Here is Narendra Kusnur’s list of top 15 tunes from this era. See how he made his picks.
The early 1990s saw a drastic change in the Hindi film music scene, with newer music directors and singers at the helm. AR Rahman followed up his 1992 success, Roja, by creating fabulous soundtracks for Bombay and Rangeela.
Nadeem-Shravan and Jatin-Lalit established themselves, and Anu Malik made a comeback with Baazigar in 1993. By the early 2000s, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy had become popular. Hindi-film music albums sold in massive numbers. Given the massive comeback of the musical in this era, shortlisting just 15 songs was difficult.
Many fantastic ones haven’t made the list, including Tu Mile Dil Khile from Criminal, Allah Ke Bande from Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II, Jadu Hai Nasha Hai and Awaarapan from Jism, Aa Bhi Ja from Sur and Bandeh from Black Friday. (The list below is presented in chronological order, for maximum nostalgia.)
Early in his career, Shah Rukh Khan did negative roles in Baazigar, Darr and Anjaam. While Baazigar had the Anu Malik composition Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhen, Shiv-Hari composed Jaadu Teri Nazar for Darr, their last film as music directors. Interestingly, Shah Rukh’s face wasn’t shown on screen in this song. Udit Narayan sang the song written by Anand Bakshi
The year 1994 began with the tragic news of music director RD Burman’s death. This film, released posthumously, featured stellar songs with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. Kumar Sanu sang the poetic Ek Ladki Ko Dekha, picturised on Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala.
Kehna Hi Kya was filmed on Manisha Koirala, in a dance sequence. Lyrics were by Mehboob, and vocals by KS Chithra, Rahman and chorus.
Shah Rukh and Kajol appear in this super-hit sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Kumar Sanu. Anand Bakshi wrote the lyrics, with music by Jatin-Lalit, who created the music for some of the biggest hits of this period, including Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, Khamoshi: The Musical and Yes Boss.
The combination of music director Vishal Bhardwaj and lyricist Gulzar creates magic in this song, sung by Hariharan and Suresh Wadkar. The cast was led by Chandrachur Singh. The film also featured the lilting song Chhod Aaye Hum, where newcomer KK was one of the singers.
After Aashiqui and Saajan in the early 1990s, Nadeem-Shravan continued to produce many hits. Raja Hindustani was one of them, and this song, sung by Sapna Awasthi, Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan, was a runaway success. Aamir Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Kalpana Iyer and Pratibha Sinha appeared on screen.
The film Border was set during the 1971 India-Pakistan war. Anu Malik composed the music, with Javed Akhtar writing the heartfelt lyrics for this song. Sonu Nigam and Roop Kumar Rathod sang it.
This pathos-filled song became one of KK’s biggest hits. It was filmed on Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai, with Ajay Devgn coming in at the end. The music was by Ismail Darbar, with lyrics by Mehboob.
The film launched Hrithik Roshan in a big way, and this song filmed on him and Amisha Patel was a huge hit. Composed by Rajesh Roshan, it was sung by Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik, with lyrics by Ibrahim Ashk.
Rahman, who had many successes in the 1990s, continued in this form in the early 2000s. Lagaan had some excellent songs, including Mitwa sung by Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik and Srinivas. Javed Akhtar wrote the lyrics.
Javed Akhtar wrote the lines “Hum hain naye, andaz kyon ho purana”, making the song an anthem for a new generation. Music directors Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy used an upbeat tune and vibrant percussion, with Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan and KK on vocals. Aamir, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna appeared on screen.
This film gave singer Shreya Ghoshal her big break, as she sang for Aishwarya Rai. This song, composed by Ismail Darbar and written by Nusrat Badr, was also known for Saroj Khan’s choreography. Shreya, Kavita Krishnamurthy and KK sang the song.
The other young female playback singer who made a mark in the early 2000s was Sunidhi Chauhan. This song was one of her biggest hits, and it catapulted Pritam to fame. Written by Sameer, it featured a dashing dance sequence performed by Esha Deol.
This song was released in two versions, both sung by Atif Aslam. The film version featured Emraan Hashmi and Shamita Shetty. It was written by Sayeed Quadri and recreated by Mithoon. There was also a popular club mix, in which DJ Suketu raised the tempo and added new beats to the original tune.
Aishwarya Rai was flanked by Abhishek Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan in one of the biggest hits of the 2000s. Composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, it was written by Gulzar and sung by Alisha Chinai, Shankar Mahadevan, and Javed Ali. Kajra Re, Woh Lamhe and Vishal-Shekhar’s Dus Bahane from Dus played everywhere in 2005, a very successful year for film music.
