Music is the soul of Bollywood and is an integral part of everybody’s life. It amplifies happiness and enhances harmony. To mark the importance and significance of music, the world comes together to celebrate World Music Day on June 21, i.e today.
With the power to makeover in present-day times, latest remixes and contemporary fusion are being composed and released every fortnight. Coincidentally Sonam Kapoor’s ‘Raanjhanaa’ completes five years today, Raanjhanaa’s music composed by A.R. Rahman was labeled as rustic and urban.
Today, on the occasion of World Music Day, we bring you a list of ten of the best Bollywood soundtracks down the years.
Gully Boy (2019)
“Dhandha kuch nahi, bas garam hi garam hai” with this, the 46-minute-long soundtrack begins. Gully Boy’s 18 track album directed by Zoya Akhtar gave rise to Mumbai’s gully rap/hip-hop. The culture and lingo, swag, and trend were unique that not too many were privy to. The highlight of the whole album, which also became the youth anthem, was “Apna time aayega”.
Udta Punjab (2016)
The lyrics of the movie were akin to theme of the film, i.e the drug menace. The music of the movie was given by Amit Trivedi and lyrics were given by Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Shelle and Varun Grover. One of the most loved songs in the movie is ‘Chitta ve’. Chitta is slang for heroin in Punjab. Udta Punjab has certainly been Amit Trivedi’s best offering in contemporary times.
Mirzya (2016)
The movie has been shot amid the blue walls of Jodhpur. Though it failed at the box office, it managed created some truly great melodies. The songs of the movie have been composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The movie swings between past and present just like the music of the movie. The film also consists of few stints of folk music with vibrant blue backgrounds. There are some exceptional folk singers included in the movie, Saieen Zahhoor, and Akhtar Chanal from across the border and Daler Mehndi, Nooran Sisters, and Mame khan to name a few.
Bajirao Matstani (2015)
The songs of the movie were given a semi-classical treatment considering the plot and screenplay of the film. ‘Pinga’ sung by Shreya and Vaishali Made turned out to be a huge hit and a mass favourite. The song ‘Ayat’ of the song gave Arijit Singh a chance to showcase his technical finesse. The songs of the movie are indeed, melodious.
Bombay Velvet (2015)
The songs of the movie, Bombay Velvet had an “all-jazz track” with a hope to change the jazz-scene in India. Amit Trivedi the music composer of the movie said that Jazz is something that the Indian audience is not well versed with; hence those who understood took the music pretty well, while for the others it went right above their heads. Never the less, the album takes some time to grow on you, the movie which revolves around a nightclub has offered the listeners with a bouquet of 15 compositions.
Highway (2014)
A.R Rahman composed the music of Highway; he stitched the music with the flavors of different regions, considering the movie was based on a road journey. The music of the movie acts as a fresh breath of air for the listeners. Alia Bhatt also made her singing debut with ‘Sooha Saaha’ which means a red rabbit. Another favorite song of the movie is ‘ Pataka Guddi’ sung by the Nooran sisters, Sultana and Jyoti of the sound Trippin Fame engage you with high intensity and mesmerizing words, leaving your mind lingering with the lyrics.
Raanjhanaa (2013)
Coincidentally Sonam Kapoor’s ‘Raanjhanaa’ completes five years today, Raanjhanaa’s music composed by A.R. Rahman was labeled as rustic and urban. It is more like an old school album, reminiscing songs from some other era. The soundtrack consists of a folk-classical genre as the film brings out the charm of Benaras through the music.
Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)
The songs of the movie were unconventional and unusual akin to the characters and plot of the movie. Few songs like ‘Womaniya, Keh Ke Lunga, Hunter’ acted as a catalyst to increase the popularity of the movie. The soundtrack of the movie has been labeled as one of the funkiest, imaginative, and original albums in decades.
Barfi (2012)
The songs of the movie are straight from the heart, it connects well with people of all age group. It has been one of the most melodious albums with songs like ‘Phir le aya dil, Kyon” had an old world charm similar to RD Burman and Salil Chowdhary.
Rockstar (2011)
The soundtrack of the movie has been composed by AR Rahaman and is a combination of Sufism and old school rock, the music of the film has the onus of having the best guitar work in contemporary times. The music and the lyrics of the movie are quite relatable and still sounds fresh even after all these years. The highlight of the film is qawwali ‘Kun Faya Kun’ sung by AR Rahaman.
