This page lists my favorite Hindi Movie Song Playlists.
Themes for My Playlists
Growing up, Chhaya Geet on Vividh Bharati was one of my favorite programs. “Chhaya Geet Sunane walon ko Kabban Mirza Ka Aadaab!” Thus started many a late-night listening trip for me. The songs were carefully curated. Kabban introduced each song with flawless urdu diction. The theme for any given day’s program was pre-selected – a particular emotion (tanhai, intezar, etc), or a particular concept (rishte, samay, duniya, etc).
Those memories are the inspiration for the playlists on this page. Each playlist on this page will reflect a specific concept or emotion. If you’re missing someone, or feeling nostalgic, or looking for hope and inspiration, come to this page. You will find a playlist that will suit your mood. Just like in Chhaya Geet, I will use a theme for each playlist and a title inspired either by well-known poems or well-known songs that I like.
What You Should Expect
This page will be updated frequently, so please come back from time to time.
When you listen to the songs, you will think of other songs that belong to the same category. Please list those songs in the comments below. This is a vitual mehfil, and it’s more fun when you are a part of the conversation.
This format is similar to other blogs that regularly post such lists, like Dustedoff, Trivia – Spice of Life, Mehfil Mein Meri and Conversations Over Chai, where many times the comments section is as interesting as the original post.
I began with How Many Ways Do I Love Thee which is centered around the different ways in which Love is expressed in Hindi Movie Songs. I chose the title inspired by Sonnet 43 of Elizabeth Barret Browning. I will continue to use this pattern for all my playlists.
With each Playlist, please enrich my list by adding your favorite songs for that theme in the comments section.
My Hindi Movie Song Playlists
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S Janaki – A Tribute to a Rare Talent
S Janaki shared something unique with Asha Bhosle and Suman Kalyanpur. All three of them sang from the heart. They could magically shift the emotion in their voice from the innocence of a child to the playful tease of a…
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Sweet Sorrow – Videos of “Judai” Songs
‘Judai’ songs that express the sweet sorrow of parting tend to be the sweetest melodies, especially in Hindi Movies. They express the lingering soft echoes of parting between lovers. Which is perhaps why they tend to be audience favorites.
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Remembering Suman Kalyanpur
We remember Suman Kalyanpur as a voice that was a quiet constant in Hindi film music, from the golden era to the nineties — present across countless films, lending warmth and sincerity to every song she sang. She may not…
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Songs of Hope – Optimistic Hindi Movie Songs Playlist
“Songs of Hope” is a playlist of Hindi Movie songs expressing hope and determination against all odds.
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Songs of Experience
My last playlist was “The Songs of Innocence“. Continuing on the William Blake theme, this playlist is “The Songs of Experience”. There comes a moment in life when innocence gives way to insight. The world that once seemed fair, loving,…
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Songs of Innocence – A Celebration of Childhood
The playlist “Songs of Innocence” explores the songs that have immortalized the spirit of innocence, tracing a path from the black-and-white nostalgia of the Golden Era to the vibrant, heartfelt portrayals of childhood in modern cinema. These are the anthems…
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Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love You Tomorrow – An Ode to the New Generation
“कल और आएंगे नगमों की खिलती कलियाँ चुनने वाले, मुझसे बेहतर कहने वाले, तुमसे बेहतर सुनाने वाले” – साहिर लुधियानवी There’s a specific kind of magic that happens when the slick production of the 21st century meets the soul of…
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A Song of Joys — A Whitman‑Infused Invocation
Whitman once cried, “O to make the most jubilant song!”. I am not sure if it is a cultural thing, but in general the Hindi songs we remember the most are rarely jubilant in nature. Even if there is an…
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How Many Ways Do I Love Thee?
How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Count The Ways A Golden‑Era Ode to Eternal Love in 15 Songs There are love stories that flicker briefly, like a match struck in the dark. And then there are the others —…
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