Valentine's Day - Part-I: The Most Romantic Hindi Songs of the First Meeting

To pick the top 10 most romantic Hindi film songs is to choose the best dishes from an Indian buffet spread. There are so many beautiful songs...

So to make it more interesting, the run-up to this valentine's day has been divided into three parts:

Part I - This is the first meeting, where boy meets (or sees) girl for the first time. They could meet anywhere - on a college campus, at a mechanics shop, while driving next to a train, or at a party. The first hint of romance, the possibilities, and the trepidations...

Part II - The courting period. In Bollywood movies of the 70s-80s (where most of these songs are from) this was a distinct phase during which the songs centered around taunting, mischief, and general naughtiness.

Part III - The courting period is followed by a period of strong love, where the general teasing is replaced by sincere songs of longing and of promises of bonding which last for several births.

So here are...

The Most Romantic Hindi Songs of the First Meeting

So lets start off with opening that box of chocoloates... who knows what they are going to get. But first a word of caution:

Babuji Dheerey Chalna... set in a smoke filled bar with Geeta Dutt cautioning the patrons...


Babuji Dheerey Chalna, pyaar mein zara sambhalna
Babuji, walk slow, be careful with love
Bade dhonke hai, bade dhoke hain is raah mein
many let-downs in this path...

Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore in Aradhana. Set in the misty mountains of Darjeeling with him in a jeep and her reading a novel in the train that parallels the road and winds through the hills.



Mere sapnon ki raani kab aayegi thu..
(Queen of my dreams... when will you come)

Ayi hrithu masthani kab aayegi thu...
(The season of romance... when will you com)


1942 Love Story...
Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala. Beautiful and simple song again set in the mountains. Tinkles and flutes and honeyed words. One of the most romantic songs...



ek laDakii ko dekha to aisa laga... When I saw a girl, she seemed to me...

jaise khilata gulaab like a blooming rose;

jaise shaayar ka khvaab like a poet's dream;

jaise ujalii kiran like a glowing ray of light;

jaise ban me.n hiran like a deer in the forest;

jaise chaa.ndanii raat like a moonlit night;

jaise naramii baat like a soft word;

jaise mandir me.n ho ek jalta diya like a candle burning in the temple.

Mere Mehboob (1963)
Rajendra Kumar. This is a long song, but a classic. He sees her on campus for a fleeting moment, and cannot forget her. Her image haunts him, and he creates this beautiful song asking her to return him that beautiful vision that he saw... the romance of urdu words set in the "tehzeeb" of the rich muslim past.



Mere mehboob thujhe, mere mohobbath ki kasam
(My love, in the name of my affection)
Phir mujhe nargisi aankhon ka sahara dede
(Once again give me the support of your eyes)
Mera khoya hua rangeen nazaara dede
(Give me back my lost colorful vision)


Kishore Kumar - Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi si. Simple naughty song. He is a mechanic working in his shop at night, and this girl walks in dripping from the rain... minimal instruments, catchy tune...



Ek Ladki bheegi bhaagi si
(A girl kind of wet)
Sothey rathon me jaagi si
(Kind of awake on a sleepy night)



Kati Patang... Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh.




A sexy song... Zeenat Aman in Yaadon Ki Baarath (1973). A westernized party, and Zeenat with a Guitar...



Chura liya hai thumne jo dil ko
(Now that you have stolen my heart)
Nazar nahin churana sanam
(Dont steel your gaze from me)

Amitabh Bachchan in Manzil meets the girl in more Indianized party... at a Mehfil - music gathering, and mesmerizes her with the song...



Rim Jhim Gire Saavan

Mehefil mein kaise keh den kisi se
How can you tell someone at a mefhil
Dil band raha hai kisi ajanabi sey...
That your heart is getting bonded with a stranger

And then again, a similar mehfil, but strage circumstances, when Rajesh Khanna meets sharmila Tagore in Amar Prem...

Raina beethi jaye, shyam na aaye

The last song even though excellent is not really romantic, so it shouldnt qualify... so this song is just a placeholder. It and the others will be replaced as soon as someone suggests better alternatives.

I am especially looking for new songs to join the ranks, so please feel free to comment. I will keep updating this list until Feb 14.... enjoy!!!