Desi Train

One of the channels was telecasting Kal Ho Na Ho last weekend. The kitchen was buzzing with activity. We were on a mission: To cook Chicken Tikka Masala. “It’s the time to Disco” starts playing in the movie. That has me & my body going in for a ziggy, jiggy, boogey dance while stirring the chicken in the masala.

It’s been a long time since I heard Desi Disco. The originals. Not the dabba remixes. I’ve lost touch with those foot tapping songs that used to have us leaving our drinks to hit the makeshift dance floor on New Year’s Eve at those trying to be trendy bars and restaurants of Bombay in the 80s and 90s.

Nostalgia crept in. Lets get back and get all those sweet memories… lets get back and collect all the disco hits of the 70s and 80s from Bollywood.

The result of the search was a sad revelation. Bollywood doesn’t have many hit disco songs to boast of. Why? Maybe the latest in music wasn’t as widespread as it is today, where even those in the small towns and villages of India know what’s the latest in fashion, dance and music. But back then the trends may have been limited to the major cities and Bollywood may not have found a mass appeal in disco which could rake in the moolah for them.

Here’s a look at the 20 Disco hits from Bollywood in the 70s and 80s, in no particular order…

I am a Disco Dancer (Disco Dancer)

The ultimate tapori song of the year it was released in. Mention Disco and your brain projects the image of Mithun Chakravarthy. With his John Travolta shake the leg style, Mithun was the King of Disco (cum James Bond) in Bollywood in the eighties.

This movie succeeded purely because of its songs.

Horror of horrors, one of the main guys who kept disco alive in Bollywood was… Bappi Lahiri. Yes the one and only Bappida, who had successfully mastered the art of copying each and every song from the U.S. and Europe and even Africa, to pass it off as his very own. Oh why oh why??? This is the same guy who gave us the melodious “Yeh naina yeh kaajal yeh zulfein yeh aanchal, khoobsoorat ho tum gazaal…”

The movie also brought to fore, B.Subhash producer/director. But Disco Dancer was a fluke success. B. Subhash later made many films trying to unsuccessfully repeat Disco Dancer’s success. One of his later movies, Kasam Paida Karne Waale Ki had a song (”Yeh Raat mein”) carbon copied from Michael Jackson’s Thriller in both departments: music and video.

Disco Station (Hathkadi)

Red, Orange, Green and every un-imaginable color of light blinking on a cardboard studio set - “Chodo chodo, Meri Rahen, Meri Baahen, AAAAA…. Yeh hainnnnnnnnnnn pyar keeeeee Hathkadi…”

This song was played on almost every given opportunity on the only available channel in those days… Doordarshan. Reena Roy shaking her big bad booty to Disco Station. The song also had Shatrughan Sinha, mercifully not dancing.

Again, the music was provided by… sigh… Bappi Lahiri.

Aap Jaisa Koi (Qurbani)

The sexy svelte Zeenat, a lavish set, Kalyanji Anandji’s beats… aaah. Now this song brought class to Disco in Bollywood, made it popular and others picked it up from there on. Feroz Khan may or may not be remembered for his acting or direction or whatever he has done in Bollywood. But Disco. Always. He’s the guy who made Disco popular, bringing in the smooth, sophisticated, classy touch.

Feroz also brought in the so beautiful looking - Nazia Hasan the one with a silky voice. Nazia and her brother (Zoheb) did a couple of disco albums after Qurbani, one clicked and the rest just sunk. Tragically Nazia passed away at such a young age a few years ago.

Laila O Laila (Qurbani)

Qurbani again. But it ought to be. Amjad Khan playing the drums while Zeenat in her sexy sexy hot hot costume. The music was simply fresh and had a tap your foot and shake your body rythm to it.

Then in my 5th or 6th grade, we would play the Laila O Laila drum beats on a class desks, when suddenly our History teacher walked in and with a serious face she went “O what a reception. Thank you for the welcome. You, you, you and you oz, get up and get out of the class”

Dil Lena Khel Hain Dildar Ka (Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai)

With a chorus going Yah Allah Yah Allah… the disco lights on the floor moving in all directions while Rishi Kapoor lip syncs to this song… Fast, high paced, tons of energy. This could only be made by the boss - R.D. Burman.

Strangely, even with R.D. Boss’s thumping style of beats, he wasn’t given many opportunities by Bollywood bigwigs on the Disco front.

Boom Boom (Star)

This was the only movie (besides Disco Dancer) which was based on Disco. An ambitious project, produced at an unheard of cost by Biddu, the movie crashed. Bad. Taking down Bollywood Disco with it. Star was one of the biggest flops ever. But Biddu’s music just flowed and made your heart swoon over it’s songs.

Oooee Oooee (Star)

Another one from Biddu’s Star. Ooee Ooee Aisi Mulakatein Hon, Ooee Ooeee… this was being sung by yours truly in front of the bathroom mirror at 6 am in the morning while brushing his teeth some twenty odd years ago. The only slight problem was that there was a Algebra exam, 2 hours later. This saw both my parents standing behind me. And when the slap came in hard and fast from behind, the Ooee Ooee tune changed drastically from a feeling of pleasure to an Ooee Ooee of pain.

Pyar Do Pyar Lo (Jaanbaaz)

Feroz Khan took another five years to come back with another movie after his blockbuster hit Qurbani. Though one can’t say that Jaanbaz was as big a hit, still the songs came in good again.

Was it Rekha who lip synced to this song? Not sure, it’s been so long since I last watched this one. I think this song was shot in London. Fog, blinking lights, African dancers and all that.

Bachna Ae Haseeno (Hum Kisise Kum Nahin)

R.D. Boss again. Nasir Hussain tried disco for the first time in his movies with this one. Rishi Kapoor fit into the Disco mold like a glove. Tangy spicy hot mirchi of a song. And like stupid idiots we would jump in front of the girls sitting in class next to ours and dish out this song.

Jawani Jan-E-Man (Namak Halaal)

Prakash Mehra was one of the few top directors in the eighties who tried a hand at disco and how? The late Parveen Babi singing in the Hotel, Shashi Kapoor mesmerized by her beauty while his in-the-movie sidekick Amitabh Bachchan making sure no one disturbs his boss as he listens to the song. The huge spiky glowing object on stage, Parveen Babi’s silver getup… and add to that, yes… once again… Bappi Lahiri’s disco tunes… this was magic.

Raat Baaki Baat Baaki (Namak Halaal)

Somehow Bappi Lahiri’s “real” talent has come out far and few inbetween. Namak Halaal saw him drive ahead at full throttle. This one had a haunting tune and a whistle to it, which fits into the film’s situation, where thugs are out to kill Shashi Kapoor right after this song… Amitabh perfectly complimented this song with his comic something’s suspicious look.

Hari Om Hari (Armaan)

A forgettable movie, but this song - a plain vanilla copy of Abba’s hit - was played in every gulli and nukkad. Usha Uthup’s one of the few hits. Music by? Guess? Bappi Lahiri.

Pyar Mein Dil Pe Maar ke Goli (Mahaan)

O this song had such a passion in it. R.D. Boss’ scintillating tune. The remixes of this song don’t even come anywhere near to this original.

Jahaan Teri Yeh Nazaar Hain (Kaalia)

The one strong memory about this one was that I refused to believe it was a R.D. Burman song. This one seemed so different from the Pancham-da school of music. But therein lay the genius of Pancham-da a.k.a. R.D. Burman.

This was one song which was played again and again at every Bombay disco worth its salt, back in the nineties.

Yaar Bina Chain Kahaan Re (Saaheb)

Oye? Anil Kapoor and Amrita Singh breakdancing at Fort Area in Bombay. Sona nahin chaandi nahin yaar to mila, arey pyaar karle…. and it’s difficult to believe but the tunes are by Bappi Lahiri… again!!!

Udi Baba Udi Baba (Vidhaata)

Padmini Kolhapure sings this one on screen. A aa e e uu uu A aiye udi baba udi baba udi baba… nasha yeh kaisa… Mercifully the music was not provided by Bappi Lahiri this time. It was Kalyanji Anandji.

Disco 82 (Khuddar)

Vinod Mehra and Kalpana Iyer on screen. Music by Rajesh Roshan. The song ends with Vinod Mehra getting a huge thrashing from his in the movie elder brother Amitabh Bachchan.

Pyar Karne Waale (Shaan)

Doston, zindagi haseen hain, magar sirf unke liye, jinhone pyar kiya hain. Kyonki sirf pyar karnewale jaante hain ke aan baan aur shaan se jeena kise kehte hain…

R.D. Boss’s I wanna move fast beats, high tempo, amazing pump you up with energy music, a classy and hot looking Parveen Babi and you are sucked into this song.

Nisha – Jaane Jaan (Sanam Teri Kasam)

Reena Roy and her chunky friends spoil our dear Kamal Hassan’s show on screen, by going Nisha aha ha aha ha Nisha… The song was another R.D. Burman hit.

This was one of Narendra Bedi’s last movies. In case you are into Bollywood movies and have no clue about Narendra Bedi’s works, I strongly urge you to check this link which lists his movies. My favourites include Jawani Diwani, Khotte Sikkay, Benaam, Rafoo Chakkar and Adaalat.

Om Shanti Om (Karz)

This song sent everyone in a tizzy. Rishi Kapoor dancing on the rotating floor and asking his onscreen audience “Hey… tumne kabhi kisi se pyaar kiya??? ” Kiya kiya kiya, yeh song se bahut pyaar kiya. Laxmikant Pyrelal’s music. The other famous one which this duo gave us was “Jumma Chumma De De” from Hum.

If you notice it were R.D. Burman and Bappi Lahiri all the way carrying the disco wave through Bollywood. Bappi later ventured into his copy the English song mode and if he wasn’t doing that he was belting out “Jhopdi mein char paaee… ” or “Ek aankh maroo toh pad-da hat jaye, doojee aankh maroo kaleja kat jaye” or “Himmat dekhoon taqat dekhoon ya main teri soorat dekhoon, Mere yaar mere pyaar dekhe nigahen hazaar….(beats) Ankhen do ankhen do” and tons of other similar shitty stuff.

R.D. got lost in the Bappi Lahiri-Laxmikant Pyrelal wave of the 80s. It was tragic and hearbreaking to note that in a recent interview Annu Mallik mentioned how RD hid on seeing Annu Mallik at the HMV office in Bombay. He did not want Annu (a complete new comer then) to know that he - RD - the big boss was at HMV’s office to ask for work… This is how true genius artists have been treated in Bollywood.

Disco declined after Bollywood forgot RD and when some of the big budget films like “Star” flopped miserably. But while it lasted… it was quite a trip. No remixes no jhankaar beats… just pure original music. It was a time to Disco…

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 8th, 2006 at 1:47 pm and is filed under Bollywood, Music.
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