“Holi” 90s songs

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Its time for Holi and today’s post is a celebration of film songs based on this colorful festival. It is probably the most favorite festival depicted in Hindi cinema. There have been some all time hit songs all the way from Holi Aayi Re Kanhai, Jaa Re Hat Natkhat, Aaj Na Chhodenge Bas Humjoli, Holi Ke Din and Rang Barse. It is a long list and the songs have continued to remain popular.

Today’s post is about post 90s Holi songs. There are some traditional and others with a modern touch in line with the times. Needless to say, the festival and theme continues to stay relevant in Hindi cinema. So enjoy, and which songs do you remember?

1) Song: Ang Se Ang Lagaana
Film: Darr (1993)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | Shiv-Hari | Sudesh Bhosle, Vinod Rathod, Devaki Pandit, Alka Yagnik and chorus

Darr is the story of love and obsession. Sunny Deol and Juhi Chawla are celebrating Holi with her bhaiya Anupam Kher and bhabhi Tanvi Azmi. Everything is all right until Shah Rukh Khan enters disguised as a Dhol player. An entertaining song as you wait to see what happens next. Shiv Hari had given us the evergreen Rang Barse from Silsila, which was also a Yash Chopra production.

2) Song: Rang Di Rang Di
Film: Dhanwaan (1993)
Credits: Sameer | Anand-Milind | Nitin Mukesh, Suresh Wadkar, Kavita Krishnamurthy and Chorus

This is a melodious composition in Raag Shivaranjani. The song starts on a sombre note but becomes lively when Karisma Kapoor remembers the Holi celebrations in a flashback. Ajay Devgan and Manisha Koirala are her co-actors, celebrating in full swing.

3) Song: Jhankaaro Jhankaaro
Film: Krantiveer (1994)
Credits: Sameer | Anand-Milind| Udit Narayan, Sapna Awasthi and chorus

Krantiveer was a hard hitting film but also featured some melodious and catchy numbers. Nana Patekar forces Dimple Kapadia to tell her story. She reacts in shock and mentions one word “Holi” as she remembers this song in a flashback. In happier times, she is celebrating Holi with her lover (played by Girish Malik) but their life is going to change soon.

4) Song: More Kanha Jo Aaye Palat Ke
Film: Sardari Begum (1996)
Credits: Javed Akhtar | Vanraj Bhatia | Asha Bhosle

And now a different flavour. This is not a typical song with Holi visuals. The protagonist Kirron Kher (and Smriti Mishra who played the young Sardari) enact the song as part of a song recording scene and a stage performance. It is a thumri style song based on raag Pilu. It describes the Holi sequence involving Lord Krishna or Kanha. The lyrics, music, and rendition are all impactful.

5) Song: Soni Soni Ankhiyon Wali
Film: Mohabbatein (2000)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | Jatin-Lalit | Udit Narayan, Jaspinder Narula, Manohar Shetty, Udbhav, Ishaan, Shweta Pandit, Sonali Bhatawdekar, Pritha Mazumdar

This is a multi starrer of a song in all respects. Shah Rukh Khan enjoys the festivities with his students (Uday Chopra, Jimmy Shergill and Jugal Hansraj), and their love interests (Shamita Shetty, Preeti Jhangiani and Kim Sharma). Not to forget Anupam Kher and Archana Puran Singh carrying forward their track from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). Aishwarya Rai makes an appearance as well. The song is a combination of festive celebration, teasing with a touch of romance.

6) Song: Hori Khele Raghuveera
Film: Baghban (2003)
Credits: Sameer | Aadesh Shrivastava | Amitabh Bachchan, Sukhwinder Singh, Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik

This song immediately reminds you of Rang Barse. The tune is inspired from the folk music of Uttar Pradesh and sung by Amitabh Bachchan himself. While he plays an aged character, he enjoys to the fullest with his wife (played by Hema Malini) and joined by family and friends.

7) Song: Holi Re
Film: Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005)
Credits: Javed Akhtar | A. R. Rahman | Aamir Khan, Udit Narayan, Madhushree, Srinivas and Chinmayee Sripada

This song has the stamp of A. R. Rahman and you are reminded of Lagaan’s music. A good song but somehow not remembered easily today. The song showcases a boisterous celebration of Holi with Aamir Khan and Rani Mukherji participating.

8) Song: Do Me A Favour Lets Play Holi
Film: Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005)
Credits: Sameer | Anu Malik | Anu Malik and Sunidhi Chauhan

A desi song with a western twist, courtesy Anu Malik. He also lends vocals to this different number. Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra perform the song which is a mix of traditional and western elements, right from the lyrics, choreography to the costumes. Its different, but catchy.

9) Song: Itna Mazaa…Balam Pichkari
Film: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013)
Credits: Amitabh Bhattacharya | Pritam | Vishal Dadlani & Shalmali Kholgade

This is arguably the most famous Holi song post 1990s. The infectious tune makes you want to groove. And it is a treat to watch. Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Roy Kapur add their glamour to to the setting.

10) Song: Gori Tu Latth Maar
Film: Toilet – Ek Prem Katha (2017)
Credits: Siddharth-Garima | Manas-Shikhar | Sonu Nigam & Palak Muchhal

And the final and a unique song in this list. It showcases the tradition of Latth Maar Holi from the Barsana and Nandgaon towns in Mathura. Here the women hit the men with sticks who try to shield themselves. In the movie, the heroine Bhoomi Pednekar is adamant to have a toilet installed in her husband’s house. He disagrees and she leaves him. He comes to meet her during Holi. This is an opportunity for him to seek forgiveness. Will she relent?

Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani (1970)

My Reviews,

My introduction to Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani (GGKK) is the evergreen Kishore Kumar song Samaa hai suhana suhana. Though a family drama it is not the regular story of hero meets heroine, romantic songs and the mandatory villain. But still is a decent watch. It was made under the banner of Vijaya International by B. Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani. The director is T Prakash Rao. As trivia, there was another film with the same name released in 1988, and was a remake of Gharana (1961).

The Plot

GGKK is the story of 3 families. Shankarnath (Balraj Sahni) and wife Padma (Nirupa Roy) are one happy couple, I mean family. They have 3 school going children – Ravi (Mahesh Kumar i.e. Mahesh Kothare), Raja (Master Ripple) and Rupa (Baby Sonia i.e. Neetu Singh). Shankarnath earns Rs. 630 per month. He seems to work in a Government office and is an honest and principled man who does not accept bribes. He is known for his clean character. Shankarnath is very careful in money matters. He is of the opinion that money needs to be spent thoughtfully.

But his children dont think so. Ravi wants to go to Ajanta Ellora on a school trip but Shankarnath refuses to pay the money. Similarly, Rupa is participating in the school gathering and needs a new frock. Raja requests for a new bicycle. Shankarnath tells them outright that he does not have money for these (unwanted) expenses. He explains that they have to be very careful how money is spent and is unable to fulfil their demands.

Ravi’s school mate is Murli. His father is Sadhuram (Om Prakash). Sadhuram’s boss is Shankarnath. His character is opposite to that of Shankarnath and is an extremely corrupt man. His wife is Jamna (Shashikala) and they have 5 children. Thanks to his “under the table” dealings, he is able to afford every luxury. He readily gives the money to Murli for the school trip which Ravi is also hoping to join. Ravi ponders how Sadhuram is so well off when his boss is barely able to make ends meet. Month on month it’s the same story.

The third family is that of Padma’s brother Mamaji (Jagirdar). His wife is Praveen Paul, who comes from a rich family. They have a pampered son Gopi (Jr Mehmood). A spoilt kid, he gambles on a daily basis. His mother, being the money controller of the house, supplies him with money. He cons her readily with his sob stories and extracts as much money as he wants from her. His father is a shrewd and observant man, waiting for the right opportunity to expose him.

Back to Shankarnath and family. The children have had enough. They want their demands to be met. Ravi sits on a hunger strike (satyagraha). The parents try to intervene but no one is ready to budge. Finally, Shankarnath comes up with a solution. He has a man to man talk with Ravi. He tells him that he will hand over his full salary to him and it is up to him to make the budget of the house and manage the finances. This arrangement will continue for 6 months. Ravi is reluctant to agree to this plan but his siblings push him and he accept the challenge.

Thus begins the interesting challenge. Ravi tries to balance the income and expenditure every month. The focus is on bringing down the spending which he finds is difficult to achieve. Some hard decisions are imminent. The children ask the maid to leave and do the chores themselves. They start walking to school. During Diwali, they ask Padma not to purchase new clothes for them. Looking at their efforts, Shankarnath is also ready to make some sacrifices. All this for saving money.

But there are hurdles along the way. Shankarnath’s nephew Surendra (Jagdeep) arrives with his family to spend Diwali with Shankarnath’s family. He is a miser and Ravi has to bear all their expenses including the taxi fare. After Diwali, Padma falls sick leading to unplanned medical expenses.

On the other hand, Sadhuram is enjoying the fruits of his shady dealings and continues to live in luxury. Gopi is up to no good and indulges in everything else apart from studies.

And there is also a young couple. Sadhuram’s daughter Seema (Bharati) is in love with Suresh (Rakesh Roshan). The song Samaa hai suhana suhana is picturised on this couple while Jalal Agha does the singing.

The entertaining but predictable events continue. All these threads unite as the climax approaches. Things are sorted and the film ends on a positive note.

The Music

Kalyanji Anandji is the music composer with lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri and Qamar Jalalbadi. The other songs are not bad but could not attain the popularity of Samaa hai suhana suhana.

The songs are voiced Lata Mangeshkar, Hemlata, Mahendra Kapoor and Kishore Kumar. This includes the number Aisa banoonga actor main yaaron picturized on Jr. Mehmood.

My Thoughts

I came to know that the film’s producer B Nagi Reddi was also the founder of the children’s magazine Chandamama, published in multiple Indian languages. He later started producing films. The setting of GGKK reminds you of the type of stories published in Chandamama – simple, engrossing and with a social message.

The main plot in GGKK focuses on the three children and their efforts to manage money. They are ready to sacrifice for long term gains. The common factor among all the families depicted is money, and its impact on the behaviour of the family members. The casting is good and all seasoned actors perform as required. The thoughtful dialogues between Shankarnath and family are believable. Junior Mehmood is convincing as the bratty son from a rich family. He is irritating and over the top as the role demands. This was Rakesh Roshan’s debut film. He and Bharathi hardly have anything to do in the movie. Not sure if their track was edited.

Overall, you know what is going to happen and there is hardly any twist. Nevertheless it makes for an entertaining watch.

Raigadacha Rajbandi (1965)

My Reviews

Films centred around the Maratha empire have been a favourite subject for Marathi filmmakers. They often tell the story of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. These make for an interesting watch with all the planning, plotting, interesting twists leading to the defeat of the enemies of the Marathas.

Raigadacha Rajbandi (the political prisoner of Raigad) belongs to the same genre but the plot is unusual. Raja Badhe is the producer as well as the lyricist. Raja Thakur is the director.

The Plot

The film’s focus is on Sambhaji Raje’s character (the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj). Sambhaji Raje (Chittaranjan Kolhatkar) is held captive by the Mughals. He is being forced to accept Alamgir i.e. Aurangzeb’s authority. He is promised gifts and luxuries if he shifts his allegiance to the Mughals. They torture a dummy in front of him to demonstrate what lies in his fate if he refuses. Sambhaji Raje refuses to bend and would rather accept death than compromise his principles. Left alone to ponder the consequences, he calls someone called Sati Godavari to make an appearance. Who is she, we come to know through a flashback.

Sambhaji Raje is out hunting deer when he arrives at a river, a bit exhausted and thirsty. There he sees Godavari (Sulochana) out to fetch water with her younger sister Krishna (Nayan). Godavari recognises him and offers him water. During the brief interaction, he is taken in by her beauty and demeanor.

The next day, he is shown handling his daily duties as the administrator of Raigad. He arrives in the court to meet people and sort matters. Then he is shown testing some guns, to be purchased from the firangis (foreigners). But he has not forgotten Godavari.

Godavari is the daughter of Hari Pandit. She is staying with her parents but will be going to her in laws place in a few days. It is not clear if she is newly married. [Note, her younger sister is played by Reema Lagoo who started her career as a child actor.]

Godavari goes with Krishna to fetch water where she encounters Sambhaji Raje again. He wants to thank her for her services and as a reward, he flings a valuable necklace towards her. As it happens in movies, it lands around Godavari’s neck. She is shocked at the behaviour. Krishna tells him that Godavari is going to her in laws place tomorrow and she will miss her.

He doesn’t know how to react and leaves without a word. He spends a restless night lost in the thoughts of Godavari and her impending departure. He is convinced that she is not happy with her in laws. She is eager to meet him again. They both want to spend time with each other. He longs for her company. The decision is made. Next day, he ambushes the palanquin procession and abducts Godavari. She is brought to the fort.

At the fort, he offers to marry her. But she delivers a long lecture and asks him to stay away from her. He obliges. Even his shadow would not be touching her against her wishes. The days go by. Godavari mellows down as Sambhaji Raje keeps his word; he treats her respectfully, always maintaining a distance between them.

But all is not normal in Godavari’s house. Godavari’s mother is furious at Sambhaji Raje’s behaviour. She sets to go and confront him but her husband stops her. Later, Hari Pandit and Krishna go to meet Rajmata Jijabai (Durga Khote), the grandmother of Sambhaji Raje. Hari Pandit is tongue tied. How can he reveal the abductor’s name in front of Sambhaji Raje’s grandmother?

After much coaxing, the young Krishna blurts out Sambhaji Raje’s name. The necklace is handed over as proof. Rajmata Jijabai is shaken and promises action. A faithful servant called Dharaai (Mai Bhide), who was the governess of the young Sambhaji seeks forgiveness. Dharaai also meets Sambhaji Raje to understand what happened and the reason behind his rash behaviour.

It doesn’t take time for the news to reach Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (Chandrakant Gokhale). He goes to meet Rajmata Jijabai. They have a long conversation on Sambhaji Raje’s behaviour. Both of them attempt to accept responsibility for his actions. After all they were responsible to look after him after his mother passed away when he was 2 years old. Is the father responsible or the grandmother? A crime has been committed and justice needs to be ensured.

Finally, the day of the decision arrives. There is an altercation between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Raje. The father is about to behead the son when Godavari rushes in to stop him. She speaks in favour of Sambhaji Raje. Agreed, he had abducted her but after that he has treated her respectfully. She has no complaints.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj then decides to blind Sambhaji’s eyes in order to teach him a lesson. Sambhaji Raje agrees but Ramdas Swami steps in and stops the act. Sambhaji Raje is made the prisoner of Raigad.

Arrangements are made to send Godavari to her in laws’ house. But she has other plans. She does not want to burden her family with the consequences of what happened to her. People are bound to talk and she wants to avoid that at all costs. What will she do? What solution does she offer?

The Music

Raja Badhe is the lyricist while D.P. Koregaonkar (K. Datta) is the music director. The songs are melodious and well rendered. Suman Kalyanpur sings 3 songs (He vrindavan sangte satichi katha, Sutena maherachi mithi and Anand mani maeena). Asha Bhosle sings Sakali uthuni mukh pahava aaicha and Chalali Godavari. There is also a short song Chashme paimana uthale (by Mubarak Begum). The climax features a powada by Pirajirao Sarnaik narrating Sambhaji Raje’s story.

My Thoughts

The film is different from what you would normally expect from this genre. There is no plotting from the Maratha’s enemies (Adilshah, Nizam, or the Mughals) and the fitting response given by the Marathas. The thrill is missing. That itself is a disappointment.

There are many long scenes with the characters mouthing expressive dialogues. At times the movie resembles a play making it tedious to watch. You wish there was less dialogue and more action. The solution at the end may be relevant to the times but leaves the viewer with a debatable question – is justice really delivered? The message is not clear. Most of the cast are well known names. Sulochana stands out with her impressive performance.