Barish in Bollywood
Vatsala Gurunath
Rains bring out a certain charm and evoke our senses in a magical way. It streaks out in every art form; it captures and captivates the creative urge in man. Our Bollywood filmmakers have made the most of the beauty of monsoon to their own unmistakable style. A touch of romance added with an element of sensuality has made up many a pulse racing song dance sequences.
Rain has always been symbolized with celebration or jubilation and it is happiness personified. Rain has also stood for romance here. Indian films are largely known for their innumerable songs and the rain song is an added attraction. From the golden era to the latest, Indian film industry has seen wet and wild numbers on screen. Be it a hummable slow number from Do Bigha Zameen or the saucy Zara Zara from Rehena Hai Tere Dil Mein, rain's always been in Bollywood.
Let's explore the link between Bollywood and barsaat, baarish, saawan or whatever you fancy.
Rain song and no prizes for guessing the most memorable of the lot. It definitely is the adorable Raj Kapoor-Nargis duo's Pyar Hua Ikraar Hua from the movie Aawara. Composed by Shailendra and Shankar Jaikishen, is a classic song sequence set against the backdrop of rains.
This song set the rules for the next generations of lovers who would again walk under the same umbrella and savor the romantic experience of togetherness and rain.
Another of such barsaat song featuring the same Raj-Nargis pair is from the movie Barsaat,"Barsaat mein hum se mile tum sajan tum se mile hum", and the composition is again by Shailendra and Shankar-jaikishen.
The beauty of a glass house and rain splashing on it arousing the awesome twosome debutants, Amrita sing and Sunny Deol in Betaab, is indeed worth a mention. The song "Baadhal yun garajthaa hain, dar kuch aisa lagthaa hai.." re-inforced the clichd scene of a lightning and the scared heroine hugging the hero for comfort and solace but ending up igniting both of them. The soundtrack was composed by R. D. Burman and rendered wonderfully by Lata Mangeshkar and Shabbir Kumar.
A Hindi movie listing under any topic is never complete without the Big B. even when it comes to dancing in rain, he is the best. The song with Amitabh and Smita patil "Aaj rapat jaaye tho humein naa bhulayyo.." from Namak Halal, retains the comic touch of Amitabh and yet also showcases the raw sensuality of Smita Patil.
Remember the drunken and blue eyed Sridevi, in a rather funny dress and a headgear which does not belong to this century swinging on from a tyre and singing, "Kisiki haath naa aayegi ye ladki"? The Sunny and Sridevi starrer song that is from Chaalbaaz is all madness and amusement. It was a treat to watch Sridevi go about tramp like and sing unaware of the rain. Though Sunny Deol and a whole lot of extras were dancing in the song, it solely belonged to Sridevi.
The song, which re-defined the wait and search for the prince charming is definitely from Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge. The Yash Chopra magic so evident in every frame. The rain adds to the youthful enthusiasm.
The music rapturous number was composed by the duo of Jatin-Lalit earning them instant fame. The picturisation of the song with a dreamy yet energetic kajol strikes well with the young and was a rage for a very long time.
The song, "Rimjhim Rimjhim" from the movie,1942 A love story, features Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala.
The song unlike other rain songs does not give in to lust or passion but is a cute courting scene of a brave lad and a shy girl it is set in India's pre-independence era. A crimson sari-clad coy Manisha has a dainty, frilled umbrella to match and is very pleased with the rain in this song. This melodious track was among the last few lilting tunes of the late R. D. Burman.
The mast song of Mohra was undoubtedly "Tu cheez badi..". But another song which caught on later and is still on many people's lips is the raunchy racy rain number "Tip tip barsa paani..." the usual love prone heroine trying to seduce the hero with all her jhatkas and matkas. Raveena lives up to her name of Ravishing Raveena in this number. Viju Shah composes the music for this song.
Kajol's vibrant energy itself is enough to keep us paced and when that is coupled with a foot tapping song and dance in a great rain, what more could we ask for? This time it's yet another Kajol and rain number accompanied with Akshay kumar in the movie, Yeh Dillagi and the song is, "Dekho zara dekho barsaat ...". The music is fast and peppy. It's a track to sing and dance in rain any time.
"Thak jum jm thak jum jum..ghode jaisi chaal haathi jaise dhun, o saawan raaja kahan se aaye thum?" this is what ask Madhuri and Shah Rukh with a band of little kids drenching in the rain and enjoying it to the hilt. It is from the film, Dil To Pagal Hai.
Shamiak Davar trained artists and the lead film stars dance to the tune of rain and lightening with the background of thunder in between. A bandaged Karisma Kapoor also jives from her wheelchair expressing the joy that rain brings in.
The rain song "Ghanan ghanan..." from the Oscar nominated Lagaan, with brilliantly orchestrated voices and synchronized dance and beats introduces the flavor and essence of rain. The song depicted the emotional relationship the village folks shared with the rains and how they yearned for it. It's not the rain but the sight of rain bringing clouds that the people here celebrate.
Rahman and Akhtar create "Ghanan ghanan", one of the most memorable rain songs this country's cinema has seen.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
