90s songs I am embarrassed to admit I liked!

This post is inspired by Dipta’s post on his favourite music videos.

Now I grew up in Allahabad (hah! I didn’t say small town, did I?!) where TV came much later. So I won’t go that far back. I’m going to go back to a period when I used to play Antakshari and have little concert performances in my grandmother’s nursery school. All of us would dress up and if it wasn’t Durga Puja dance dramas, it was curtains hooked up and parents invited and jokes, skits and songs performed for their viewing pleasure (!).

So anyway. I am going with an undefined time. Just songs that I loved when they were released and the admission of which embarrasses me today. But what the hell is a blog for if not to embarrass yourself publicly, huh?

Here’s the first.

Saathiya yeh tune kya kiya. Salman Khan and a chubby-cheeked Revathy. A classmate and I would be made to stand up every free period we got in school and sing. This is one of the numbers we’d sing. I’d do Chitra’s part and she’d do the SP Balasubramaniam part. Don’t ask me why. We just did and I still know the words.  Salman’s temper tantrums horrified me in the movie. And then we heard about Somi Ali and Sangeeta  Bijlani’s “accidents” and I couldn’t stand to watch this movie again.

Dil Deewana – Salman and Bhagyashree. Okay I think I see a pattern. This is around the time Salman was giving hit after hit. I can’t stand Bhagyashree’s voice now but I loved this song. I loved that she was wearing a saree (that’s my behenji soul revealing itself) and I loved how boyishly Salman ran around. Actually, other than the Kabutar song I pretty much liked every song. And of course if we played Antakshari we’d have a rule that you couldn’t use the MPK thread or else it was a waste of time. But my God – I can’t get over Salman’s dancing.

Next up is Tum Hi Hamari Ho Manzil from Yaara Dildaara. I think I’ve mentioned before that the director was married to a girl from Allahabad. A family friend’s daughter. And so naturally the entire city took great interest in the movie and it ran to packed houses. Bin Tere Sanam was the biggest hit but this is the song I remember rather fondly. What’s not to like – Tum Hi Hamai ho Manzil My love!!! Ruchika Pandey who disappeared after the movie and Asif Sheikh in a cowboy hat… *groan* what was I thinking? Although I still love the lines – Aisa Na Jaano, Hamko Achaanak Tum Pe Ye Pyaar Aa Gayaa, Biti Ruton Ka Ye Rang Hai Jo, Banke Bahaar Chha Gayaa. Yeah okay, laugh it up.

Tip tip barsa paani from Mohra – Akshay and a hotttt Raveena. As luck would have it, a male friend who was hitting on some chick in my class insisted that we go out for a picnic and invite her along. So I did. And four of us went out, another guy coming along, game for anything. We went to a theme park and were on a giant wheel when the bloody thing shut while we were at the highest point. We had a terrific view of the lake but there we were, stuck on top of a giant wheel, when the sky darkened and the rain came down. We’d been yelling at the guys to hurry up and repair it but there was nothing to do but sit there and get soaked. The guy I was sitting with threatened to take off his sneakers and throw it on the heads of the men running the giant wheel… much yelling and screaming happened. At this point, the guy who had planned the entire thing and had a lovely voice decided to start singing this song. When I look back it is cheesier than anything.. but at that point we all burst out laughing and it broke the tension.  And I can never hear this song without imagining myself stranded on top of a giant wheel, getting drenched.

Aisi Deewanagi – Divya Bharti and Shahrukh Khan. I am sure this was a big favourite with everyone – except that I spent a good six months trying to procure outfits like hers. Yes, okay, shun me then. I’ll deal with it. Honesty gets you no friends.

Raveena and Salman in Pathar ke Phool. I loved the song because living in Allahabad I’d heard of Delhi and places like Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh, Connaught Place etc but never heard of these roads in Bombay. I thought they sounded wonderfully exotic. Warden Road, Besides how can you not like a song with the classically beautiful Raveena Tandon. I see her and I wonder why the hell we put up with botoxed Piggy Chops etc.

Also this one from the same film.

Badalon mein chhup raha hai chaand – Rahul Roy and Pooja Bhatt in Phir Teri Kahaani Yaad Ayi. Another song I can still sing in my sleep! I don’t remember much of the film although I remember sobbing through the last bit. I loved the other songs in the film too. Tere dar par sanam.. phir chale aaye hum.

Okay now I’ll probably lose my last two readers with this one, but I found Atul Agnihotri unbelievably cute in this movie. Sir. Yeh ujli chandni jab hasraton ko…I think this was 1993 when none of us even officially had boyfriends so the whole anticipation thing was all anyone was easy to relate to. (Argh – my mother reads this blog too… let me die now!). Have I mentioned how much I love Naseeruddin Shah in this film?

Another Salman Khan starrer – Baaghi with Nagma (kill me now!)

Rama o Rama – same Mirza brothers-Allahabad connection. We heard about the movie right through its making and when the sister of the girl I was friendly with, got the climax scene dress to wear after the movie, we didn’t have the courage to reach out and even touch the fabric. Imagine.. .*gasp* so close to something filmy! A dress actually worn by Kimi Katkar. Anyhow, this is one song from the movie  – we were given a free cassetted (gasp again!) and so we naturally knew all the darn songs.

another lovely song from the movie -although I don’t know if this is the same version

And finally – I end with the one that I bet  no one else has ever come across.These are the songs that are huge hits in small towns and played on loudspeakers during festivals while you desperately bury your head under pillows and wake up bleary eyed for school, the damn lyrics still ringing in your ears. The movie is Pyaar Bhara Dil and I have no idea who the shady actors were! Beat this, Dipta. Come up with something shadier.

Alright then – anyone who wants to sit on the shady bench? Bring out your shadiest memory and lets swap notes.