Raise your hand if you like watching good, old-fashioned naach-gaana stretches in a cinema hall! Here’s a one-per-year list of these spectacles. Feel free to add your favourites.
Let’s get one thing out of the way. This isn’t about memorable songs that have stood the test of time and will echo over our lonely planet even after human beings disappear. Nope! This is a simple tribute to the rush of adrenalin that flowed through us — in the past decade — when a catchy song and catchier choreography came together on a big screen.
2010 (‘Munni badnaam hui’, Dabangg): The original was apparently a 1970s song by Razia Begum, a folk singer from Madhya Pradesh: it went Launda badnaam hua, naseeban tere liye. The passage of decades and a quick gender-flip later, we got this Lalit Pandit (yes, Jatin’s brother) chartbuster. Farah Khan said she listened to all the songs of Dabangg and chose to choreograph Munni. Whatever that instinct was, it worked: the steps are smashing, as is Malaika Arora. When the initially low-sounding percussion bursts into full-blast at “Main Zandu balm hui,” you realise why theatre speakers were invented. Mahesh Limaye shoots the sequin-popping splendour beautifully.
2011 (‘Character dheela hai’, Ready): Wow, another Salman number? I was not… um, ready for this inner revelation! But this star’s songs are just so much fun on the big screen, probably because the man… cannot dance to save his life. (The sight of him as Dilip Kumar in Mughal-e-Azam, wiggling his un-wiggle-able hip, is a laughter cure for the ages.) Another person having himself a whole lot of fun is lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya, who rhymes “formula” with “khokla”, “dheela” with “santreela”, “Facebook” with “ek look”, and Pritam completes the experience with his insanely ear-wormy techno-shehnai hook. The bling quotient of the sets is off-the-charts. Gold is a very happy-making colour on screen!
Read the rest of this article here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/features/bollywood-features/dabangg-turns-10-as-does-munni-badnaam-hui-remembering-10-songs-down-the-decade-that-make-you-miss-the-big-screen-baradwaj-rangan-bollywood-music/
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Baradwaj Rangan 
Amit Joki
September 10, 2020
Chikni Chameli and maybe, Shiela Ki Jawani should have made the cut.
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Guru
September 10, 2020
++Chikni Chameli
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Spandana
September 10, 2020
Enjoyed the post. Breakup song is fun, but “Dilliwali Girlfriend” is so much better!
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rsylviana
September 10, 2020
Just realized that there is no Katrina Kaif song in the list…Now that’s sacrilege!
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Srinivas R
September 10, 2020
Chikni Chameli ? no!!! Katrina was too mechanical in that song. Sheila ki Jawani was better, IMO.
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awkshwayrd
September 10, 2020
I love ‘Tum hi ho bandhu’. The actual choreography is charmingly laid back, but the song is just sun-dappled lovely on screen.
Re: ‘Ghungroo’ if you see the BTS videos Vaani Kapoor put so much extra effort into the song, and it’s all relegated to a 30s stretch in the middle. It is the better song, but there’s just something about the momentousness of ‘Jai jai Shivshankar’.. Hrithik clearly demonstrates “beta beta hota hai aur baap baap”..
And I love that you sneaked in a mention of the criminally underrated ‘Soni de nakhre’ (from the fairly blah ‘Partner’). That song is so much fun to watch and imo it never got the credit it deserved, because the movie around it is so overdone. It’s a perfect example of song driving narrative (it’s basically a ‘comedy scene’)
On the topic of RK and ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ one could pick probably 3 other comparable songs from that movie with ease. To paraphrase Raja Sen’s review at that time “this is a movie that gets in the way of its excellent song sequences”. It’s all up there on screen, proving Ayan Mukherjee could handle a budget as well as Karan Johar. To think he hasn’t had a release since …
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Sahir.
September 10, 2020
Lists are made for furious argument!
I would have ditched ‘Character Dheela’ in favour of ‘Gungun guna re’ from Agneepath! That’s a terrific combination of words (Bhattacharya again), music (Ajay-Atul, unbeatable), performance (PeeCee is just great) and choreography (Saroj Khan!).
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Amit Joki
September 10, 2020
Matargashti is another beautiful song to watch on the big screens.
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krishikari
September 10, 2020
probably because the man… cannot dance to save his life
Yaass… wiggling his belt buckle was an actual dance step! Respect to his choreographers.
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Enigma
September 10, 2020
I liked the energy of the song dinka chika. I think that one too is from the movie ‘Ready’.
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krishikari
September 10, 2020
Are we only doing Hindi? Idhu vandu yen karikozhumbu listille toppu dhaan. Rowdy Baby. This one has to top any list for pure fun times.
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Saket
September 10, 2020
I might have to offer an anti seeti-taali list here. Purely personal, of course, but something I keep returning to, time and time again.
Pehli Baar – The free-flowing nature of this ‘make-out’ song (it really is about a guy wanting to make out with a girl he’s infatuated with) makes it special. I love Zoya Akhtar’s song picturizations, and this one probably tops the list. The camerawork is intrusive and heightens the intimacy factor quite well. It also helps that Ranveer and Anushka share crackling chemistry on-screen. Add to that, Shankar-Ehsan-Loy’s electro-techno beats and you have a sizzling winner. This is RGV’s Hai Rama revisited in a much classier, playful vein.
Galti Se Mistake – the folksy tune, the playful lyrics (Muscle Banana…baalon waali fasal ugaana) and the seemingly clumsy but well-coordinated choreography make this a personal favourite. In one sequence, some background dancers position themselves to create a ‘human motorbike’ that Ranbir Kapoor proceeds to ride. I’m not even fond of Ranbir Kapoor, and I haven’t seen the film, but this is a really creative number.
Gallan Goodiyan – Another Zoya Akhtar song and another one of my favourites. Having said that, I’m not fond of the song itself. Sukhwinder Singh, who’s a great singer, but whose voice doesn’t suit Ranveer at all, is a minor distraction. But, for the love of God, this is a single-take song. With at least 50-odd people on board. Ranveer and Priyanka’s energy levels put the icing on the cake, on this technical marvel. Dil Bechara, also a single-take song, strikes a similar chord, although there are other reasons to feel emotional about it.
You’ve already spoken about Tune Maari Entriyaan, Malhari and Ghungroo and they belong in my frequently-watched list as well.
Other songs that I keep returning to are:
Jashn-E-Ishqa (Gunday), Matargashti (Tamasha) and Thug Le (Ladies Vs Ricky Behl).
Hrithik’s Michael Jackson impersonation in the Bang Bang title track is pretty good as well.
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Sahir.
September 10, 2020
awkshwayrd: You brought up Ayan Mukerji and YJHD, and then ‘Ghagra’ popped up as a suggestion. MAN, what a song that is and what a fantastically colourful picturisaion. I can’t say I care for the verses much, but the opening and the choruses are tremendous and I love all the beautiful ghagras in it. 🙂 Plus, Madhuri and Ranbir are both terrific; my favourite shots of them are Ranbir’s expression at the line ‘thodi hope hai’ and Madhuri’s last glimpse. What a song!
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Anu Warrier
September 10, 2020
Loved the list – it made me want to revisit the theatres soon! 😦 One of my favourite Sanjay Leela Bhansali numbers from this decade has to be Ram chaahe Leela from Ram Leela – it closely edged out the frenetic Nagada sang dhol from the same film.
Do you know I hadn’t actually heard Charater dheela hai before? You’re right about its pulsing intensity – it surely was made for the big screen!
I know you didn’t like Thugs of Hindostan but I thought Suraiyya would be a perfect fit in this list – it’s a perfect amalgamation of lyrics, music and choreography – and Katrina was fabulous.
I especially loved the fact that Amitabh Bhattacharya wrote: Dhadkano ki chaal pe
Iss keharwa taal pe le chuki aalaap uspe taan legi kya because the song is in Keharwa taal.
And the wink-wink-nod-nod to her profession comes in these lines:
Ghar Suraiyya-jaan ke sar jhuka ke aaye ho
De chuki hai darsan ab parsaad degi kya
Sabka dil behla chuki, thumriya bhi gaa chuki
Baandh ke ab saath mein aulaad degi kya?
I needed this post today, BR. Thanks for putting a smile on my face.
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Anu Warrier
September 10, 2020
Saket – sharing your love for Gallan goodiyan – the energy was fabulous! And what a take!
And oh, Jagga Jasoos – please, please do watch it. It is a criminally underrated movie, IMO.
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brangan
September 10, 2020
If we are talking Farah Khan big-screen songs from the last decade, I’ll go with this any day 🙂
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Anu Warrier
September 10, 2020
Deepika has improved so much as a dancer since her debut. She looks like enjoys dancing now.
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Apu
September 10, 2020
Man what a list, and yes, lists are meant to be debated and argued with 🙂
I would love to see:
Radha from Student of the Year. That song had all the gloss, bling, rhyming words, costumes and fusion that I love watching on big screen.
Though “Breakup song” is fun, I would rather see one or more songs from YJHD: Dilliwali Girlfriend, Badtameez dil, Ghagra…oh my! Till date I have not watched the movie, but those songs make me want to return to the movie hall.
Side note: Deepika has definitely improved her moves.
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Rocky
September 11, 2020
Great List,
I would not have had peetam pyarey, breakup song, Radha, and instead have had-Surraiya ( TOH), Mera Naam Tu ( Zero) and the Dhadak song.
I also enjoyed – Ankhiyon sey goli maarey, Sau tarah key rog ( Dhishoom), and Dil mera Muft ka.
P.S.- I think Manoj Kumar’s followed by Subhash Ghai’s picturization and placement of the songs was the best . Their songs helped in taking the story forward.
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KaaviyaThalagani
September 11, 2020
What a fantastic list!
Isn’t aa re pritam pyaare…..vaadi vaadi naatukatta? from way back in 2001 😀
Also I was thinking of “Saree Ka Fall Sa” right away, but you put Gandi Baat from the same film!
Just wondrous, all of them.
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krishikari
September 11, 2020
Am I the odd person out here for absolutely adoring Bawli Booch 2016 song from Laal Rang?All the songs from that movie are amazing. That and Pataka Guddi from Highway are on every playlist of mine and will be forever. Watch this and try not die of love.
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Aman Basha
September 14, 2020
What sort of list is this? As an admirer of the joys that cinema bestows on us, I strongly protest against the conspiracy conceived to deliberately exclude the godess Katrina Kaif, who despite her gymnastics as an overrated Chikni Chameli, bestowed onto us mortals Sheila’s Jawani, the magically disappearing costumes in Kamli, made me say Mashallah at the end of the boring Ek Tha Tiger, left me Ghajini like, forgetting to bash Bhai’s dancing with her swag ka swagat, and had me sit through all of Baar Baar Dekho (jise maine nahin dekha ever since) to hoot and shout as she did her thing wearing a Kaala Chashma. (I exclude Ishq Shava since it got mutually cancelled with her thesping). Even Bhai wouldn’t be pleased though you gave him two, do something for Kattu.
That was me being human, but now being serious, I wonder if you felt there was nothing new to write about Dabangg or Bhai’s stardom and chose a convenient peg like this? Would have liked ‘Mere Naam Tu”, which was a beauty of a song and arguably the grandest non-Bhansali love song of the decade.
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Sahir.
September 15, 2020
Apu: I love Radha too! Probably one of the highlights of the film. It was the start of the Alia-Varun onscreen romance (arguably one of the most crackling pairs of the last decade), and they’re all styled with the right mix of eye-candy and taste. Plus, it’s a damn good song. I love Udit Narayan turning up at the end to voice Rishi Kapoor.
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