Party starters

Kamli (Dhoom:3)

Once one can get past a svelte Katrina Kaif doing some gravity-defying (and even body-defying) acrobatics, one can easily gauge why this number still remains a nightclub favourite. Sunidhi Chauhan’s powerful vocals match Katrina’s “liquid electricity” as Aamir Khan’s character puts it, in this Pritam scored number, which relies heavily on the repetition of Kamli, to score a synchronous, foot-tapping piece that still has immense recall.

Lungi dance (Chennai Express)

The rocker of 2013, this party rager has Honey Singh in top form, with a pulsating number, dedicated to the ‘Thalaivar’ aka Rajinikanth, which ranked high when it came to infectious rhythm and fun lyrics — not every day does one get to hear lines like: Moonchhon ko thoda round ghumake/ Anna ke jaise chashma laga ke/Coconut mein lassi mila ke/ Aa jao saare mood banake. Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone’s energetic moves to this Chennai Express number ensured that once Lungi dance came on, whether you were a “Rajini fan” or not, you didn’t want to miss the “chance” of grooving to this number, with or without a lungi.

Lat lag gayee(Race 2)

This one has survived 10 years, still playing in nightclubs and radio stations and featuring in playlists. That has, of course, a lot to do with Pritam’s energetic composition, Benny Dayal and Shalmali Kholgade’s dynamic rendition and Jacqueline Fernandez’s sensuous moves. Also, ‘lat’ is not an oft-used word in Bollywood music, and that kind of stuck with listeners, as did the song’s signature step.

Romance ragers

Kabira (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani)

The Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani album is packed with chartbusters, but for us, Kabira is the one. Very few Hindi film songs in recent years have captured both hope and hopelessness, debilitating pain and rapturous elation in the same number as effectively as Kabira has.

Everything in Kabira is a winner — from Pritam’s heart-touching score to Amitabh Bhattacharya’s heartfelt lyrics; from the unconventional voices of Rekha Bhardwaj and Tochi Raina to the picturisation, with that image of Deepika Padukone’s Naina smiling through her tears firmly etching its place in our hearts and minds. A song that makes heartbreak look and feel beautiful.

Tum hi ho (Aashiqui 2)

Bollywood’s indisputable love anthem ever since it dropped in the spring of 2013, Tum hi ho has the rare ability to find a new place in our hearts every time we listen to it. That has a lot to do with Mithun’s intense, romantic composition, but what elevates Tum hi ho to level next is Arijit Singh’s masterful vocals, especially the way in which he moulds his voice to go from sharp in ‘Hum tere bin ab reh nahi sakte’ to soft in ‘Kyunki tum hi ho’.... Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor’s searing chemistry on screen took care of the rest.

Laal ishq (Ram Leela)

Like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, this is a winner of an album, but for us, Laal ishq is the number which deserves more recognition than it has got. A rare contemporary Hindi film song that draws from and pays tribute to Hindustani classical music, this one — composed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and brought alive by Arijit Singh — is not just a song... it is pure meditation. Arijit’s echoing voice, matched by the use of a sublime sitar, transports the listener to another realm of love and longing. Best enjoyed with the lights off, earphones on, and you at peace with yourself and the world.

Teri jhuki nazar (Murder 3)

Few can match the sonorous range of Shafqat Amanat Ali’s voice and this romantic number, scored by Pritam, has stood the test of time even though the film it belongs to hasn’t. Beautifully conveying the first realisation of love — Sayeed Quadri aces it with lines like: ‘Teri jhuki nazar, teri har ada/ Mujhe keh rahi hai yeh dastaan/ Koi shaqs hai jo ki in dinon/ Tere zehan-o-dil pe hai chha gaya’ — this is a song that still remains in the Top 10 of many playlists. It hits differently each time, every time.

Gulabi (Shuddh Desi Romance)

Colour is what this number signifies and colour is what it shows. Capturing the Pink City of Jaipur — as well as the hues of new love — in all its glory, Gulabi is a song for the ages. ‘When in love, the whole world seems beautiful’ is the logline from this Sachin-Jigar song, and these are the emotions that Gulabi, sung by Jigar Saraiya and Priya Saraiya, elicit with each new listen.

Main rang sharbaton ka (Phata Poster Nikla Hero)

Atif Aslam’s lilting voice glides through Irshad Kamil’s lyrics in this Pritam number which talks of two lovers emotionally fusing into one. Main rang sharbaton ka/ Tu meethe ghaat ka paani/ Mujhe khud mein ghol de toh/ Mere yaar baat ban jaani. Chinmayi Sripada’s voice was the perfect foil to Atif’s, elevating Main rang sharbaton ka from a mere love song to pure meditative bliss. There is another version sung by Arijit, but the Atif original is for keeps.

Foot-tappers

Zinda (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag)

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag — a telling of the remarkable life and career of the legendary athlete Milkha Singh — is a film about passion, resilience and fighting against all odds, all reflected in this energetic and electrifying Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy number. ‘Zinda’ is, in itself, a life-affirming word, and together with the fire-eyed demeanour of Farhan Akhtar as Milkha, this song is an instant pick-me-up. Prasoon Joshi’s pen:’Uljhe kyun pairon mein ye khwaab/ Kadmon se resham kheench de/ Peechhey kuch na aage ka hisaab/ Iss pal ki kyaari seench serves as a reminder to never give up on one’s dreams.

Raanjhanaa (Raanjhanaa)

We were treated to vintage AR Rahman in the pulsating title track of this Aanand L. Rai tale of doomed love. Dhanush’s infectious energy makes this song a vibe, an underrated masterpiece that deserves many more listeners. A favourite on Instagram reels today, its shifting tempo and the fairly untapped voices of Jaswinder Singh and Shiraz Uppal, with Rahman himself pitching in, ensures that Raanjhanaa remains a gem that is still an addictive listen. For many of us, Raanjhanaa walked so that Kesariya could run.

Meethi boliyaan (Kai Po Che!)

A rare boys’ song — this one was picturised on the film’s three male leads enjoying a carefree day out, with nature and each other for company — brought alive by a female voice (Mili Nair was exceptional), Meethi boliyaan gets more personal with every new listen. Amit Trivedi’s playful-soulful mix of a composition, with the man himself lending his voice, shows what true melody really is.

Slow & soulful

Yaaram (Ek Thi Daayan)

We really don’t give enough credit to this song. The magical combination of Vishal Bhardwaj and Gulzar came together for Yaaram, whose strength lies in Sunidhi Chauhan and Vishal’s vocal jugalbandi, with the song shifting from slow to fast to slow within seconds, and yet not losing its synchronous magic. Everything about this underappreciated song — pen work to playback to picturisation — is top-notch and timeless.

Ambarsariya (Fukrey)

Sona Mohapatra’s distinctive voice is the real star of this Fukrey number that conveys the true emotions of first crush and young love. Ram Sampath has the innate quality of lending an unconventional tone and texture, vibe and verve to his compositions and Munna Dhiman’s use of uncommon words like ‘parakhta nain’ and ‘alhad umar immediately sets this song apart from the rest.

Manmarziyan (Lootera)

A gem of an album that never gets old, every song in Lootera spells pure poetry. We choose Manmarziyan because of Shilpa Rao’s mellifluous vocals and Amitabh Bhattacharya’s touching words that expertly convey the conflicting emotions of not being able to forgive and yet being helplessly in love. The Amit Trivedi-scored number is an ode to the foolish heart that believes it will be pieced together and loved again. Sonakshi Sinha’s eyes conveying Hosh khoya/Par sambhali manmarziyan/ Zidd ki maar/ Bhooli bhaali manmarziyan still moves and melts us.