I thought it was just all flash and ridiculously cheesy dance moves - we've all seen those insanely over-the-top videos. But this is just unabashedly gorgeous. I only came across it because of a random Nelly Furtado interview I heard in which she listed some of her favorite songs from her childhood. Apparently some Indian friends introduced her to the song and the film when she was a kid and she was hooked. I wanna hear more Bollywood like this, but wouldn't know where to start, what to search for. I THINK the song's about a new bride's love for another man.
I had no idea Bollywood could be this beautiful
by Anonymous | reply 92 | October 19, 2018 12:39 AM |
That is sung by the greatest Indian singer ever -Lata Mangeshkar OP. That song is one of her most popular songs.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | December 14, 2015 6:38 PM |
Here is one more song. It's from a period movie set in 1700's I guess. It also has one of has India's traditional dances called KATHAK
by Anonymous | reply 2 | December 14, 2015 6:46 PM |
SOng - EK Ladki Ko
That actress is fucking fucking gorgeous.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | December 14, 2015 6:50 PM |
This is one of Bollywood's popular songs- Chaiyya Chaiyya. That actor is Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan
by Anonymous | reply 4 | December 14, 2015 6:54 PM |
Thanks guys!
R2 - that one's beautiful and just the kind of thing I'm looking for.
R3 - this one's very pleasant, but doesn't really have that lilting, yearning feeling I'm craving.
R4 - yeah, I've actually heard this song somewhere before. The cheese factor is too much for me, though.
I saw this one under related videos for Kabhi Kabhie (from my original post). It's Lata again singing. Not only is the song beautiful and Lata's vocal gorgeous, but EVERYTHING about the clip is pretty exquisite. The production design and cinematography is so painterly, the camera glides so beautifully, the lead actress is so much more subtle and seductive than the awful melodramatic modern day Bollywood actors. Yes, I know that's how they're directed/choreographed, but still. THIS is so much better. I'd love to see/hear more like this....
by Anonymous | reply 5 | December 14, 2015 7:09 PM |
It's fashionable to make fun of this one, but I love it. Presented here with English subtitles.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | December 14, 2015 7:19 PM |
Indian dance is so captivating.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | December 14, 2015 7:43 PM |
R7 - that was so fun! Not sure what I'm witnessing with the main actress - is that India's version of Orientalism? Also, your vid made me think of this one made famous in the intro of Ghost World:
by Anonymous | reply 9 | December 14, 2015 7:47 PM |
Here is one more song the OP will love. Maar Dala.
by Anonymous | reply 10 | December 14, 2015 7:54 PM |
See "Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India" a really great movie and believe or not you'll learn how Cricket is played. It's also the only Bollywood movie nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | December 14, 2015 8:42 PM |
Caterwauling.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | December 14, 2015 8:49 PM |
Aishwaria Rai is hands down the most beautiful actress in the world. I should know, I'm a gay man.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | December 14, 2015 9:07 PM |
R12, please kindly go fuck yourself and get out. And come again!
by Anonymous | reply 14 | December 14, 2015 9:08 PM |
Here's Aishwarya Rai in a number from "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam," which is an incredibly beautiful movie.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | December 14, 2015 9:12 PM |
Of course Indian cinema is gorgeous, or can be. Egyptian cinema was also gorgeous for decades.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | December 14, 2015 9:16 PM |
Why do all the females sound exactly alike? Are they dubbed by the same person? Does anyone in India sing like Streisand or Aretha?
by Anonymous | reply 18 | December 14, 2015 10:21 PM |
They sound similar because several of post are about the same singer and there is a style of singing in the Indian sub continent that uses high vocal pitches that isn't really used in the west.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | December 14, 2015 10:32 PM |
OP, do check out the soundtrack to Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. It has some really lovely songs.
Chin Chin Chu at R7 is the great Helen. She had a unique career - only middling successful as an actress, but hugely popular as a dancer. She made special appearances in scores of movies, showing up to do a number or two. Her mixed ancestry make her exotic, and thus it was okay for her to be sexier than a proper Indian heroine.
Despite playing a lot of scantily-dressed vamps, she had a sweetness and palpable love of dance that undercut the exploitation.
by Anonymous | reply 20 | December 14, 2015 10:44 PM |
[quote]I only came across it because of a random Nelly Furtado interview I heard in which she listed some of her favorite songs from her childhood. Apparently some Indian friends introduced her to the song and the film when she was a kid and she was hooked.
You can tell it influenced her singing style.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | December 15, 2015 12:33 AM |
Aish in another great song/dance number. Also starring her husband, Abhishek Bachchan and his dad Amitabh. The video and sound quality are excellent in this one.
The choreography and dancing in some of these bigger budget Bollywood musicals rivals anything Hollywood has done.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | December 15, 2015 12:46 AM |
You guys are great. I certainly wasn't expecting this many informed responses. Are you all Indians or just Bollywood fans? Looking forward to catching up on the additional songs posted this afternoon/evening. And, PLEASE, feel free to especially post any of your favorites from the 50s-80s. Cheers!
by Anonymous | reply 23 | December 15, 2015 1:30 AM |
Me no but my sister-in-law is OP
by Anonymous | reply 24 | December 15, 2015 1:41 AM |
More recent than you were looking for, OP, but the Aishwarya posts reminded me of this hypnotic song from the movie Taal.
by Anonymous | reply 25 | December 15, 2015 1:47 AM |
Anything with that Quantico chick ?
by Anonymous | reply 26 | December 15, 2015 1:52 AM |
[quote]Anything with that Quantico chick ?
I want to know what her fans think of her doing all the racy stuff. They are very chaste in their films.
by Anonymous | reply 27 | December 15, 2015 2:14 AM |
Another gay man here who finds Aishwarya Rai just jaw-droppingly beautiful.
Helen (Helen Richardson Khan) is the daughter of a British-Indian father and a Burmese mother, hence her unique look. Her husband is actor Salim Khan.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | December 15, 2015 2:31 AM |
One of my favorite films is this Bollywood movie from the early 2000s called Dil Chahta Hai, about three friends (one played by sexy Aamir Khan) whose lives change after they get out of college. Most of the songs are pretty good.
Another good film to check out is Bombay, a sort of Indian West Side Story, about a Hindu man who falls in love with a Muslim woman.
by Anonymous | reply 29 | December 15, 2015 2:47 AM |
Such beautiful costumes and good dancing. Why don't they open a Bollywood themed restaurant with dancers? There'd be big money to be made.
by Anonymous | reply 30 | December 15, 2015 2:56 AM |
There are two weekly TV shows that cover Bollywood movies: "Showbiz India" and "Asian Variety Show (AVS)". If you live in the NYC metro area, you can see them Saturday mornings on WMBC.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | December 15, 2015 3:18 AM |
If these films were around in the 60s and 70s, I'm surprised that they never caught on here as head movies for stoners. They are intoxicating. I want to see "Lagaan" if just to see more of some of the hot guys in the video posted above.
by Anonymous | reply 34 | December 15, 2015 4:18 AM |
They never caught on because the stories are stupid. India has to let go of completely fake representations of life intended to fool the lower classes that the upper classes are not like them. It is easily the most self-censoring unfree society in the world.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | December 15, 2015 4:41 AM |
Believe it or not, this is probably the Bollywood number best known by Americans:
by Anonymous | reply 36 | December 15, 2015 4:58 AM |
Have a look at the film Jodhaa Akbar, one of the best of Indian cinema starring two of the most gorgeous humans on earth, Aishwayra Rai and Hrithik Roshan.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | December 15, 2015 5:07 AM |
I love all things Indian but Bollywood has eluded me over the years. I shall keep trying. Thanks for the posts.
by Anonymous | reply 38 | December 15, 2015 6:10 AM |
OP here. I don't want to troll my own thread here or insult the taste of those who "get" Bollywood, but I'm actually with R38. I started the thread to discover more beautiful songs from classic Bollywood films like Kabhie Kabhie, not because I love the films themselves. I've tried to sit through a few Bollywood films over the years with friends and family and it remains a struggle. My parents are from India and even they can't get through them - everything is heightened to the point of histrionics. It's like silent film acting, but with sound. That said, I'm still looking forward to discovering more beautiful Bollywood music - especially from the 60s-80s.
Also, it makes me a touch sad that India's independent film movement, or Parallel Cinema, largely disappeared after the 80s. Many of the films of Satyajit Ray and Bimal Roy are absolute masterpieces. Shame there isn't a hunger for more of this independent cinema in India. I guess with US and European films opening almost simultaneously across the globe now and prestige cable dramas from the US and UK airing sometimes just weeks after their original broadcasts, the need for more sophisticated cinematic works is met by imported films and tv shows. Maybe a younger generation of independent Indian filmmakers will emerge.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | December 15, 2015 7:12 AM |
So many great clips, people!
I'm used to the bubblegum/technicolor Bollywood. But these, these things look like Douglas Sirk directed pop videos. Amazing.
I'm bookmarking this so I can continue coming back to learn more. Thanks, posters.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | December 15, 2015 7:14 AM |
"Dostana" starring Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham as two Indian guys who pretend to be gay to move into a Miami apartment.
by Anonymous | reply 41 | December 15, 2015 7:32 AM |
Baywatch's Brande Roderick went Bollywood in "Out of Control" in 2003
by Anonymous | reply 42 | December 15, 2015 11:53 PM |
When I was in college, my roommate visited India. He came back singing a certain hit song from a Hindi movie. He played it constantly (he's not even Indianl he's white); It drove me mad until I learned to love it too.
It's Ek Do Teen.
I dare you to listen to it and not start humming it.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | December 16, 2015 2:24 PM |
I think of myself as somebody that is open to kinds of music but I am having a hard time enjoying much of what is in this thread. I love Jai Ho from Slumdog but some of this is just too high pitched to handle.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | December 16, 2015 2:39 PM |
[quote]I dare you to listen to it and not start humming it.
Thank you R43 half way thru my eyeglasses shattered and my dog died.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | December 16, 2015 3:30 PM |
R45 LOL!
I think this kind of music is more of an acquired taste. If you like something different, then this is for you. I listen to Spanish and Arabic music, and my husband wants to slit his wrists.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | December 16, 2015 5:26 PM |
R43 - I see your dare and raise you this disco Bollywood gem....
by Anonymous | reply 47 | December 16, 2015 6:29 PM |
That style of singing is definitely an acquired taste but it's a million times easier to listen to than Chinese opera.
by Anonymous | reply 48 | December 16, 2015 7:20 PM |
How much plastic surgery has that Aishwayra chick had?
Also---I agree with r35. I used to date an Indian guy, and always wanted to watch Indian movies. We would go through dozens of titles, all love and marriage song and dance pap. He'd ask "What is it that you want to watch again?" I would say "Anything, as long as it good. Think Iranian films," and he would say "India has nothing like that, it's ALL just like _____ Bollywood film."
by Anonymous | reply 49 | February 13, 2016 12:34 AM |
Deepa Mehta has made several non-musical films, including the lesbian-themed "Fire," which caused riots at cinemas in India due to its subject. Mira Nair is another Indian director who has made many non-musical films, including "Monsoon Wedding."
by Anonymous | reply 50 | February 13, 2016 5:15 AM |
Yes, R50, but a lot (if not all) of Mira Nair and Deep Mehta's films are produced by US/UK/Canadian companies outside of India. And they are the RARE exception of serious, independent cinema set in India. It's such a shame, as India's parallel cinema produced some of the 20th C's greatest independent filmmakers like Satyajit Ray and Bimal Roy.
Because the world of entertainment has gotten flat in recent years, Indians coming of age now are growing up with all the best Western film and prestige cable dramas from the US and UK at virtually the same time we're experiencing it here. In fact, my friends in India watch more American and European programming than they do Indian. I hope that this will inspire a younger generation in India to move beyond Bollywood musicals and broad Indian tv soap operas to create more sophisticated, adult works for their contemporaries.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | February 13, 2016 5:36 AM |
Don't hate me for loving Benny Lava. I'll go stand in the corner now.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | February 13, 2016 6:26 AM |
I was obsessed with this song, sung by Shweta Shetty and danced by Raveena Tandon and Sonny Deol. 'Dhak Dhak' is the sound their beating hearts are making. Nice chemistry between the leads, weird sound effects and choreography choices, and those background dancers are selling it hard. Its kind of lovely and a lot hilarious.
by Anonymous | reply 53 | February 13, 2016 10:12 AM |
This thread is largely about beautiful, moving or pretty Bollywood songs, but could anyone recommend other 'classic' Bollywood songs from the 60s and 70s that have this 60s swinging rock sound like Jaan Pehechaan Ho, the song that became well known to American audiences when it was played almost in its entirety during the opening sequence of Ghost World with Scarlett Johansson and Thora Birch. Would love to hear some other unabashedly silly, fun, swinging 60s (or even 50s era) Bollywood songs like this.
by Anonymous | reply 54 | September 26, 2016 8:36 AM |
And following up on that, any other 70s-era disco-tinged Bollywood numbers like this song, 'Jimmy'? Like most Americans, I imagine, I first heard this song in the form of MIA's cover version on her second album.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | September 26, 2016 8:37 AM |
Such a lovely thread. This is one of my absolute favorites from 1964. Very well known, I think. Lata Mangeshkar singing "Lag Jaa Gale" from WOH KAUN THI....
by Anonymous | reply 56 | September 26, 2016 9:27 AM |
i too love the music but don't like the films. one of my favorite's...very hypnotic.
by Anonymous | reply 57 | September 26, 2016 10:21 AM |
BEAUTIFUL, r56! Lata and 'Khabi Khabi' are what got me to start this thread in the first place. Also love the way those older Bollywood films used their cameras - the way they romantically swooped in and out and around is quite seductive.
by Anonymous | reply 58 | September 26, 2016 10:23 AM |
OP here. It's been a minute. Let's see some more clips of beautiful Bollywood songs, please!
by Anonymous | reply 59 | December 30, 2017 3:35 AM |
"That is sung by the greatest Indian singer ever -Lata Mangeshkar OP"
She's awful. Ugly, harsh... and she must have dubbed everyone for 70 years.
by Anonymous | reply 61 | December 30, 2017 4:03 AM |
Ok, OP, here's one from me, I will add more as I think of them. This is one I heard as a teenager and I was like, damn.
by Anonymous | reply 62 | December 30, 2017 4:10 AM |
Here's another. Sorry, these are all male singers because I too think Lata is screechy most of the time. Although, some of her songs have nice tunes...
by Anonymous | reply 63 | December 30, 2017 4:18 AM |
Oh wait, she does have a part o the above song. I meant another, will have to find it. But the above is a duet.
by Anonymous | reply 64 | December 30, 2017 4:20 AM |
Here's what I meant, and there's more. Can't believe I am youtubing Bollywood, but hey.
by Anonymous | reply 65 | December 30, 2017 4:31 AM |
A sad one, bonus is a very young Amitabh Bacchan towards the end.
by Anonymous | reply 67 | December 30, 2017 4:43 AM |
Ok, so this is not one of the peppy numbers, but I absolutely love old school Geeta Dutt numbers. This one even has subtitles:
by Anonymous | reply 69 | December 30, 2017 4:48 AM |
A CLASSIC. So much eye candy cinematography! No subtitles required, basically. The acting does the job.
by Anonymous | reply 72 | December 30, 2017 4:58 AM |
I remember watching Madhubala in 'Tarana' and being absolutely mesmerized. Bless my little baby oblivious lesbian heart!
by Anonymous | reply 73 | December 30, 2017 5:09 AM |
I think this is about a ghost haunting her ex. I’m not sure.
by Anonymous | reply 75 | December 30, 2017 5:11 AM |
Madhubala >> Aishwarya. Madhubala could act.
by Anonymous | reply 76 | December 30, 2017 5:14 AM |
Gorgeous actors! Perfect eyeliner! Gold lame jackets! This song has everything.
by Anonymous | reply 78 | December 30, 2017 5:24 AM |
Last one. Check out the couch.
I'm noticing a trend in my video posts..,they all have the same actor. Is that YouTube 's doing, how do I even look for other films if I don't know what they are?
by Anonymous | reply 79 | December 30, 2017 5:35 AM |
"Come, let us become strangers once again"
And the rest of the song explains itself.
by Anonymous | reply 80 | December 30, 2017 6:01 AM |
There are some nice numbers in Bollywood films, but overall they are to "dramatic" to take seriously.
by Anonymous | reply 81 | December 30, 2017 6:06 AM |
R54 a straight rip off of "I want to hold your hand" with added Bollywood-ness
by Anonymous | reply 82 | December 30, 2017 6:19 AM |
Fun to see this thread bumped. I share R54's fondness for 1960's Western-influenced Bollywood...the heyday of Shammi Kapoor and the incomparable Helen. This number is from Teesri Manzil, which boasts an all-around great soundtrack, and is the namesake for a useful website y'all should check out, Music From the Third Floor (stream or download their sampler albums for starters.)
by Anonymous | reply 84 | December 30, 2017 4:03 PM |
And here's Helen dancing for, uh, Indian Little Richard. Sadly the subtitled version of this one has been deleted. I seem to recall it contains the line "Everyone looks at me, I am so fabulous!"
by Anonymous | reply 85 | December 30, 2017 4:08 PM |
Sorry I don't know many songs like OP is looking for. Do you like qawwali?
by Anonymous | reply 87 | December 30, 2017 4:19 PM |
No matter how I try, all I hear from these Bollywood flicks is the high-pitched female voices that hurt my ears. Then, I chuckle at the cheesy dance routines, and how just about every film is from the male gaze - the camera focuses on the beautiful female as through the eyes of the lustful man/men.
by Anonymous | reply 88 | December 30, 2017 4:28 PM |