Before Race 3, five songs to remind you Bobby Deol was cooler than what we give him credit for

When was the last time someone played a ruthless murderer but still had Preity Zinta fall in love with him? When was the last time someone rejected Aishwarya Rai and somehow made it look believable? And, when was the last time you gave Bobby Deol the respect he deserves? And this is long before he took off his shirt at Salman Khan’s insistence in Race 3, thereby heralding his second coming.

A failed appearance as a DJ may be your last memory of Bobby but that isn’t his only contribution to the world of entertainment. Long before making people’s ears bleed with ‘Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela’ at the club, Bobby was romancing the biggest actresses on screen, killing the ugliest villains and lifting the heaviest bazookas as the Bollywood heartthrob he was.

With films like Barsaat, Soldier and Gupt to his credit, you’d think the audiences would remember him and his tinted blue sunglasses in fond memories rather than as ‘Hindi movies ka Rahul Gandhi.’ However, we believe the second coming of Bobby Deol is upon us with Race 3. He shall return—shirtless, just how Salman bhai wants him—and he shall once again remind everyone of the awesomeness he spread early in his career.

To remind you of the same, here are a few songs from his movies that encapsulate the spirit of Bobby and just how the sweet fragrance of nostalgia is:

Nahi Yeh Ho Nahin Sakta, Barsaat (1995)

Still the most played song on every desi diljala aashiq’s list, it is the definition of the lovelorn ‘90s. Romancing Mrs Funnybones in that yellow T-shirt, he was the boy every girl wanted. Ready to fight the world and proclaim his love for you. None of that millennial commitment phobic ‘let’s not get into tags, eh?’ stuff.

Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela, Gupt (1997)

Ever seen someone show such confidence, such swag in his second film itself? He could make an out-of-sync song seem cool by merely flipping his wet curly hair around in women’s faces. He makes the song cool in not just this but the film’s other songs—Meri Sanson Mein Tu, Mushkil Bada Ye Pyaar Hai— as well.

Meri Saanson Mein, Aur Pyaar Hogaya (1997)

No amount of Aishwarya Rai in a satin negligee, roaming in gardens will distract you from the cuteness of Bobby Deol. Was it really that difficult to stay like this forever Bobby? Why did you have to make Jhoom Barabar Jhoom man.

Chori Chori Jab Nazrein Mili (1998)

This just brings back beautiful memories of falling in love for the first time and not being able to say it. Of course, Bobby overdoes it once again with the acting but the song and the video is just so buttery and soft that you heart doesn’t allow you to hate on it.

Soldier Soldier, Soldier (1998)

There he is, walking out of the sunset like he is the one who made it go down. Aggressive love with a sprinkle of wholesome. He romances Preity Zinta while maintaining a constant straight face and through dark opaque sunglasses.

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