Countdown: 5 Romantic Bollywood Songs

In celebration of Valentine's Day I've decided to do a quick countdown of my top 5 favorite romantic Bollywood songs. I'm not very well-versed in older movies, so some of those evergreen hits that most know and love are missing from this list. I also tried really hard to not create a list solely comprised of Shahrukh Khan songs. But what can I do if I personally equate Shahrukh with romance?

Without further adieu...

 5. "Ek Duje Ke Vaaste" from Dil To Pagal Hai (1997)

Who knew that one of my all time favorite romantic trac would be an opening credits song? Everything about this song screams cute. From the dialogue about love to the actual lyrics of the song, "Ek Duje Ke Vaaste" is just dreamy. And is it just me or does anyone else get goosebumps at the first bout of music when the "Dil To Pagal Hai" letters appear?

4. "Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan" from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)

The coyness of this song is what's most appealing. In a word, this song is playful but undoubtedly romantic. The dynamic between Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan is super fun to watch, as their chemistry is undeniable. The lyrics of the song are also beautiful and alluring.

3. "O Re Piya" from Aaja Nachle (2007)

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan completely and truly owns this song. To me, the picturization is a bit so-so, but the song itself is one of the best of recent times. It's soothing and not too fancy or fake sounding. It's a song where I feel I can actually hear the instruments--a nice break from the normal autotuned voices of today!

2. "Main Yahaan Hoon" from Veer Zaara (2004)

How can you not melt when watching this song? It's one of the most romantic songs from one of the most romantic movies. It's a song about a man who promises to always be there for the woman. Who wouldn't want that? It's the perfect Valentine's Day tune, no matter your relationship status. And it's one that I can listen to over and over again, no matter the day.

1. "Suraj Hua Maddham" from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)

 "Suraj Hua Maddham" encompasses it all. It's sweet, sexy, romantic, beautiful, and I can go on and on. I think the reason I love this song with all my heart is because of its subtleties. It's subtly sexy, romantic, etc. The lyrics are wonderful, picturization is perfect, and it features one of the top jodis of all time. A little over 10 years later, and this song still feels fresh and new. And this is definitely one of Shahrukh's top song-performances ever.

Bollywood and romance go hand in hand, and these five songs prove that point. And if you love Bollywood, chances are that you also love...love! So no matter what you're doing this Valentine's Day, take a moment to listen to a romantic Bollywood song.

What are some of your favorites? I'm sure I've missed some.

Forthcoming: Heroine

Madhur Bhandarkar's forthcoming venture Heroine, starring Aishwarya Rai, was officially announced at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday. A first look at the film (shown above) was also revealed. Heroine is the story of the rise and fall of a superstar in an attempt to show audiences what really goes on in the Bollywood showbiz world. We've definitely already seen this theme in some of Bhandarkar's previous films like Page 3 and Fashion, but hopefully he'll be able to bring something new to the idea. Regardless, showbiz movies personally always fascinate me so I'm definitely looking forward to this one, which is supposed to begin production in June.

Apparently, Kareena Kapoor was Bhandarkar's first choice for the film, and I'm so disappointed that she refused the role! While I'm a fan of Aish's beauty, I'm not so impressed with her acting skills (though she proved me wrong in Devdas), so I feel like Kareena would've been a much better fit for the role. Kareena has really matured throughout the years as an actress and probably would've been able to take on the role better. But hopefully Bhandarkar can work some magic on Aish.

Also, when I first saw this picture I thought that Aish's photo looked kind of dated. As I was reading more about the film, I've been seeing reports that this photo is actually an old one from a L'Oreal shoot years ago. Well...that's lovely. Not. If you haven't done an official photoshoot for a movie yet, why reveal the "first look"? I could've made this on my computer for god's sake! Nice try, guys.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Bhandarkar-announces-Heroine-at-Cannes/Article1-697184.aspx

What ever happened to...Sneha Ullal?

Nope, that's not Aishwarya Rai! She may have only appeared in one (okay, two) Bollywood movies, but Sneha Ullal still left an impression on my mind--not for any exceptional acting skills, but mostly for the ultra hype surrounding her "debut."

Sneha was touted as Salman Khan's "discovery" back in 2005 when she appeared alongside him in Lucky: No Time for Love. She was a big deal for two main reasons. First, was her uncanny resemblance to Aish (sorry, but no one can doubt that). Second, was the fact that she was only 17 at the time of the film's release! So, basically, she was the leading lady to a man over twice her age. Awkward.

Lucky was just a weird movie. No other real way to describe it. The next year, Sneha appeared in Aryan with Sohail Khan, which was a box office disaster. And that was basically the end of Sneha's Bollywood career (although apparently she was in some movie called Click in 2010?). After her Bollywood fail, Sneha went on to work in Telegu movies with limited success.

Sneha wasn't some amazing actress, but she was only 17 at the time. I feel like she never got the chance to reach her full potential. Her main pitfall? I'm pretty sure it was her resemblance to Aish. If you look like a megastar, you're bound to be compared to them--and fail. Remember Harman Baweja? Or Zarine Khan (though it's too early to determine her Bollywood fate.)? I feel bad for Sneha. She seemed cute, sweet, and definitely beautiful. But naturally, the Aish lovers would turn into Sneha haters and Sneha became a prime example of how appearing with an A-list actor doesn't determine future success.

The last time Sneha made (Bollywood) headlines was last year with rumors of her being a contestant on Bigg Boss 4--which clearly didn't happen. I have a feeling that Sneha Ullal will remain a name of the past, unless the poor girl manages to make her mark down South. She's currently only 23, after all!

Top 5 Onscreen Bollywood Couples?

 

Some time ago, Bollywood Mantra published an article naming the top 5 onscreen couples of B-Town. Here's their list:

1. Raj Kapoor and Nargis
2. Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha
3. Shahrukh Khan and Kajol
4. Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif
5. Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

While I personally feel that SRK and Kajol should have won that top spot, I can see the "old is gold" mentality here, so I won't argue too much. But, sorry Bollywood Mantra, I have a real problem with the rest of the list.

Akshay and Katrina? Really? Really?! Just because they have about a thousand movies together, do they really deserve to be on this list? And correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't both parties at least have some artistic talent (I'm looking at you, Kat) in order to be named one of the best onscreen couples of all time? Ok, sorry for all the rhetorical questions but this one just perplexes me.

Then there's Hrithik and Aish--who've done a grand total of three movies together and still landed on this list. And one of those three films was a total disaster (Sunehri, like, made me wanna cut my ears off). On top of that, I don't really feel they had much chemistry between them in their films.

Here are some couples that I feel were shafted from the list:

* Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla
* Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherji
* Govinda and Karishma Kapoor
* Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor
* Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit

Who do you think should've been included?

Source: http://www.bollywoodmantra.com/news/top-5-onscreen-couples-of-bollywood/7036/