Rang Barse to Balam Pichkari: Sukhwinder Singh reveals why some Holi songs will always be special

No Holi celebration or party is complete without music. And Bollywood has a song for every occasion. There are tracks we hear every year during the festival of colours and we know the most famous ones. Here, Sukhwinder Singh tells us what he thinks make them so popular. “I recently spoke to a DJ who told me that he can play 100 numbers at a Holi party! But these are a few that will always figure on the top of that list,” he said.

HOLI KE DIN

SHOLAY (1975)

Whether a village, small town or a big city, this one is sure to be played during Holi. Other than being a good composition, I have always thought that the song embodies all that Holi stands for. The festival is all about forgiving your enemies. When you have colour in your hands and music is playing, you want to put conflicts behind you and smear the person’s face with gulaal. The song has a line, ‘gile-shikve bhool ke dushman bhi gale mil jaate hain, rangon mein rang mil jaate hain’. That’s what Holi is about! 

ARE JAA RE HAT NATKHAT

NAVRANG (1959)

This song, and in fact the entire movie, was Holi in itself. So colourful and beautiful! It’s such a playful song, which is very typical of the festivities. The composition is great and it’s sung brilliantly. The video also made the track better. It had a great artiste like Sandhyaji and a legendary filmmaker like V Shantaram. This film’s album was an inspiration for me when I sang Bismil in Haider. I asked Vishal Bharadwaj to give me some time before entering the studio. I listened to the songs and was charged up.

RANG BARSE

SILSILA (1981)

The song has folk elements in it. And that is the reason why it sounds so good in Amitabh Bachchan’s voice. It’s not just his deep voice, but also the fact that Amitji lent his own touch to it make it such a great Holi song. Aisa lagaa ki gaana unki rag rag mein hai. It’s the fun and mischievous lyrics that also make it so much fun.

HOLI KHELE RAGHUVEERA

BAGHBAN (2003)

Once again, it was the magic of Amitji and Holi together that made this song so good. Since it came so many years after Rang Barse, there was nostalgia. The song is almost like an extension of the older hit number. It’s also special for me because I sang a few lines in it. And producer Ravi Chopra liked my singing so much that he gifted me a motorbike. 

BALAM PICHKARI

YEH JAWAANI HAI DEEWANI (2013)

This is actually a folk song that I used to sing when I was young. And I like its urban and modern version, too. It’s catchy and something that you can dance to. I don’t think there are too many newer songs on Holi but this one stands out for sure.