Best Bollywood Songs: Piyush Mishra's choice

Piyush Mishra is a lyricist, music composer and actor. He also gave the music for Anurag Kashyap's Gulaal. He tells Hindustan Times his 10 favourite all-time Bollywood songs.

Piyush Mishra is a lyricist, music composer and actor. He also gave the music for Anurag Kashyap's Gulaal. He tells Hindustan Times his 10 favourite all-time Bollywood songs.1. Cheel cheel chillakeMovie: Half Ticket (1962)Singer: Kishore KumarMusic: Salil ChowdhuryLyrics: Shailendra Piyush's take: "Nobody could have sung this song other than Kishore Kumar. It's a beautiful song, very impactful, even though there's no in-depth meaning in the lyrics. That's what makes this so special."2. Yeh dil aur unki nigaahon ke saye Movie: Prem Parbat (1973)Singer: Lata MangeshkarMusic: JaidevLyrics: Jan Nisaar Akhtar Piyush's take: "After listening to this song, one feels so peaceful and full of love. It seems you are someplace where there's a waterfall."

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3. Dhanno ki aankhon mein hai raat ka surmaa Movie: Kitaab (1977)Singer: RD BurmanMusic: RD BurmanLyrics: GulzarPiyush's take: "Those days, there wasn't any concept of an item number, but if there were, this would have been a fantastic one. The feel of this song is so different from the songs of the time. It's a love and sex song. The words are also very different from those of today."

5. Ek shahanshaah ne banvaa ke hasin Taj Mahal Movie: Leader (1964)Singer: Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd RafiMusic: NaushadLyrics: Shakeel BadayuniPiyush's take: "It's sung in raag Bhairavi, hence the music is brilliant. It sings praises of the Taj Mahal, and does so in a very romantic manner."

6. O sajnaa barkha bahaarMovie: Parakh (1960)Singer: Lata MangeshkarMusic: Salil ChowdhuryLyrics: ShailendraPiyush's take: "The sound of this song is so unique that you want to frame it and keep it in your house. It's pure melody!"

7. Abhi na jaao chhodkar Movie: Hum Dono (1961)Singers: Mohd Rafi and Asha BhosleMusic: JaidevLyrics: Sahir LudhianviPiyush's take: "It's filmed on a beautiful starry night and epitomises romance. No other song can put into words the yearning of a lover."

8. Tere bachpan ko jawaani ki dua Movie: Mujhe Jeene Do (1963)Singer: Lata MangeshkarMusic: JaidevLyrics: Sahir LudhianviPiyush's take: "The lullaby style in this song is praiseworthy. The tempo goes up and then softens again. It's pure melody."

9. Raat ke humsafar Movie: An Evening In Paris (1967)Singers: Asha Bhosle and Mohd RafiMusic: Shankar-JaikishanLyrics: Hasrat JaipuriPiyush's take: "The song is filmed at the Eiffel Tower, and both Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore create beautiful magic, making this one of the most romance-laden songs I've heard."

10. Raat akeli hai Movie: Jewel Thief (1967)Singer: Asha BhosleMusic: SD BurmanLyrics: Majrooh SultanpuriPiyush's take: "It's a very sexy song. The lyrics don't imply too much, but are laden with sex. It's an ultra-modern song."

- as told to Parul Khanna