Seven Bollywood anthems that we follow!

By Hindustan Times

Bollywood has consistently delivered hit songs that have captured the imagination of the nation, made us sway to their beats and even influenced the way we speak. These songs were not just chartbusters, but anthems that cut across age groups, social backgrounds and geographical barriers, with the masses and the classes singing, humming and often acting out the entire song.

The simple lyrics touched a chord, the pulsating rhythms made people groove fanatically and the easy refrains made opera singers out of bathroom singers. Here are some of the anthems, ’70s onwards and in chronological order, which rocked the nation.

Dum Maro Dum
Singer: Asha Bhosale
Film: Hare Rama Hare Krishna
Music: RD Burman
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Year: 1971

Dev Anand’s tragic tale of sibling love, set against the background of the hippie movement and youth rebellion, was an iconic film. Pancham’s psychedelic track set fire to young hearts, not just then, but even today. Many youngsters are seen defiantly mouthing the words ‘Duniya ne humko diya kya, duniya se humse liya kya’ while grooving like the pouting and gorgeous Zeenat Aman. Every singer aspires to achieve the ease of Asha’s effortless vocals, though recent remixes have yielded nothing, but disastrous results.

Om Shanti Om
Singer: Kishore Kumar
Film: Karz
Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Year: 1980

There was nothing spiritual about this disco track that saw Rishi Kapoor swinging on a spinning vinyl record-styled stage. But the song did get its share of devotees. Fans went crazy seeing the deadly combination of Chintu’s quick-footed moves set to Kishore Kumar’s remarkable range of notes.

Jumma Chumma
Singer: Sudesh Bhosale, Kavita Krishnamurthy
Film: Hum
Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Year: 1991

When tin mugs are distributed at theatres just so that cinemagoers can groove along with Big B’s alpha-male character, you know you are in for something legendary. The hit song featured Amitabh Bachchan in an unbuttoned shirt, clashing beer mugs with dock-workers, while a raucous dance kept viewers glued to the screen.

Ek Do Teen
Singer: Alka Yagnik
Film: Tezaab
Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Year: 1988
This song taught the nation how to count… at least till 26! Madhuri Dixit truly arrived in the industry with this chartbuster. Her inimitable moves, flashing smile and unmatched energy, choreographed by Saroj Khan, left the crowds asking for more.

Aati Kya Khandala?
Singer: Aamir Khan, Alka Yagnik
Film: Ghulam
Music: Jatin–Lalit
Lyrics: Sameer
Year: 1998

Rarely does an actor garner such hero worship for his acting as well as singing in a movie! Aamir Khan pulled it off effortlessly with this tapori act that even made the handkerchief iconic. Aamir’s gruff voice oozed with attitude and contrasted perfectly with Alka Yagnik’s sweet vocals. The song was an instant hit — many actors took to the mic, Rani Mukerji became the Khandala girl and Khandala, so far Mumbai’s pretty backyard, became a tourist destination for the whole nation.

Kajra Re
Singer: Shankar Mahadevan, Alisha Chinoy, Javed Ali
Film: Bunty Aur Babli
Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy
Lyrics: Gulzar
Year: 2005

It’s a qawwali, an item number, a disco track, a mujra, a folk-item song and even a sawaal-jawaab contest! This song defies definition as it playfully trots on for a good eight minutes, daring you to sit still as the groove sets in.

Sadda Haq
Singer: Mohit Chauhan (additional vocals Clinton Cerejo)
Film: Rockstar
Music: AR Rahman
Lyrics: Irshad Kamil
Year: 2011

Four decades after Dev Anand’s youth anthem ‘Dum maro dum’ comes this cry of rebellion by Ranbir Kapoor’s Jordan. Mohit Chauhan lends his voice to the angst-ridden rocker in this musical tale of intense, unrequited love. This song was a hit from the word go — Michael Jackson’s spunky female guitarist Orianthi Panagaris with her axe, Ranjit Barot on the drums, AR Rahman at the helm, and a well-known catchphrase in ‘Sadda haq aithe rakh’— it had all the right ingredients.