Bollywood! Bollywood! Bollywood!
Why the triple-barrelled “!”? Well, if ever something deserved over-the-top, multiple-exclamation points, it would be Bollywood movies.
The singers of Bollywood, too. As “playback” singers, their faces usually don't appear in the movies, but their voices are huge stars of the show.
In honour of CBC Music’s new Bollywood web radio station – launching Sept. 12, 2012, with music from 50 years of Bollywood films – here’s a Bollywood playlist, featuring just a few of the many Bollywood singing stars, past and present.
It’s interesting to watch the evolution of production values and, at times, um, other values, from the 1960s to the present. Whichever decade you choose to dip into, prepare to be totally entertained.
1. The movie: Woh Kaun Thi (Who was She?) (1964)
The song: "Lag Jaa Gale"
The voice: Lata Mangeshkar
An impressive fact: From 1974 to 1991 Mangeshkar made the Guinness World Records book for making the most recordings in the world.
2. The movie: Gumnaam (The Unknown) (1966)
The voice: Mohammed Rafi
The song: "Jan Pehechan-Ho"
An impressive fact: There is a shrine to Rafi in Birmingham, England, by artist Tasawar Bashir. Bashir apparently hopes the shrine will help Rafi attain sainthood.
3. The movie: Ek Phool Do Mali (1969)
The voice: Asha Bhosle
The song: "Saiyyan Le Gayi Jiya - Ek Phool Do Mali"
An impressive fact: Bhosle took the lead from her sister, Lata Mangeshkar (see No. 1), in 2011 in the Guinness World Records book for making the most recordings in the world.
4. The movie: Kati Patang 1970
The voice: Kishore Kumar
The song: "Ye Shaam Mastani "
An impressive fact: Famously eccentric, Kumar reportedly hung a sign on his door saying “Beware of Kishore,” and when a producer-director showed up anyway and offered to shake hands, Kumar bit him. (The producer-director was paying him some overdue fee; talk about biting the hand that feeds you.)
5. The movie: Qurbani (Sacrifice) 1980
The singer: Manhar Udhas
The song: “Hum Tumhe Chahte Hai Aise”
An impressive fact: According to Wikipedia, it was the biggest grossing Bollywood film of 1980.
6. The movie: Lawaaris (1981)
The singer: Amitabh Bachchan
The song: "Mere Angene Mein, Tumhara Kya Kaam Hai"
An impressive fact: Its Wikipedia entry synopsis: "A Child born of Illegitimate Relationship is named Heera after the name of a Dog by a Drunkard who makes him work Hard for Liquor."
7. The movie: Deewana (Crazy, or Passionate) 1992
The singer: Kumar Sanu
The song: “Sochenge Tumhe Pyar”
An impressive fact: Sanu was awarded the Filmfare Best Male Playback Award over five consecutive years.
8. The movie: Hum Saath-Saath Hain (We Stand United) 1999
The song:"Maiya Yashoda"
The voices: Alka Yagnik, Anuradha Paudwal, Kavita Krishnamurthy
A weird fact: During filming, a number of cast members "were involved in a controversy surrounding the shooting of an endangered black buck on a cast hunting expedition," as reported by The Times of India.
9. The movie: Delhi Belly (2011)
The singer: Sona Mohapatra
The song: “Bedardi Raja”
A point of reference: Delhi Belly was deemed “The Hangover” of Bollywood, so prepare yourself for swears, not to mention fart jokes. (You’d never know it from this song.)
10. The movie: Heroine (Release Sept. 21, 2012)
The song: "Halkat Jawani"
The singer: Sunidhi Chauhan
A speculative fact: According to a YouTube description, “the film is a daring, shocking, glamorous, scandalous behind the scenes account of the reality behind the world of glitz and glamour that our film stars inhabit.”
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