Brimming with films, celebrity gossip, award shows, and high-profile weddings, on the surface Bollywood appears to resemble any other movie industry. But tucked within this sphere of glamour is a musical world with legacies of composers and singers who come together and customize soundtracks for feature films. Starting from the industry’s Golden Age—which reigned from the 1950s to the 60s—up until the present, each decade has presented what will be remembered as some of Bollywood’s most legendary musical hits. From the disco tracks of the 70s to the epic romantic ballads of the 90s, each decade of Bollywood music has been rightly celebrated.
Yet one decade, perhaps because it is the most recent, seems to be missing in this commemoration. While most Bollywood viewers associate the 2000s with Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), each of which boasted popular hit songs, this decade consists of dozens more stellar tracks. Across a wide range of films, the 2000s featured gorgeous soundtracks that honored traditional South Asian melodies and instruments while also remaining experimental. Here are five films that bestowed gorgeous, nuanced soundtracks that will cement the 2000s as a musically flourishing decade for Bollywood.
1. Devdas (2002)
Composer: Ismail Darbar
Devdas ranks as one of the most expensive Bollywood movies of all time, and the film required a soundtrack equally luxurious as its mansions and bejeweled costumes. Composer Ismail Darbar, who had composed music for Devdas director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 1999 movie “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,” released yet another exquisite set of songs for the 2002 film about star-crossed yet unlucky lovers. Soprano winners such as "Bairi Piya" and "Silsila Ye Chaahat Ka" boast the vocal talent of then newcomer Shreya Ghoshal, while the intoxicating "Dola Re Dola" and riveting “Maar Daala” create an experience for the listener that captures the graceful movements of Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit, two of the most talented female dancers in Bollywood. With each ornate track, the music of Devdas serves as a vessel on which to time travel into a realm of riches, romantic strife, and elegant dance.
2. Parineeta (2005)
Composer: Shantanu Moitra
Similar to the plot of Devdas, Parineeta also centers around two childhood friends of contrasting socioeconomic backgrounds who fall in love, yet face obstacles in their relationship due to a power-hungry patriarch and matriarch. This similarity is due to the fact that Parineeta and Devdas are both novellas by the Bengali author Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, who wrote during the Bengali Renaissance with the likes of Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore. In composing the music for Parineeta, Shantanu Moitra sought to honor this flourishing period in Bengali history. In "Soona Mann Ka Aangan", a ballad sung by Sonu Nigam, Moitra includes Tagore's composition ”Phule Phule Dhole Dhole,” which Shreya Ghoshal finely executes. Nigam and Ghoshal share a playful and charming duet in “Piyu Bole,” while famous southern Indian songbird Chitra gracefully holds her own in the understated "Raat Hamari Toh". Moitra also composed a timeless cabaret track, "Kaisi Paheli Zindagani", which features Sunidhi Chauhan on vocals and a guest appearance from Rekha in the film. In Parineeta, Moitra honors history without foregoing innovation, and strikes a fine and perfect balance.
3. Life in a...Metro (2007)
Composer: Pritam
Despite the high bar that both Devdas and Parineeta raise, one does not have to look exclusively to the historical dramas of the 2000s to find stellar music. Life in a...Metro, a film about the deliberate and happenstance relationships that unfold in the city, required a contemporary soundtrack to set the scene. Composer Pritam did just that for this movie with his rock-inspired soundtrack. “In Dino” weaves traditional melodies with drums and electric guitar. “O Meri Jaan” reshapes the typical Bollywood romance ballad with not only rock instruments, but also with Kay Kay's vocals as he belts out the soulful chorus. Among the upbeat jams, “Baatein Kuch Ankahee Si” stands out as a downtempo, acoustic moment of calm. Pritam and his band, Metro, embody the ambience of these songs and their backdrop in the movie by actually appearing in the scenes that play the each track, serving as the narrators of a story where paths cross unexpectedly. Indeed, with these intersections of narrative and musical styles, Life in a...Metro's soundtrack is unpredictable, yet ultimately a pleasant surprise.
4. Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
Composer: A.R. Rahman
Although Jodhaa Akbar was technically released a year after Life in a...Metro, its plotline stretches back hundreds of years to when present-day India was under the reign of the Mughals and provincial rulers. Given the specificity of the movie’s setting, a shining and complementary soundtrack was absolutely essential. To achieve such a feat, there is no composer more qualified than A.R. Rahman. In America and Europe, Rahman is most well known for composing the music for Slumdog Millionaire (2008), for which he won a Grammy, Golden Globe, and Academy Award. But within an Indian context, Rahman’s legacy is even more grand. He his collection of wins consists of five National Film Awards, 15 Filmfare Awards, and 15 Filmfare South Awards. Jodhaa Akbar contributed to these impressive numbers by winning the Filmfare Awards for Best Music Director and Best Background Score. A listen to the film’s short yet stunning tracklist perfectly justifies this honor. “Jashn-E-Bahaara” beautifully captures both the sureness and uncertainty that signify the start of a blossoming relationship. Rahman brings the Sufi style of music to life in the melodious and hypnotic “Khwaja Mere Khwaja,” which features his own vocals. The moment in the film where Jodhaa and Akbar fall in requited love at last owes its perfection to “In Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein,” a sweeping, poetic piece of composition complete with lyrics by Javed Akhtar.
5. Aisha (2010)
Composer: Amit Trivedi
Aisha was a movie that capped off this decade with a creative and catchy soundtrack put together by composer Amit Trivedi. The music of Aisha is light, but also serious at the appropriate moments. This emotional register aligns well with the movie’s plot, which bases itself off of the novel Emma by Jane Austen. Similar to Austen’s story, Aisha follows the escapades of a wealthy society girl as she tries to play matchmaker and adviser to her lower-class friend, a newcomer to the world of Delhi elite. Complete with horns and a choppy beat, “Suno Aisha” captures the chaos and endearment that the character of Aisha embodies, while “Lehrein” paints the melancholy picture of a fall from grace with its poignant violin riff. In the midst of these two tracks that accompany the high and low points of the film, “Sham” offers an acoustic moment of calm and relaxation with its ukulele rhythm. Refreshingly, the Aisha soundtrack still manages to represent life without containing any sort of romantic ballad. The emotionally complex songs of Aisha, while cinematically about a spoiled, rich girl with a genuine heart, can realistically apply to anyone.
