A. R. Rahman 25 Years – His Top 60 Bollywood Chartbusters
A. R. Rahman completes his 25 years of film journey in 2017. So, it’s my humble tribute to Rahman, one of the finest composers India has ever produced. He made whole India proud by winning prestigious international awards – Academy Awards, Grammy, Golden Globe and BAFTA. It’s almost impossible to list his career best 10 or 20, not even 50 songs as he has contributed in all genres of Indian music, including soft melodies, qawalis, romantic, epic sagas and fast dancing numbers. So it would be a safe bet to list his top 60 songs to include his major works. He is also credited to introducing maximum fresh voices to playback singing field. Please go through the gallery of selected best 50 Bollywood songs of A. R. Rahman.
The list is not numbered on the beauty of composition, my favourites or Rahman’s career best. It’s simply a list of 60 best Rahman songs which I would like to mention, and the list is sorted in the alphabetic order of songs, and many times I made a hard choice between two songs from a single film. Unfortunately some popular albums couldn’t find place in the top-60 list. So, here it begins
1. Awara Bhavre from Sapnay (Lyricist – Javed Akhtar) – Its original version named Minsara Kanavu bagged Rahman National film award for best music director. The film also bagged best male and female playback singer awards and best choreography awards too, thus winning major awards in music section. Original version was sung by Sujatha Mohan, and Hema Sardesai got her big break to Bollywood through this popular Rahman song. 
2. Barso Re from Guru (Lyricist – Gulzar) – This beautiful rain song was a huge chartbuster and one of the lovely rain songs ever pictured in Bollywood. The song featuring Aishwarya Rai was sung by Shreya Ghoshal, and she received Filmfare award in best female playback singer category. Beautiful lyrics were penned by Gulzar.
3. Boondom Se Baatein from Thakshak (Lyricist – Mehboob) – One of the less heard songs of A. R. Rahman, this soft solo rain song was sung by Sujatha Trivedi and pictured on Tabu. Ajay Devgan played the lead role in the film, which included another soft track featuring Ajay – Khamosh Raat. The song was later reused by Rahman for Tamil film – Star featuring Jyothika and Arjun. Also read top solo rain songs in female voice.
4. Chalo Chale Mitwa from Nayak (Lyricist – Anand Bakshi) – This tune was reused for the Bollywood remake of Tamil hit – Muthalvan and this romantic track featuring Anil Kapoor and Rani Mukerji became extremely popular. The movie also included top songs such as Shakalaka Baby and Ruki Suki Roti. Lyrics were penned by Anand Bakshi, and one among his last works. This beautiful track was sung by Udit Narayan and Kavita Krishnamurthy. Read about Tamil tracks re-used for Hindi remakes of same film.
5. Chanda Re from Sapney (Lyricist – Javed Akhtar) – Originally a Tamil film, its choreography (along with Strawberry song) gave National award for Prabhudeva. It’s a sweet and romantic song featuring Kajol and Prabhudeva, and both its versions were sung by veteran Hariharan and Sadhna Sargam.
6. Chayya Chayya from Dil Se (Lyricist – Gulzar) – As far as I know it’s Sukhwinder Singh’s first association with A. R. Rahman, and the song was a huge chartbuster of 1998. Beautiful choreography by Farah Khan and lovely steps by Shah Rukh Khan and Mallika Arora on the top of a moving train were the major highlights of this song. Sukhwinder Singh sang this duet with Sapna Awasti and he received his first Filmfare award for this song. In fact he was a less known singer in Bollywood till then and Rahman gave him the big break he truly deserved. Later they associated for several chartbusters such as Ramta Jogi for Taal, Ghanan Ghanan for Lagaan, Chinnamma Chilakkamma for Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities, Mein Albeli for Zubeidaa and the most famous – Jai Ho for Slumdog Millionaire. Gulzar’s lyrics too were extremely popular and earned him a Filmfare award for this particular song.
7. Chiggy Wiggy from Blue (Lyricist – Abbas Tyrewala) – One of the most expensive films and most expensive songs, the song featured international pop singer Kylie Minogue as an item girl. She also rendered her voice for this popular item song which turned to be a crowd puller to theatres. Sonu Nigam and Suzanne D’ Mello also rendered their voices. Also read Top 11 item songs composed by Rahman.
8. Chupke Se from Saathiya (Lyricist – Gulzar) – Saathiya was the top album of the year 2002. This popular romantic track sung by Sadhna Sargam was a chartbuster and its lyrics by Gulzar too were appreciated. Sadhna sang its original version ‘Snehitane’ for its original version, and the song gave her major breakthrough to Tamil film industry. In fact ‘Snehitane’ was the top chartbuster song of Tamil album, while ‘Saathiya’ sung by Sonu Nigam became the popular tune in Hindi version.
9. Dheeme Dheeme from Zubeidaa (Lyricist – Javed Akhtar) – Featuring Karishma Kapoor and Manoj Vajpay, Zubeidaa is one of Karishma Kapoor’s top performances. This solo track was sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy. The movie also included many popular tracks such as Lata Mangeshkar’s So Gaye Hain, Alka Yagnik’s Mehndi Hai Rachnewale and the dance number – Mein Albeli sung by Kavita and Sukhwinder Singh.
10. Dil Se Re from Dil Se (Lyricist – Gulzar) – A. R. Rahman was the main vocalist of this chartbuster song featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala. Dil Se is the first Bollywood track which proved Rahman’s versatility to be a good singer also.
11. E Khuda Hafiz from Yuva (Lyricist – Mehboob – In the career spanning to more than a one-and-a-half decade, Yuva is the single movie of Kareena where Rahman worked as music composer. Two songs featuring Kareena and Vivek Oberoi were hits – E Khuda Hafiz and Fanaa. It was the single Bollywood film where Kareena was paired opposite Vivek Oberoi, and Trisha Krishnan and Siddharth played the Tamil version. This chartbuster song was sung by Sunitha Sarathy, Lucky Ali and Karthik, who also rendered its Tamil version aside Shankar Mahadevan.
12. E Ajnabi from Dil Se (Lyricist – Gulzar) – This haunting melody was sung by Udit Narayan and the back vocals were provided by Mahalakshmi Iyer. This particular song is so special to many melody lovers. The album bagged Filmfare awards in 1999 for best music.
13. E Nazni Suno Na from Dil Hi Dil Mein (Lyricist – Mehboob) – Originally a dubbed version of Tamil romantic hit, Kadhalar Dhinam, this soft romantic song sung by Abhijeet Bhattacharya. This song is counted among the best romantic tracks sung by Abhijeet who rarely worked with this great composer. The song featured Sonali Bandre and newcomer Kunal. Hindi lyrics were penned by Mehboob Kotwal. Oh Mariya, Chand Aaya Hai and Dola Dola are other popular songs of the album.
14. E Udi from Saathiya (Lyricist – Gulzar) – Instant chartbuster soon after the song was released. E Udi is one of the rare combinations of Adnan Sami and A. R. Rahman. In fact the song became more popular than its original Tamil version. The album bagged Filmfare awards in 2003.
15. In Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein from Jodha Akbar (Lyricist – Javed Akhtar) – Love saga of Jodha and Akbar was a huge hit and songs played a significant role as well. The love poem was penned by Javed Akhtar and sung by Sonu Nigam and Madhushree. The movie also included popular romantic track – Jashn-e-Bahaaran and soulful Khwaja Mere Khwaja.
16. Ishq Bina from Taal (Lyricist – Javed Akhtar) – Top musical album of year 1999, Taal also bagged Filmfare award for best music. This song featured Akshay Khanna and Aishwarya Rai, and Sujatha Mohan, Sonu Nigam and Anuradha Sriram rendered their voices for this lovely pictured song. The song also had a sad version sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy and Sukhwinder Singh. Its title song also had two versions.
17. Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionare (Lyricist – Gulzar) – English version of this iconic song gave Academy awards to Rahman and Gulzar and the phrase Jai Ho was included in Oxford dictionary. Rahman also received the prestigious BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Film Music for this album. Sukhwinder Singh, Tanvi Shah, Mahalakshmi Iyer and Vijay Prakash provided vocals for this iconic song, which proved to be a major turning point of Rahman’s career.
18. Jiya Jale from Dil Se (Lyricist – Gulzar) – Jiya Jale is the first song recorded by Lata Mangeshkar for Rahman and also the first song of Preity Zinta’s film career. SRK and Preity Zinta in traditional Kerala dress was the highlight of the song, and Malayalam lyrics were also included. The idea was fresh and got clicked among music lovers. Malayalam lyrics were provided by Gireesh Puthenchery and sung by M. G. Sreekumar. Dil Se was one of the early associations of Gulzar with Rahman, and they later collaborated for many memorable projects later, including the Academy award winner – Slumdog Millionaire.
19. Jiya Jiya Re from Jab Tak Hai Jaan (Lyricist – Gulzar) – The song used Neeti Mohan’s voice and Anushka Sharma and Shah Rukh Khan were featured in this song. Once released, the album topped Top 10 World Albums chart on iTunes. It was only the third Indian album after Ethiran and Rockstar to reach this feat. Quite co-incidence all these three albums belong to Rahman. Like many works done before, Rahman used many fresh and less heard voices for this album. The song gave big break to Neeti Mohan in Bollywood, who used to be a regular performer of Rahman concerts.
20. Kabhi Kabhi Aditi from Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na (Lyricist – Abbas Tyrewala) – The song gave big break to Rashid Ali who was a less-known singer till then. Screen chemistry of Imraan Khan and Genelia D’Souza was also youthful and well-appreciated. A. R. Rahman also bagged Filmfare awards for this film.
21. Kabhi Neem Neem from Yuva (Lyricist – Mehboob) – The song remained in spotlight for the sizzling chemistry between Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji. This solo track gave big break to playback singer Madhusree, whose voice is often mistaken to be Alka Yagnik’s. A. R. Rahman also provided back vocals for this chartbuster song.
22. Kahi Aag Lage from Taal (Lyricist – Anand Bakshi) – Lovely choreographed song of the movie it’s a heart breaking song featuring Aishwarya Rai. Asha Bhosle provided the main vocals, and supported by Aditya Narayan and Richa Sharma. The movie included several finely choreographed songs such as Ni Mein Samach Gayi and two versions of Ishq Bina and Taal Se Taal Mila.
23. Kaise Mujhe Tum from Ghajini (Lyricist – Prasoon Joshi) – This sentimental song was sung by Benny Dayal and Shreya Ghoshal and was the highlight of the film. Beautiful lyrics were penned by Prasoon Joshi. The song was filmed on Asin and Aamir Khan.
24. Ke Sera from Pukar (Lyricist – Javed Akhtar) – It’s for the first and last time, two great dancers of Indian screen shared screen space for a single film, and it was so delight to watch to watch. Shankar Mahadevan and Kavita Krishnamurthy provided the lead vocals for the song. This tune originally belongs to his Tamil film – En Swasa Kaatte released in 1999. The song lyrics are ‘Kathal Naigra (Chillallava)’ . Rahman reused the tune with a few modifications.
25. Kehna Hai Kya from Bombay (Lyricist – Mehboob) – Always ranked among the top compositions of A. R. Rahman, the work also helped to cement his position in the music industry. It’s the most popular song of Chithra for a Rahman film, apart from Yeh Haseen Wadiyan for Roja.
26. Kismat Se Tum from Pukar (Lyricist – Majrooh Sultanpuri) – Pukar was the last film pairing Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit, whose screen pairing has always been appreciated since Tehzaab was released in the late 1980s. This soft melody deserves a top position among Rahman compositions, and definitely the finest song of Sonu Nigam – Anuradha Paudwal combination. Sunta Hai is another popular duet of the movie. Pukar was one among the last works of legendary poet Majrooh as a lyricist, before he passed away.
27. Khamoshiyan Gungunane Lage from 1 2 Ka 4 (Lyricist – Mehboob) – The movie starring Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla bombed at box office. But the songs got appreciated. The movie included many popular duets like Dil Ki Baazi and Sona Nahi Na Sahi. Yet this romantic track sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Sonu Nigam is so special. It’s the single track written by Mehboob, while the rest of the songs were penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri & counted among his last works, released posthumously.
28. Kissa Hum Likhenge from Doli Sajake Rakhna (Lyricist – Mehboob) – This Priyadarshan movie launched Jyothika as female lead, who later went on to become the top heroine of Tamil cinema. All the songs of Doli Sajake Rakhna were extremely popular though the Bollywood remake of successful Malayalam movie – Aniyathipravu was not a profitable venture. Taram Pum and Bol Sajni Mori Sajni too became instant hits. The tune of first verse of “Ghanana” song from Lagaan was actually taken from an interim tune of the song – Bol Sajni Mori Sajni sung by Anuradha Paudwal and Sonu Nigam.
29. Kya Kare Kya Na Kare from Rangeela (Lyricist – Mehboob) – Definitely one of the best heart breaking songs of 1990s! Pictured on Aamir Khan and Urmila, voice was rendered by Udit Narayan, who regularly sang for Aamir Khan in the 1990s and early 2000s.
30. Loose Control from Rang De Basanti (Lyricist – Prasoon Joshi) – The top album of the year 2006, A. R. Rahman also bagged Filmfare awards for Rang De Basanti. The song was sung by Naresh Iyer and Mohammed Aslam, and was a huge hit among youth. Naresh’s “Roobaroo” was also a huge chartbuster, and earned him National Award and Filmfare RD Burman Award for New Music Talent.
31. Masakali from Delhi 6 (Lyricist – Prasoon Joshi) – Its rendition gave Mohit Chauhan Filmfare award for best playback singer. Masakali featuring Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor is the most popular track of the album. A. R. Rahman bagged Filmfare award for its composition, and its title track, Rehna Tu and Genda Phool too got noticed.
32. Mayya Mayya from Guru (Lyricist – Gulzar) – It’s the most popular item song composed by Rahman. Read his top item songs here. The song sung by Maryem Tollar in Arabic style. The supporting back vocals were provided by Chinmayi and Keerthi Sagathia. The song featured Mallika Sherawat as a bar dancer. Also read: Top 11 item songs composed by Rahman.
33. Naadaan Parindey from Rockstar (Lyricist – Irshad Kamil) – All the songs of the album were extremely popular and bagged Rahman and playback singer Mohit Chauhan Filmfare awards. Irshad Kamil bagged the award for best lyrics for this particular song while Mohit received the same for the rendition of “Jo Bhi Main”, another wonderful track of one of the best albums of Rahman’s career. Most of its songs featured Ranbir Kapoor who was appreciated for his performance, and he won both popular and critics’ choice Filmfare award for best actor. Read to know other Bollywood stars who won both the trophies for the same role.
34. O Rey Chhori from Lagaan (Lyricist – Javed Akhtar) – Music composed by A. R. Rahman and lyrics by Javed Akhtar earned many accolades including Filmfare and National film awards. “O Rey Chhori” is the single romantic track of the album and was sung by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik and Vasundhara Das. Alka Yagnik won Filmfare award for this song, while Udit Narayan received it for Mitwa song. Lagaan swept all music awards of the year. The song was filmed on Aamir Khan and newcomers – Gracy Singh and Rachel Shelley.
35. Paigaam Laaya Saawan from Lakeer (Lyricist – Mehboob) – Originally composed for Tamil film Rhythm in 2000, the album was a huge chartbuster. Most of the songs were re-used for Lakeer in 2004, but couldn’t recreate the success of the original. In fact songs of Rhythm became more popular than Alaippayuthey released the same year, which was later remade as Saathiya, particularly Katte reused as Paigaam and Taniye reused as Nachle.
This romantic song featured John Abraham and Nauheed Cyrusi. Kavita Krishnamurty rendered the female voice for both the versions of Paigaam Laaya Saawan, and Unni Menon and Shaan for its Tamil and Hindi versions respectively. Shankar Mahadevan was featured in Taniye, the song which established him as a leading singer of Tamil. However its Hindi version Nachle Aaja Nachle rendered by Daler Mehndi and Kunal Ganjawala was a total flop, but true. Rhythm contained 5 songs, inspired from the 5 elements of the world, and its Hindi version terribly failed in lyrics. Song picturization was also not up to the mark comparing the original.
36. Pappu Can’t Dance from Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na (Lyricist – Abbas Tyrewala) – This album introduced many new voices to Bollywood industry. Wonderfully choreographed song with catchy lyrics, Pappu Can’t Dance was an instant chartbuster. The song was rendered by a list of less-heard voices then – Anupama, Benny Dayal, Blaaze, Tanvi, Darshana, Satish Subrahmaniam and Mohammed Aslam.
37. Patakha Guddi from Highway (Lyricist – Irshad Kamil) – The top album of Rahman in the recent times, all the songs were huge chartbusters. However the album failed to get a nomination at Filmfare awards for best music. The song rendered by Sultana Nooran and Jyoti Nooran was one of the top ten songs of 2014. Rahman rendered its male version. Patakha Guddi featured Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda.
38. Raanjhanaa Hua Mai Tera from Raanjhanaa (Lyricist – Irshad Kamil) – The title track was the highlight of the album. All the songs were popular. The movie marked Bollywood debut of Koleveri fame Dhanush, and the song featured Dhanush alongside Sonam Kapoor. Playback singing was done by Shiraz Uppal and Jaswinder Singh.
39. Radha Kaise Na Jale from Lagaan (Lyricist – Javed Akhtar) – The song featuring Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh was extremely popular. Asha Bhosle and Udit Narayan rendered their voices for this lovely choreographed song. Javed Akhtar received National award and Filmfare award for penning the lyrics of this particular song.
40. Rang De from Thakshak (Lyricist – Mehboob) – This colourful dance number featuring Tabu was the highlight of the film. Asha Bhosle’s magic voice also played a significant role in making this song an instant chartbuster.
41. Rang De Basanti from Rang De Basanti (Lyricist – Prasoon Joshi) – This energetic title track featuring Aamir Khan was sung by Daler Mehndi and Chithra. All the songs of the album were well-noticed.
42. Rangeela Re from Rangeela (Lyricist – Mehboob) – The title track featuring Urmila Matondkar was the highlight of the film. The song also revived the career of singing legend Asha Bhosle. Read more. The movie marked the Bollywood debut of A. R. Rahman and became a music sensation overnight. The album earned numerous music awards, and Rahman too received two Filmfare awards including best music score and R. D. Burman new talent award.
43. Roja Jaaneman from Roja (Lyricist – P. K. Mishra) – This evergreen title track is still loved by music fans. Roja marked the debut of Rahman as a music director and the rest is history. The song had two versions sung by SPB and Hariharan, and Sujatha Mohan provided back vocals for both the versions. The songs featured Arvind Swamy and Madhoo. Time magazine listed Roja’s music among “10 Best Soundtracks” of all time, and the album is widely regarded as a milestone of Indian and Tamil music.
44. Saadda Haq from Rockstar (Lyricist – Irshad Kamil) – Rockstar is one of the highly praised albums of Rahman’s career. All the songs sung by Mohit Chauhan received an overwhelming response from public. Mohit was the ghost voice of Ranbir Kapoor who played a Rockstar in this film. Mohit Chauhan rendered his voice for 9 out of 13 tracks listed for the film. Saadda Haq, Tum Ho, Phir Se Udd Chala, Jo Bhi Mein and Naadaan Parindey became instant chartbusters. The album proved to be a milestone of Mohit’s career.
45. Saas from Jab Tak Hai Jaan (Lyricist – Gulzar) – One of the top albums of the year 2012, all the songs were instant chartbusters. Shreya’s voice was used for its duet and reprised versions and she received a Filmfare nomination for the same. Mohit Chauhan is the male voice, and the song featured Katrina Kaif and Shah Rukh Khan. Challa, Ishq Shaava and Heer are other popular songs which couldn’t find place in this list.
46. Saathiya from Saathiya (Lyricist – Gulzar) – Needless to say, Saathiya is one of the highly rated albums of Rahman, and this title track established Sonu Nigam as the leading voice of Bollywood. After a struggling period of almost a decade, Sonu Nigam emerged as the new voice of new millennium in the early 2000s and this particular song cemented his position in Bollywood music. He also received his first Filmfare award for the beautiful rendition of this romantic track. Its original Tamil version was sung by Hariharan. The song featured Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukerji and also different colours of love.
47. Saawariya from Swades (Lyricist – Javed Akhtar) – Melodious and soft solo track sung by Alka Yagnik, the song was pictured on Gayatri Joshi. Swades is the single movie of Gayatri and later she settled with her family life. It’s one of the difficult compositions sung by Alka Yagnik in Rahman’s music.
48. Satrange Re from Dil Se (Lyricist – Gulzar) – One of the best compositions Rahman has ever done, it showcased 7 stages of love. Powerful lyrics by Gulzar, beautiful rendering by Sonu Nigam and Kavita Krishnamurty and energetic performance by Manisha Koirala and Shah Rukh Khan lifted the song to a new level. When it comes to ‘poetry’ songs where lyrics have so much importance or periodic dramas, A. R. Rahman always takes Gulzar and Javed Akhtar as first options; as we know both are gifted Urdu poets too, who have given immense contributions to Indian poetry in the modern era. Rahman’s finest songs of his career are also penned by one of the either.
49. Suno Zara from Swades (Lyricist – Javed Akhtar) – Though the movie met with critics’ appreciation, it failed at box office. However its compositions by Rahman were well received. Soft melody was given preference and it’s well shown in songs such as Sawariya and Suno Zara. This duet was sung by Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan. Udit rendered his voice for all tracks featuring Shah Rukh.
50. Tanha Tanha from Rangeela (Lyricist – Mehboob) – A special award was given to Asha Bhosle by Filmfare for her commendable for Tanha Tanha. Years back she had chosen not to accept Filmfare awards to promote young talents. So Filmfare recognized her work by giving a special award. This hot sizzling track featured Urmila and Jackie Shroff. The movie positively elevated the professional careers of Ram Gopal Varma, Urmila, Rahman and Asha Bhosle. The movie marked Bollywood debut of A. R. Rahman, and also earned him the first ever Filmfare R.D. Burman award for best new musical talent (announced soon after the demise of the legendary composer) alongside Filmfare award for best music.
51. Tere Bina from Guru (Lyricist – Gulzar) – This lovely choreographed song featuring Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan was sung by A. R. Rahman, Murtuza Khan, Qadir Khan and Chinmayi. Rahman’s work as a composer and singer was well appreciated. He also received Filmfare award for best composer. Lyrics were penned by Gulzar.
52. Tu Muskura from Yuvraaj (Lyricist – Gulzar) – The song is a finest rendition of Alka Yagnik and Javed Ali with back vocals provided by Rahman. Who says Rahman can’t tune classical songs? And Javed Ali perfectly nailed it at the song climax. The song was filmed on Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif.
53. Tu Hi Re from Bombay (Lyricist – Mehboob) – Ranked among top songs of Rahman, this song needs no introduction. This song featuring Aravind Swamy and Manisha Koirala was sung by Hariharan and Kavita Krishnamurty in the Hindi version. Mehboob was associated with Rahman for his early works in the 1990s, when most of the songs were dubbed versions of Tamil chartbusters.
54. Tu Meri Adhuri from Ghajini (Lyricist – Prasoon Joshi) – The highlight of the music album, this solo track sung by Javed Ali was pictured on Aamir Khan and newcomer Asin. Both the film and its music were huge hits. Sonu Nigam provided the back vocals.
55. Tu Paas Hai from Taal (Lyricist – Anand Bakshi) – This soulful melody was sung by Hariharan, and featured Aishwarya Rai and Akshay Khanna, always listed among top songs of Hariharan.
56. Urvasi Urvasi from Hum Se Hai Muqabla (Lyricist – P. K. Misra) – One of the early smash hits of Rahman, the list of Rahman’s songs is incomplete with mentioning this Prabhudeva dance number. Originally a Tamil release, its dubbed Hindi version gave more exposure to North Indian audience too. A. R. Rahman, Shankar Mahadevan and Noel James provided their voices. Muqala Muqabla was also a popular track, known for Prabhudeva’s dance moves. The movie also featured soft number – Sun Ri Sakhi sung by Hariharan. The original version of this particular song ‘Ennavale’ was the debut song of Unnikrishnan and bagged him National film awards for best male playback.
57. Wanna Mash Up? from Highway (Lyricist – Irshad Kamil) – This highly scoring English song featuring Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda was penned and sang by international artists, Lady Kash and Krissy. SuVi, a member of former music band S5 also provided additional voice.
58. Yeh Haseen Waadiyan from Roja (Lyricist – P. K. Mishra) – Rahman’s musical list is incomplete without this evergreen romantic song. Original version was sung by Unni Menon & Sujatha Mohan and Hindi version by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam & K. S. Chithra. P. K. Mishra penned lyrics for many Rahman songs of 1990s, mostly dubbed versions.
59. Yeh Rishta Kya from Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities (Lyricist – Rahat Indori) – This soft romantic track was featured on Tabu and Kunal Kapoor and beautifully sung by Reena Bhardwaj. Its poetic lyrics were penned by Rahat Indori, one of his rare works with Rahman. The movie also included a fast dance track – Chinnamma Chilakkamma, penned and sung by Sukhwinder Singh.
60. Yu Hi Chala Rahi from Swades (Lyricist – Javed Akhtar) – Ending this long journey of Rahman’s songs with this travel song featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Makarand Deshpande as a Fakir. Udit Narayan is the main singer of this music album and this particular track was sung by him. Additional vocals were provided by Kailash Kher and Hariharan.
I would like to include one of Rahman’s popular songs from the recent times – Tu Hai from Mohenjo Daro. Nowadays we get less oppurtunity to listen to good Rahman songs; sad but true. This good song came after a long time. This dance sequence starred Hrithik Roshan and newcomer Pooja Hedge. Rahman’s background score of the movie is also commendable. A. R. Rahman rendered his voice for this song, and also gave a big break to the new female voice Sanah Moidutty who is less known in Bollywood. Javed Akhtar penned lyrics.
Conclusion
So, my list is concluded with this popular energetic track from Swades. There are a few works of Rahman such as Raavan, Tamasha, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero, Mangal Pandey: The Rising, Tehzeeb, 1947: Earth, Yuvvraaj, Jhootha Hi Sahi, Viswavidhata, Hindustani, Duniya Dilwalom Ki, Daud, Jeans, Love You Hamesha etc which were not included in the list, yet need special mention. Yet I have tried maximum to include at least one song from his most popular music albums. Tum Saath Ho of Tamasha, Rang De Basanti of The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Tum Mere Dost Ho from Yuvraaj, Nazrom Ki Milne Se and Kal Nahi Tha of Viswavidhata, Kehta Hai of Jeans and Tumhari Ada Pe Mein Vaari of Mangal Pandey: The Rising are also nice music pieces.
The rain song – Taal Se Taal Mila from Taal
In the above list, Dil Se topped the list with 5 songs, followed by Taal, Swades, Saathiya and Guru with three songs each. A few of his albums managed to feature two songs in the list. It’s my personal choice of songs, and I prepared this list with great effort after closely observing his 25 years of musical journey, and I hope I have not excluded your favourite Rahman song.
Read a few more posts on A. R. Rahman, the sensational and most popular music composer of present generation. Here is the page link. Click on the images to read.
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