Where would Indian cinema be without its music!? It is an attribute that makes us stand out and only the fantastic composers of this industry are to be credited for it! They have given us all those infectious tunes that have been playing over and over, in our heads and on our MP3 players, since time immemorial. Going back to the start of Indian cinema would take us more than just one or a few features so BollySpice has decided to shorten the ride for now, by presenting the best work of selective composers of recent years! So hold on to your seats ladies and gentlemen as we embark on a journey down memory lane filled with fantastic tunes that have rocked the charts and our hearts!

Himesh Reshammiya

The name says it all. This composer came as a blast. No he didn’t just recently make his debut but has been at it for years! However, owing to the sudden recognition, he sure did come as an explosion. His tracks have ruled the nightclubs, cars and the local homes. We now shorten his list of work to only the best that stand out from the never ending list. Aashiq Banaya Aapne(ABA), one of the first albums composed by Himesh that began the evolution of his musical style. Much to do with this development was the use of his own voice in his songs. His two most talked about tracks, Aashiq Banaya Aapne and Jhalak Dikhlaja, are the works of his own voice. The title track of ABA still echoes freshly in cine-goers’ minds as if it was only yesterday they were released. The tunes still have that certain ‘fresh’ quality to them. After ABA, Aksar would have to be an album that deserves much acclaim. The tracks not only spin in nightclubs but also local cemeteries as stories of “ghost calling” encircled the fame of Jhalak Dhiklaja. These would definitely be two albums that stand out of the abundance of albums created by this fine composer in the recent years.

Vishal and Shekhar

They remained an unrecognized duo for quite some time as they quietly composed for albums such as Jhankar Beats. Regardless of how unheard these movies were, the true music lovers certainly did discover the beauty of these tracks. Now they are no longer an unheard name. To choose an album that truly is outstanding we would certainly have to narrow down on two albums by this duo, Bluffmaster and Dus. Bluffmaster may not have been a 100% original album but one track that hit the highest on the charts out of the album was, Say Na Say Na; also a 100% original by this talented duo. Vishal-Shekhar unquestionably took their talent to another level with this album.
Dus Bahane soon became the track that passed everyones’ lips on any average day. No doubt the much raved music video also was the perfect edition to the fame of this track. However what was most intriguing about the album of Dus as a whole, was how it combined tracks of such a wide range of genres. Dus Bahane gave audiences the perfect contemporary tune whilst Deedar De gave yet another sensational ‘item’ number. Along with the contemporary style of the album Vishal and Shekhar provided for the typical Bollywood styled track, Cham Se. This album undoubtedly remains as one of the best to showcase the duo’s versatility.

Shankhar, Ehsaan and Loy

Working exclusively as a composer is gradually becoming a rare occurrence. After the duo of Vishal-Shekhar we land on the trio pack of Shankhar Mahadeven, Ehsaan, and Loy.
Years after their debut, one of their best still comes from their beginning lot: Dil Chahta Hai. Its’ music was the first of its kind. Shaan and Kay Kay, two of the most raved about singers today, have this album to thank for their birth. Sure, they sang before this album however this album is what brought the two into the limelight. Not only did Farhan Akhtar create a completely new style of movie-making with Dil Chahta Hai but S-E-L also created a totally new style of music-making. The album reached the top of the charts upon release and still remains high-up in the hearts of thousands! In the recent years, another album by this trio deserves a mention is, Bunty Aur Babli! Kajra Re: two words and a terrific track that blew the nation away! Alisha Chinoy became the talk of the town after remaining in darkness with tracks that didn’t work too well for some reason or the other. In addition, Aish, Abhi and Big B’s presence on screen only added to the excellent reputation this track had acquired. However, Kajra Re was not all that was great about this album, the title track, BnB, Nach Baliye, Dhadak Dhadak and the rest remain as exceptional and furthered the incredible content of this album. Of course it wouldn’t be fair to analyze S-E-L’s recent work without mentioning the magical track, Kal Ho Na Ho. Sure, each track in the album may not have fared well on the charts but the title track, stands out. Thumbs up for this fantastic trio and now with their recent album, Johnny Gaddaar, we are able to clearly say how versatile and talented they are indeed!

Pritam

The catchy tune of Dhoom Machale soon became an anthem for the nation. Wherever one went they couldn’t escape the trademark soundtrack of Dhoom! The movie brought back the good old “cops’n’robbers” stories and along with it, brought in some stylish tracks that one still repeats on their iPods or CD Players. Along with the original title track, the Tata Young version also created much hype as did Shikhdum. After that Pritam went on to scale great heights on the charts with many more albums such as Woh Lamhe, Gangster and Life in a Metro but Dhoom remains the first and the best package by this composer till date.






Anu Malik

This particular composer has been giving us outstanding tracks since the days of Baazigar. He has given some amazing tunes such as Baazigar, East or West and Chamma Chamma. Today, when he doesn’t compose as much, he still remains one of the most wonderful composers we have in the industry.
Main Hoon Naa brought back the much needed trend of the typical “Bollywood” album. His recent albums just go to show how much he has grown as a composer. His versatility as a composer still amazes music lovers. He can pull off a hot and happening album one second and then go back to create something totally traditional such as LOC. The list of his remarkable albums would have to be a long one if we tracked back all his albums however in recent times, two albums that have been greatly appreciated by music enthusiasts are Main Hoon Naa and Jaaneman. Main Hoon Naa’s Tumse Milke was the first of its kind. It was categorized as a Qawwali with a twist and the masses loved it!. Gori Gori brought back memories of the yester years as Tumhe Jo Maine Dekha transported the listeners to fantasy land.
Jaaneman on the other hand showed a totally different side of the composer. For the first time he was challenged to compose for a movie with a groundbreaking style of making and story-telling. No doubt Anu Malik’s tracks went beautifully with the unusual style of story-telling. This composer deserves all the accolades he receives and much more for producing such a range of albums over time which are all unforgettable.

A R Rahman

BollySpice surrenders to the clichéd quote of “save the best for last”. We do gain a personal benefit from this since analyzing this last composer’s best work is not an easy task. Rather it’s the hardest of all: A R Rehman. What to say about this magical musical genius? Even if you combined all the describing words from the dictionary it would not be enough. That is why we have decided NOT to name one or two albums as the best of his work. Each and every one of his albums is incredible in its’ own way. That is not a statement to be nice and simply say he’s good but rather a statement saying that this composer solely composes for each and every movie individually. Rehman does not have a distinct style and neither does he surrender to the trends. He knows of nothing but the movie at hand and his tunes change beautifully into the desired form for the genre of the movie much similar to a chameleon.
With Taal he gave us a most music-orientated album encompassing the storyline of the movie which solely focused on the world of music hence the title Taal. The patriotic storyline of Swades made Rahman mould the music to knock straight on the door of the listener’s heart. He gave the youthful of the most youthful Rang De Basanti. With each album, audiences see the composer in a new light. The list is endless of the journey that this exceptional personality has taken his listeners on, and going into the list of his regional cinema compositions would only make this feature about three times longer! Thus we conclude the analysis of Rehman’s work by simply saying in the well-known SMS language:”A.R u r the best!”

The journey into Indian films’ music is one that can never come to an end but for now we will have to leave you here. We hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane of six outstanding composers of the Hindi Film Industry. These six composers were a mere shortlist of composers that emerge everyday in the world of the Indian film industry. Maybe sometime next year we will return with a similar analysis but with more new names and tracks. Until then, keep listening!