The Best Bollywood Numbers of the 2000s
Proma Khosla
This article is part of IndieWire’s 2000s Week celebration. Click here for a whole lot more.
How does one even begin to define the 2000s in Hindi cinema? The decade that started with “Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai!” and ended with “3 Idiots?” The decade that gave us Bipasha Basu and Rakhi Sawant and took away Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai? The decade of “Tere Bina” but also of “No Entry?” Cinema contains multitudes, but the aughts in Bollywood were a multiverse, and nowhere is that clearer than in the best musical numbers of the decade.
Curating this list was not easy — just ask the editors who waited patiently for a draft that I was not able to produce because I was busy swapping out “Kal Ho Naa Ho” songs until the last possible second. Some basic guidelines: This is a list of musical numbers, NOT songs — the song obviously matters, but choreography, visualization, and longevity of the actual video mattered a lot more. I didn’t want the list to be too heavy on specific stars or movies, so we’ve limited it to one entry per film (and an overall vibe check on how much is too much Aishwarya or Hrithik). That meant making judgment calls on dance numbers vs montages, dream sequences vs performances, and basically anything else to stop myself from including the entirety of “Devdas” and “Om Shanti Om.” Sometimes one song’s inclusion directly impacted another’s, as with the weeklong internal debate I had over “Bole Chudiyan” vs. “Maahi Ve” (neither of which made the final cut!). Godspeed and don’t fight me — if anything, let’s work it out on the dance floor.
Here are the 16 best Bollywood numbers of the 2000s, in chronological order.
1. “Ek Pal Ka Jeena”
Movie: “Kaho Naa… Pyar Hai!” (2000) dir. Rakesh Roshan
Music: Rajesh Roshan
Lyrics: Ibrahim Ashk
Choreography: Farah Khan
A disclaimer to start off that I’m not going to indiscriminately include every iconic club dance of the 2000s — but if you were there, you know that lives changed when Hrithik Roshan flexed his hands in that mesh shirt. His acting debut was one for the ages, in no small part because the 25-year-old actor stunned the global audience with his talent as a dancer. He doesn’t get to show off those skills much in the film’s first half as Rohit, but in the second half he runs free to phenomenal results. We are all Sonia (Ameesha Patel) staring in disbelief (albeit not for the same reasons) — especially when the rain starts.
2. “Banke Tera Jogi”
Movie: “Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani” (2000) dir. Aziz Mirza
Music: Jatin-Lalit
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Choreography: Farah Khan
“Banke Tera Jogi” and the movie surrounding it carries so much ’90s sensibility — from the costumes to the choreography to Johnny Lever’s deranged interludes to the fact that there isn’t even a high-res version available on YouTube (or perhaps anywhere). The song itself is a ruse, with Ajay (Shah Rukh Khan) and Ria (Juhi Chawla) performing to distract everyone. It’s such a unique yet catchy melody from Jatin-Lalit and vocal marathon from Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik, buoyed by Khan and Chawla’s chemistry and long takes that show off the movement composition in the space.
3. “Aankhen Khuli”
Movie: “Mohabbatein” (2000), dir. Aditya Chopra
Music: Jatin-Lalit
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Choreography: Farah Khan
“Mohabbatein” is certified bangers from start to finish, all featuring the three lead couples falling in love, but this song has the right mix of dream sequences and real-life romance, with Shah Rukh Khan tying it all together like Cupid himself. The song is “Mohabbatein”s answer to a big wedding song or item number, shot entirely inside one room packed with background actors and dancers. The YouTube video includes the coda with Helen so it officially counts — a ridiculous and gratuitous and charming-as-heck addition that ushers in our villain.
4. “Ghanan Ghanan”
Movie: “Lagaan” (2000) dir. Ashutosh Gowariker
Music: A.R. Rahman
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Choreography: Raju Khan
The six-minute first song of Ashutosh Gowarikar’s legendary drama doesn’t fixate on the film’s de facto hero and heroine, but on how they fit into the ecosystem and community of their village. Men and women, children and elders — and most of those who will eventually join Bhuvan’s (Aamir Khan) cricket team — join together and sing to the storm clouds above, joyous at the thought of rain, harvest, and a prosperous year ahead. The village’s personalities and dynamics are on full display in a piece that Rahman maps out like the opening number of a Broadway musical, all building to the devastating final seconds which drive the film’s stakes home.
5. “Koi Kahe”
Film: “Dil Chahta Hai” (2001) dir. Farhan Akhtar
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Choreography: Farah Khan
When I was brainstorming this list and panic texting my group chats, my friend Arjun observed that the shift between “Lagaan” and “Dil Chahta Hai” says a lot about the 2000s in Hindi cinema, and he couldn’t be more right. The two Aamir Khan starrers (one of which is the only Indian movie on IndieWire’s top 100 films of the decade — but which one??) look like a before and after of this critical decade in the industry, and the types of storytelling and visuals that took center stage in the new century. This anthem of youth and frivolity has an irresistible beat and moves, and the central trio of Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Akshaye Khanna are so believable as best friends that you want to spend every second with them in this song and the rest of the film.
6. “Suraj Hua Maddham”
Movie: “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham” (2001) dir. Karan Johar
Music: Jatin-Lalit
Lyrics: Sameer
Choreography: Farah Khan
Listen — I could (and did) make a case for every single “K3G” song to be on this list, and while “Suraj” is the only one with no ensemble choreography, it’s the one that has proved hardest to replicate in terms of the sheer artistic alchemy at play. First of all, credit to Karan Johar for realizing the full potential of the pyramids, I’m sure the pharaohs of old are nodding in approval. As a child of the industry, you can imagine Johar mapping out his movies and deliberately choosing locations that had barely been seen in Indian cinema (sorry, Switzerland) — he did this with Scotland in “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,” and here with Egypt. Kajol and Shah Rukh wear simple colors and combinations, but they’re striking on screen and against the chosen locations. There’s a reason these two are one of Hindi cinema’s most memorable pairings, and it’s no small part thanks to Johar’s movies and what he brings forth. The flirty energy of previous scenes is let loose in this scorching number, one of the strongest mic drop rebuttals to “but there’s no kissing in those movies” because they don’t need it. Whatever is happening in that water is sexier than 90 percent of on-screen intimacy, but approved for all audiences and cinematically gorgeous to boot.
7. “Ishq Kamina”
Movie: “Shakti – The Power” (2002) dir. Krishna Vamsi
Music: Anu Malik
Lyrics: Sameer Anjaan
Choreography: Farah Khan
I have never seen “Shakti – The Power” and I never will — but I have watched “Ishq Kamina” roughly 9 million times since it first came out. The aughts in Bollywood were not lacking for item numbers, with more and more actresses filtered into the industry during those years to be sex symbols, show off their bodies, and create a surface-level appearance that the Indian film industry was extra-modern (almost none of this aged well). But “Ishq Kamina” works because Aishwarya Rai Bachchan — as herself in the video, not just a nameless item girl — was a respected actress, dancer, and celebrity in the industry — who also happened to be comfortable shaking her hips and showing her midriff and doing it with athleticism, grace, and charisma. The item number draws attention to the item girl’s body, but the best item numbers work because you’re also hypnotized by her eyes and expressions (note the part of this song where all she does is nod and bite her lip and it is a PERFORMANCE). Filmed on a swing set over the course of eight days, “Ishq Kamina” is a testament to the monumental effort behind every second of Bollywood’s best musical numbers — even when they have nothing to do with the film.
8. “Dola Re”
Film: “Devdas” (2002) dir. Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Music: Ismail Darbar
Lyrics: Ismail Darbar
Choreography: Saroj Khan
Every single “Devdas” number could probably find a place on this list (even “Hamesha Tumko Chaha,” I’m not made of stone), but the film at its core does not work without the combined magnificence of Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, dancing together for the first time on celluloid in this dazzling sequence. At Paro’s (Rai Bachchan) family Durga Pujo festivities, she welcomes the woman who now loves her childhood sweetheart, abandoning stigmas of status to dance with her joyfully for the occasion. The red-and-white sarees honor Bengali traditions but also became visually synonymous with this number. Film musicals don’t have the same restrictions as stage ones, but director Sanjay Leela Bhansali holds 180 to give the illusion of a proscenium performance, while packing the background with dancers and spectators as far as the eye can see.
9. “Kal Ho Naa Ho”
Film: “Kal Ho Naa Ho” (2003) dir. Nikhil Advani
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Choreography: Farah Khan
Can you believe that Shah Rukh Khan invented New York City? The title track of Nikhil Advani’s romantic drama takes viewers on the most romantic and filmi tour of NYC with Khan’s Aman (a literal angel?) singing about the beauty of life and embracing every day. And though his own life will end shortly, during the song Aman allows himself to imagine a different timeline; one in which he gets to be with Naina (Preity Zinta) or live Rohit’s life (Saif Ali Khan), where fate hasn’t dealt them all this specific hand. Every time I watch this song I want to hop on the next train to Brooklyn (I live in Brooklyn) so I can be pensive on the bridge (this is not allowed) in those ugly shoes that sponsored the movie.
10. “Main Yahaan Hoon”
Film: “Veer-Zaara” (2004) dir. Yash Chopra
Music: Madan Mohan (revised by Sanjeev Kohli)
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Choreography: Saroj Khan & Vaibhavi Merchant
A couple of viral tweets recently praised the genre of Bollywood song that is simply women dreaming about Shah Rukh Khan. In 2004 that was this haunting and elegant Madan Mohan melody in which Zaara (Preity Zinta) can’t get Veer (Khan) out of her head while she prepares to marry another man. Khan is a magnetic actor on his worst day, but he’s on a full charm offensive in “Veer-Zaara,” making a single-handed case for India-Pakistan unity, women’s liberation, and even the frosted tips that Khan (and literally everyone else) rocked at the time. Even though he’s not really there, Zaara can feel Veer’s presence so palpably that she won’t shake him for another 22 years.
11. “Tumse Milke”
Movie: “Main Hoon Na” (2004) dir. Farah Khan
Music: Anu Malik
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Choreography: Farah Khan
Farah Khan’s directorial debut is a classic for a lot of reasons, but the musical numbers stand out as filmed through the eye of a choreographer. “Main Hoon Na” is not a movie filled with iconic hook steps or even particularly outstanding dancers, but the best directors of dance and film make all of this work. After Sanjana (Amrita Rao) gets her mid-movie makeover, Lucky (Zayed Khan) suddenly hears violins playing and realizes he might have feelings for the best friend he always overlooked. Cut to this fountain-filled interior with tons of background dancers, qawwali caps, and birds. That would honestly be enough to sustain the 5-minute and 40-second showstopper, but at the bridge we switch to Ram’s (Shah Rukh Khan) perspective, and to his dream sequence in Chandni’s (Sushmita Sen) classroom. Sparks fly (literally) in the chemistry class, where students keep the beat on binders and textbooks as Ram serenades his lady love — before they both return to the dream sequence and Chandni descends on a crescent moon and Ram produces a mysterious kite right before the chorus because why the hell not! There’s such a powerful sense of fun throughout “Main Hoon Na” which gets completely unleashed during the musical numbers, and I gotta say… it’s wicked.
12. “Dhadak Dhadak”
Film: “Bunty Aur Babli” (2005) dir. Shaad Ali
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Lyrics: Gulzar
Choreography: Vaibhavi Merchant
Shaad Ali’s crime comedy wastes no time in telling us exactly who its heroes are and what drives them thanks to this intro number. Rakesh (Abhishek Bachchan) and Vimmi (Rani Mukherji) are restless dreamers, with ambitions far bigger than the small towns that suffocate them. In a song far more romantic than the reality that follows, they imagine themselves escaping the drudgery and doing what they were born to do — whatever that is. Mukherji and Bachchan have the charisma and chemistry to make this song absolutely transfixing even though they don’t share a single frame or utter a word, and Ali’s command of color and movement takes the spotlight through every sequence.
13. “Beedi”
Film: “Omkara” (2006) dir. Vishal Bharadwaj
Music: Vishal Bharadwaj
Lyrics: Gulzar
Choreography: Ganesh Acharya
There are so many party songs in the Hindi cinema library, but “Beedi” is one that looks and feels every bit the part. The dancing preserves a raw energy from Bipasha Basu’s Billo down to every single background actor as they shake and shimmy to the infectious beat and pull those kites right outta the damn sky. Saif Ali Khan and Deepak Dobriyal bring the exact right mix of mischief and menace to make this song work in and out of the film’s context (fun fact: this entire song is a trap!). Though not rare, “Beedi” is a song that transcends the film around it — I would say 90 percent of people I talk to about it haven’t seen the film — but makes a damn good case to watch it right now.
14. “Crazy Kiya Re”
Movie: “Dhoom 2” (2006) dir. Sanjay Gadhvi
Music: Pritam
Lyrics: Sameer
Choreography: Vaibhavi Merchant
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is out of her element in “Dhoom 2,” from the makeup to the wardrobe to the bronzer they made her bathe in to play Sunehri — but throughout it all and especially in this number, she shows why she was such an icon in the 2000s and that on stage, no one can touch her. The costumes are as memorable as her looks in something like “Devdas,” for entirely different reasons — further evidence of the blurring East and West boundaries in Indian cinema at this time.
15. “Dastaane”
Movie: “Om Shanti Om” (2007)
Music: Vishal-Shekhar
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Choreography: Farah Khan
Yes, choosing this musical number from “Om Shanti Om” is basically a cheat code for putting the entire movie on this list — and what of it?? “Dastaane” not only narrates the entire plot of “Om Shanti Om” but recreates it while moving it forward. While Om (Shah Rukh Khan) and Dolly (Yuvika Chaudhary) perform the song to a captivated audience that includes Mukesh Mehra (Arjun Rampal), Pappu (Shreyas Talpade) and Sandy (Deepika Padukone) continue the plan to fool Mukesh into thinking he sees Shanti’s ghost so he’ll admit to her murder. In retelling Om and Shanti’s story, “Dastaane” is a microcosm of everything that makes “Om Shanti Om” so indelible, from hefty emotional arcs to peeks inside the film industry and the supernatural skullduggery of the final act. Nearly every song in the film and much of its background score include the haunting hook that becomes this song’s main melody. Khan embodies both versions of Om to perfection, taking viewers gladly through the film’s journey even while they’re still locked into it.
16. “Azeem O Shaan Shehenshah”
Movie: “Jodhaa Akbar” (2008), dir. Ashutosh Gowariker
Music: A.R. Rahman
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Choreography: Prakash
I have seen “Jodhaa Akbar” exactly once, in theaters — but what I remember even more distinctly is how it felt to hear this song and see snippets of it during the film’s first trailer. In the film, Jalaluddin (Hrithik Roshan) receives a mighty welcome to his new home — and his new name — from dancers, warriors, and the people he will govern. Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) joins him amid the festivities, which are dazzling display of regional folk dance and more (400 dancers and 2,000 extras were part of this 15-day shoot). Gowariker packs the frame from every angle, panning in and out to underscore the size and scale of everything going on. If there’s one word to describe “Jodhaa Akbar,” it’s “epic” — and if there’s one sequence that epitomizes that, it’s this one.
