Congratulations are pouring in from all quarters for composer M.M. Keeravani, aka Kreem, after his Telugu track Naatu Naatu from S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR bagged the Golden Globe Award 2023 for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture. We revisit five Bollywood hits by the master composer that continue to rule our hearts.

Tu Mile Dil Khile from Criminal (1994)

Tu Mile Dil Khile from Mahesh Bhatt’s 1994 action thriller Criminal is a romantic melody that ticks all the boxes of a signature 1990s love song. Sung by Kumar Sanu, Chitra and Alka Yagnik, the evergreen melody heavily borrows its sound from Enigma’s Age of Loneliness. Nagarjuna Akkineni and Manisha Koirala’s sizzling chemistry, well supported by Indeevar’s heartwarming lyrics, made this song a chartbuster.

Gali Mein Aaj Chand Nikla from Zakhm (1998)

Gali Mein Aaj Chand Nikla from Mahesh Bhatt’s Zakhm is a soft, lilting tune with a sarangi prelude — there is no major ornamentation or ear-splitting instrumentation. But it’s the simplicity that steals your heart and makes you fall in love with the composition. Alka Yagnik perfectly captures the earnestness of a woman pining for her lover and Anand Bakshi’s lyrics reveal the pangs of her loneliness. M.M. Keeravani makes the humble tabla and dhol the heroes of the soundscape.

Aa Bhi Ja from Sur: The Melody of Life (2002)

When a film is titled Sur: The Melody of Life, it needs to pack in some crackling melodies. Composer M.M. Keeravani delivers exactly that for this A Star is Born (1976) style musical helmed by Tanuja Chandra. The most popular track from the album, Aa Bhi Ja, is sheer magic thanks to the haunting vocals by Lucky Ali and Sunidhi Chauhan, complemented by violin sounds.

Jaadu Hai Nasha Hai from Jism (2003)

While Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas (2002) introduced the voice of Shreya Ghoshal to Indian music lovers, it was her songs in Amit Saxena’s 2003 thriller Jism that propelled her to the ranks of musical royalty. The M.M. Keeravani composition Jaadu Hai Nasha Hai brings out the seduction and innocence in Shreya’s voice that rolls on unimpeded amidst heavy drums. The song, picturised on Bipasha Basu, took the nation by storm upon the film’s release.

Dheere Jalna from Paheli (2005)

M.M. Keeravani breathes life into Gulzar’s lyrics in this classical-based melody from Amol Palekar’s Paheli. It begins with Sonu Nigam’s hypnotic voice coming in through like little waves lapping the shore. The song then undergoes a change in tempo and reaches a crescendo with a mix of sitar, tabla, shehnai and flute sounds. Shreya Ghoshal joins Sonu in the later parts of the song and is a force to reckon with.