The classic B-wood Holi

While television serials wait for the calendar, to extend their script - with a festival super imposed to their never ending tales, our cinema took to festivals and celebrated it in style. Thanks to an almanac studded with festivities, our cinema has celebrated them all. What could be a better way to celebrate the festival of colours than to reminiscent the spirit of Bollywood? We take a look at ten of the “all time greatest” Holi songs from our cinema:

1. Aan 1951: Directed by Mehboob Khan, the master turned to real colour when he canned the festivity of colour for his film ‘Aan’. With Nimmi and Dilip Kumar singing khelo rang hamare sang aaj din rang rangeela aaya, the master film maker set the trend and anything that Dilip saab did became a water shed in our cinema.

2. Mother India 1957: This is another classic from the Naushad-Mehboob Khan combination. His magnum opus, ‘Mother India’, is a milestone for perhaps every facet of our cinema. Added to it is the one on the brilliant song - holi aayi re kanhayee rang chhalke suna de jara bansuri - picturised on Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, Kum Kum and many artists in the back drop.

3. Navrang 1959: As the name suggests, the film was all about colour. V Shantaram sure made films ahead of his time and music had a special place in his narration. A choreographer’s delight, this film had a special song for heroine Sandhya - arre ja re arre natkhat - tuned by C Ramchander.

4. Kohinoor 1960: Going back to the black and white days, the list has a Dilip Kumar-Naushad combination. This time it is ‘Kohinoor’ which had the tragedy king alongside the unmatched queen of tears Meena Kumari, in a fun-filled, light hearted romantic film. The film had a hummable Holi song - tan rang lo ji aaj man ranglo. What more would one want when a song had Naushad, Rafi, Lata and Meena on the tunes and Dilip on screen?

5. Guide 1965: Strange are the ways of our cinema. While you cannot recall a Holi song picturised on the man of colour and Holi - Raj Kapoor, you have the suave Dev Anand’s film ‘Guide’ celebrate the message of colour. Brilliantly picturised by the extremely talented Goldie to the tune of SD Burman, the Lata Mangeshkar song for Waheeda Rehman is yet another classic from Lataji; piya tose naina laage re.

6. Kati Patang 1970: This Gulshan Nanda story of a widow (portrayed by the award winning actress Asha Parekh) should normally not have a Holi song - but then our cinema… here too the song gets central place in the theme, for it is after this song that pa-in-law in waiting Nasir Hussain begins the tough route with ‘erring the daughter in law’. Yes, it is picturised on the phenomenon and thus a must in the list! Hum aaj na chodenge set to rhythm and music in a way only he can! Composed by RD Burman.

7. Phagun 1973: Just like the song from ‘Guide’, we again have Lata Maangeshkar, SD Burman and the gracious Waheeda. Today’s generation may have to do with just a few steps in ‘Sasural Ghenda Phool’ but here is a great song for Rajinder Singh Bedi’s complex love story . The title song is not just a wonderful piece but the pivotal centre of the film - bheegi saree bheegi choli phagun ayo re.

8. Sholay 1975: What grandeur! What cast! May not be a song that is remembered for melody; but this festival is one about colour and grandeur, not great music, and capturing exactly this is the danseuse Hemamalini as Basanti in the celeb that leads to the following violence - holi ke din ab mil jate hai. Again RD Burman!

9. Zakhme 1975: Looks like Holi was the flavour of the year 1975. How else could it be possible to find two songs in the list from the same year? This time Tahir Hussain’s musical not only had the hit pair Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh, but also the young Vijay Arora and Reena Roy. It was Bappi Lahari who gave us some wonderful songs in the film and this included the Holi song picturised on Sunil Dutt - ali re ali rango ki Holi.

10. Silsilla 1981: Yash Chopra did give us many Holi songs – from ‘Mashal’, ‘Chandini’ to name two of them but the cream de’ la cream is surely the dramatic scene of Rekha and Big B flirting outrageously in the presence of their respective screen spouses Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya. So much has been said and written about this. Shiv Hari’s music gives it the right folk lore touch and Amitabh singing gives it a human angle. Rang barse bhege chuarwali rang barse!

Nice to sign off on that b(h)ang filled high!