I don´t have words to really express what I feel while listening to the song. And the lyrics... oh my.... leave me longing for love... and more love.... just like Aamir Khan and Kajol in Fanaa (2006)!

1. Kismat Se Tum – my favourite Hindi song ever. Composed by the great A.R.Rahman it once again made Sonu Nigam touch my heart. The female vocals were taken care of by Anuradha Pauwal. And yet again the lyrics are indescribably beautiful. And so is everything about the song. From the gentle background singers humming to the clear sound of a flute, everything falls into place and creates a fantasy really. Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit were the lucky ones, who could present the magic to the audience in a film Pukar (2000). 

Mughal-E-Azam

Director: K.Asif

Starring: Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Nigar Sultana

Released: 1960

Once upon a time in India there lived a mighty and wise Emperor, who united the country and overcame the differences between the various religions, that had rooted in his country. He was known as Mughal-E-Azam, the Greatest of the Mughals, and his name was Akbar the Great. Seemingly having all, there was one thing he did not possess and no pearly, diamonds and other riches could ever buy it. Because Akbar the Great was childless. So the Emperor forgot all his pride and on foot he made a long pilgrimage to a sacred place, where he was assured his Queen Jodhaa would surely give a birth to a child. And indeed several months later Prince Salim was born into a golden cradle. However the love he had been given turned him into a spoilt and selfish person. For a long time his atrocities were being overlooked, but after he disgraced the sacred Scales of Justice, his father finally found the will to punish him. Sending him away from the palace, he ordered his son to be raised by soldiers on battlefields. For fourteen years Salim lerned and grew as a warrior, he gained respect and discipline.

The time came for him to return to his parents. After a grand welcome he is given a rather curious gift. A statue, at whose feet according to its maker a warrior will lay his sword, a king his crown and a person his heart. The beauty of the statue is truly breathtaking and Prince is deeply impressed. And looses his heart almost instantly, when the statue actually moves and says: „I´m not an angel. I´m a human being.“ With this sentence begins a story of Salim and Anarkali, that will almost destroy the future of the great Mughal empire...

Princes and maids never had it easy...

If there is any movie that can be labelled as „legendary“ it is without a shadow of doubt Mughal-E-Azam. Its breath-taking visual glory, moving and sensitive love story, excellent acting – everything is pure genius. The man of vision here was the perfectionist very much passionate about the project – K. Asif. This man was planning Mughal-E-Azam for almost sixteen years and the shooting itself lasted another nine. The story is based on a popular legend about turbulent young years of Emperor Nur-ud-din Salim Jahangir, that supposedly took place at the end of the 15^th century. It was not made into a film for the first time. In 1928 there was a movie called „Loves of a Mughal Prince“ and in 1953 it was „Anarkali“. However none of these can match up to the epic Mughal-E-Azam, into which so much effort, love and pain was invested. All you need to do is to look here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054098/trivia and you will understand some of the reasons why this film is extraordinary.

What to say about acting here? Every single one of the actors built a monument for themselves, be it the dignified Prithviraj Kapoor, charismatic Dilip Kumar or the eternally beautiful Madhubala. Add to it a wonderful music, enchanting costumes and sets, beautiful cinematography, script chisselled to perfection – what do you have? A timeless story on the verge of fairytale, but still realistic enough, that manages to charm even 50 years after it first came to the theaters. 

Salim and Anarkali - eternal lovers