Here is Narendra Kusnur’s list of top 15 tunes from this era. See how he made his picks.
At the beginning of this phase, there was a lot of experimentation, as music directors used influences of Sufi music, rock and electronica. In recent years, there have been songs with rap elements, and the success of the 2019 film Gully Boy has given desi hip-hop a wider audience. While creating this playlist, I have thus chosen a mix of experimental and traditional sounds.
Thus, a rock number such as Socha Hai from Rock On!! goes along with the traditional song Ghoomar from Padmaavat. Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt, who had some great work in this period, appear in multiple songs. There’s also a fair representation of music directors AR Rahman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Pritam and Amit Trivedi, who produced some of the period’s biggest hits.
Industry-watchers often say that, overall, the quality of Hindi film music has fallen since 2015. While that is admittedly a subjective view, this list does tilt towards the period before 2013, with 10 of the 15 songs from that part of the era. Amid the pandemic, there were of course fewer releases in the past two years too. (As in the previous four lists, the order here is chronological.)
In this film, AR Rahman used a Sufi flavour, in keeping with the trend of the time. The period film starred Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai. Rahman sang this song himself, with a strong backing chorus. Lyrics were by Kashif, and the song was filmed on a qawwali troupe.
This song depicted a typical gig, with the crowd singing along. Farhan Akhtar played lead vocalist of the band Magik, and he sings this song too. Arjun Rampal, Luke Kenny and Purab Kohli played the other band members. Javed Akhtar wrote the song, composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
This path-breaking soundtrack was music director Amit Trivedi’s second Hindi film project. The film was a modern take on the Devdas story, with Abhay Deol playing the lead. The brass band version was sung by Rangeela and Rasila, with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya. There was also a rock version sung by Bonnie Chakraborty.
Wake Up Sid proves Ranbir Kapoor’s versatility. This song sung by Kavita Seth and composed by Amit Trivedi was a massive hit (the other songs in the film were by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy). Amitabh Bhattacharya wrote the lyrics, and Konkona Sen Sharma played the female lead.
Though Munni Badnaam Hui sung by Mamta Sharma was a huge hit, Tere Mast Mast Do Nain by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is remarkable for its lyrical romantic beauty, and for the picturisation on Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha. Composed by Sajid-Wajid, it was written by Faiz Anwar.
In another fantastic performance, Ranbir Kapoor plays a college student with dreams of becoming a rock star. Mohit Chauhan sang this anthemic song which talked of fighting for one’s rights. Rahman composed the song; lyrics were by Irshad Kamil.
Music directors Vishal-Shekhar also caught onto the Sufi trend. Ishq Sufiyana was sung by Kamaal Khan and written by Rajat Arora. It was picturised on Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan, who received accolades for her portrayal of the south starlet Silk Smitha. Sunidhi Chauhan sang the female version.
Mohit Chauhan sang the peppy title song of Barfi!, in which Ranbir played a deaf and mute boy based in Darjeeling. Pritam composed the song, with lyrics by Swanand Kirkire. Singers Arijit Singh, Papon, Shafqat Amanat Ali and Nikhil Paul George sang the other songs filmed on Ranbir.
Though the Aashiqui 2 soundtrack always had the challenge of matching that of the 1990 film Aashiqui, it turned up some wonderful songs. The film was a special boost for singer Arijit Singh, and the title song composed and written by Mithoon was popular. Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor were the stars.
Filmed on Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, the song was a tribute to superstar Rajinikanth and his fans. It was sung, composed and written by Yo Yo Honey Singh, and was a major hit.
Music director Anu Malik was less prolific in the 2010s, but tasted success with this song, sung in separate versions by Monali Thakur and Papon. Varun Grover wrote the lyrics. The film starred Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar.
True to style, this Sanjay Leela Bhansali film featured lavish sets and this exquisite folk dance by Deepika Padukone in a group setting. Kruti Mahesh Midya’s choreography is worth a mention. Shreya Ghoshal sang the song, with Rajasthani lines sung by Swaroop Khan. Bhansali wrote the music himself, and AM Turaz wrote the lyrics.
Gulzar wrote these patriotic lines, set to a tune by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The song was released in two versions, by Sunidhi Chauhan and Arijit. The female version included a line by Pakistani poet Allama Iqbal.
This became an anthem for those with big dreams. Rap star Divine had joint credits for vocals with the film’s lead actor, Ranveer Singh. The music was composed by Dub Sharma with Divine, who also co-wrote the lyrics with Ankur Tewari.
Why not conclude the playlist with a morale-boosting song that represents India’s love for cricket, movies and music? This song was composed by Pritam and sung by Arijit and features wonderful stadium shots as well as moving footage of Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev, leading the World Cup-winning team. Kausar Munir wrote the lyrics.
