The early 1980s saw the rise of two genres: the disco and the ghazal. The first few songs in this 15-track selection draw from these.

At the start of this era (1977 to 1992), Amitabh Bachchan was still at his peak. Then the 1980s saw the rise of some new stars. Among the men, Anil Kapoor, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan had hit films and featured in hit songs. Of the heroines, Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit got big breaks. Musically, while Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle continued to shine, Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar passed away. Newer voices — Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal — emerged to dominate the ’90s. And at the close of this period, we have the arrival of AR Rahman.

1 Rote Hue Aate Hain Sab – Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978)

The clear superstar by now, “Angry Young Man” Amitabh Bachchan featured in a string of hit song sequences filmed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In this one, he rides a motorcycle on Mumbai’s streets. Sung by Kishore Kumar, it was composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and written by Anjaan.

2 Aap Jaisa Koi – Qurbani (1980)

Internationally, the disco genre had become huge in the late 1970s, and India was quick to follow. Bengaluru-bred, London-based composer Biddu was one of the first to use the style, as he tied up with Pakistani teenage sensation Nazia Hassan on this song, filmed on Zeenat Aman. Indeevar wrote the lyrics.

3 Dil Cheez Kya Hai – Umrao Jaan (1981)

The film was based on the life of a courtesan, and Khayyam’s music appropriately had a ghazal-influenced mujra flavour. Asha Bhosle sang for Rekha, and Shahryar wrote the lyrics. Dil Cheez Kya Hai was a radio favourite. The film also had the Talat Aziz song Zindagi Jab Bhi Teri Bazm Mein.

4 Hum Bane Tum Bane – Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981)

In this film, a south Indian boy falls in love with a north Indian girl. Popular south singer SP Balasubramanyam made his Hindi film debut, singing for Kamal Haasan. In this song, he sang English lines, with Lata Mangeshkar singing in Hindi. The music was by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and lyrics by Anand Bakshi.

5 Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye – Silsila (1981)

Music directors Shiv-Hari, comprising santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, made their film debut here. Amitabh Bachchan recited poetry and Lata sang for Rekha, in this film about an extra-marital affair. Javed Akhtar, earlier known for his scriptwriting partnership with Salim Khan, made his debut as a lyricist.

6 Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho – Arth (1982)

In the early 1980s, a ghazal wave stormed the industry. The style became popular in parallel and offbeat cinema too. In Arth, popular ghazal artiste Jagjit Singh composed and sang. This song, filmed on Raj Kiran and Shabana Azmi, was written by Kaifi Azmi.

7 I Am A Disco Dancer – Disco Dancer (1982)

Among the music directors, Bappi Lahiri made the maximum use of the disco trend that had become popular globally. Disco Dancer was his biggest hit, and the title song, filmed on Mithun Chakraborty, was sung by Vijay Benedict and written by Anjaan.

8 Chitthi Aayi Hai – Naam (1986)

Pankaj Udhas was a huge name in ghazals, but did the occasional film song too. Here, he appeared as himself in the song that talked about the plight of people staying abroad to earn a living. Music was by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and lyrics by Anand Bakshi.

9 Kaate Nahin Katate – Mr India (1987)

Anil Kapoor’s career had seen a sudden rise by the mid-1980s, and Mr India boosted his career further. Sridevi also had one of the best roles of her career in this film. Kishore Kumar and Alisha Chinai teamed up for this song, composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. The film also featured the Kavita Krishnamurthy hit Hawa Hawai.

10 Mera Kuch Saaman – Ijaazat (1987)

The combination of music director RD Burman and lyricist Gulzar had produced some great work since Parichay in 1972. In Ijaazat, Asha Bhosle rendered some wonderful songs. Mera Kuch Saaman, filmed on Anuradha Patel and Naseeruddin Shah, was known for its unusual, free-flowing lyrics.

11 Papa Kehte Hain – Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988)

This was Aamir Khan’s first film in a lead role. Papa Kehte Hain, composed by the young duo of Anand-Milind, with lyrics by the veteran Majrooh Sultanpuri, was also singer Udit Narayan’s first big hit.

12 Ek Do Teen – Tezaab (1988)

This song gave a big fillip to two artists: actor Madhuri Dixit and singer Alka Yagnik. Choreographed by Saroj Khan, the dance sequence is still remembered, along with the Laxmikant-Pyarelal tune (which was inspired by the intro of the old hit Chanda Mama Door Ke from the 1955 film Vachan). Javed Akhtar wrote the lyrics, and Amit Kumar had a small vocal part.

13 Dil Deewana – Maine Pyar Kiya (1989)

The song was recorded and released in two versions, as sung by SP Balasubramanyam and by Lata Mangeshkar. Salman Khan and Bhagyashree play the lead pair in the film. Raam-Laxman came up with a successful score, and while Asad Bhopali wrote this song, Dev Kohli wrote some of the others in the film.

14 Bas Ek Sanam Chahiye – Aashiqui (1990)

Aashiqui was the breakthrough album for the duo Nadeem-Shravan. The music cassette, released by T-Series, sold more than 10 million copies. The film starred Rahul Roy and Anu Agrawal, and this song was released in two versions, as sung by Kumar Sanu and by Anuradha Paudwal. Sameer wrote the lyrics

15 Chhoti Si Asha – Roja (1992)

Roja, released on India’s 45th Independence Day, marked AR Rahman’s debut as music director. The soundtrack was released in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi. The Hindi version opened with Chhoti Si Asha, sung by Minmini and written by PK Mishra. Rahman introduced a whole new kind of sound to the Hindi film scene, and the next decade would see great work by him.