1993 – My Favourites

It was in August 2019, I published my 1992 favourites. After a gap of five months, I’m back with yearly song review post, my favourites from 1993.

In 1993, I was in 9th standard. So whenever I hear any song from the year, I remember those days fondly. Those were the days! The private channels had just entered the world of television and cable connections were something of a novelty. There was no internet, no mobile phones. Even the land-line phones were relatively sparse. Telephone booths and coin box telephones were the norm. We had our land-line phone just installed in our home. Those were the days of simplicity, peace and quiet. The two wheeler vehicles were also a sort of a status symbol, and very few people had their own cars. But it was a beginning for video cassette players and recorders. So video cassette libraries were very popular. Even the video cassette players were available on a rental basis, and we used to plan for it on a holiday.
On a serious note, the year also brings memories of the serial bomb blasts, Mumbai experienced on 12th March. The exam fever was on, and tenth board exams were going on. It was a horrifying experience and entire country was living in fear of terrorism. Life went on of course, and hats off to the spirit of Mumbaikars, who courageously resumed daily activities in early course.

Oh! I am thinking out loud, aren’t I. Let’s get on with it then. The decade of the 90s was relatively very good for Hindi film songs and melody was back after a chaos by the disco beats in the late 80s.

Let’s see the list of prominent debutantes in the year 1993 –
Saif Ali Khan and Mamta Kulkarni in Aashik Aawara
Shilpa Shetty in Baazigar
Tisca Chopra (neé Priya Arora) in Platform
Atul Agnihotri in Sir
Venkatesh in Anari (Bollywood Debut)
Mukesh Rishi (as antagonist) in Gardish

Popular composers, singers and lyricists of 1993 –
If we look at the films, Nadeem Shravan clearly superseded all the other composers as far as the maximum number of popular songs are concerned. They consistently scored popular songs throughout 1993, though couldn’t make a mark on Filmfare Awards. But their magic was working well. They had a tough fight with Anu Malik.
Anu Malik debuted in 1980 as a Hindi film composer, but had to wait for thirteen long years to get acclaim. A film or two like Sohni Mahiwal (1984) and Mard (1985) were successful, but he came in the limelight with Bazzigar and Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi in 1993. All the songs of both the films were superhits and Anu Malik achieved fame and success. His success story then continued in the 90s and the 2000s too.
Anand Milind delivered popular songs in 1993, though their songs were too stereotyped and had a similar overall treatment. They slowly faded away in the late 1990s.
Older generation of composers, Laxmikant Pyarelal made a mark again with Khalnayak, though the songs were rather talked about for the controversial ‘Chholi Ke Peechhe Kya Hai’. But they were still in the race. On the other hand, R D Burman was no longer magical, just a song or two for a few movies. Still one of his songs has made it to the final list. Shiv Hari also had three releases in 1993, but except Darr, other films could not get popular.
To talk about the lyricists, Sameer and Anand Bakshi have appeared frequently on today’s list. In general, Sameer was among the most popular and successful lyricists in 1993. Of course, he won Best Lyricist Award at Filmfare. Anand Bakshi was still scoring with his popular songs and was in the race at the filmfare awards. My list also has a couple of songs by Gulzar. No need to say much about him. His songs are a class apart, but his lyrics could be a little difficult to decipher, though they carry a deeper meaning.
Alka Yagnik was a definite winner that year, all the nominations at Filmfare for Best Female playback had her name. No doubt she is talented, and her sweet and expressive voice has won our hearts. She was also awarded Best Playback Singer Female at the National Film. Awards for ‘Ghunghat Ki Aad Se’ from Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke. Kumar Sanu had a number of hits with all the leading composers in 1993. He carved his name on the Filmfare Best Male Singer trophy as well.

And, an overview of the films released in the year. The ones that get a place on the final list, will not be discussed here.

Aaina was a story about two sisters, who fall in love with the same man (Jakie Shroff). The ambitious sister (Amrita Singh) cheats on her fiance, who then marries the other sister. After usual and predictable twists N turns, the couple (Juhi Chawla & Jakie Shroff) reunites. Amrita Singh was in her second innings, as her most of the roles were of the supporting cast. She did her job so well that the film fetched her Filmfare Best supporting actress trophy. The film did well, though not my favourite. A couple of songs were popular, and it featured Lata and Asha’s last song together ‘Aaina Hai Mera Chehra’, a trio with Suresh Wadkar.

Aankhen was a David Dhawan film and was the top grosser of the year 1993. I am not particularly fond of Govinda films, so I didn’t watch it. I don’t remember any song either.

 

I have already mentioned about Aashik Awara being the debut film for Saif Ali Khan & Mamata Kulkarni. Both of them received new promising debut awards at the Filmfare. The title track of the movie was quite popular, though now it is hardly remembered.
Karishma Kapoor began in 1991, but her career graph was not impressive, she did not get movies to showcase her full potential. But her movie, Anari was very popular and successful at the box office.

The songs from the movie were popular too, and I must mention,‘Kya Mausam Aaya Hai’ and ‘Phoolon Sa Chehra Tera’ among the most popular songs of the year. I am not inclined to those songs, so the film couldn’t reach today’s list. But Venkatesh’s Bollywood debut was much appreciated.

Manisha Koirala and Rishi Kapoor starrer ‘Anmol’ couldn’t create magic, but I do remember, ‘Dil Ki Lagi Kahe Jane Na’ being popular for a while in the year. Manisha Koirala did a few more films in the year, but did not succeed.
Wasn’t a good year for Madhuri Dixit as well. Though Khalanayak was highly popular, the controversial song claimed a big share in the popularity of the film. Her dancing talent was partly responsible for the song’s success though. Her other films, Dil Tera Aashiq, Sahiban and Aansoo Bane Angarey didn’t get much attention. but Dil Tera Aashiq was a musically successful film, but box office failure. Aansoo Bane Angarey had Madhuri in a different kind of role, but wasn’t successful.

Aayesha Jhulka also didn’t do well in the year, though the songs of the movie, Balma did stir the air for a while.

Her movie, Dalaal was again among controversy for its double meaning song ,‘Gutar Gutar’. It was one of Bappi Lahiri’s last films with Mithun Chakraborty. It was among the top ten movies of the year. I haven’t watched it, so I can’t comment . But it didn’t help Aayesha build her career.
Kishori Shahane’s ‘Bomb Blast’ would be her most popular Hindi film and it also started the budding romance between her and Deepak Vij, who later married her.

Sawan Kumar Tank’s ‘Khalnaaika’ also got released with Khalnayak.

Anu Agarwal performed a negative role, but the movie wasn’t a big success. Her career graph never reached high, as was expected after Aashiqui. I however remember the title track of Khalnaaika, as it was always played on the radio that year and the tune was catchy. It had a combination of two different moods, happy and calm verses, revengeful.
Anu Agrawal was also seen that year in King Uncle, a Rakesh Roshan movie. Jackie Shroff as a strict uncle was very much appreciated. But the film didn’t help boost Anu’s career. I do remember a couple of songs and a parody as well from the movie, but not so favourite to make up to the final list.
Juhi Chawla had a successful year, her films did well at the box office. We have already discussed ‘Aaina’.

Her other film, Lootere, showed her in a different glamorous way. She proved herself fit for all kinds of roles. Her carefree and bold attitude in a song from the movie made all awestruck. She looked glamorous but miles away from vulgarity. We’ll discuss ‘Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke’ in the song list.

I would mention the movie, Pehla Nasha, as it was a directorial debut of Ashutosh Gowarikar.

If I’m not wrong, it was Deepak Tojiri’s first movie as a main lead. The movie wasn’t successful at the box office and Deepak Tijori could not get roles as a main lead. He was actually quite popular as a side hero, but some actors get typecast as a side hero and never get opportunities for the main lead.
It was a bad year for Sridevi, whose four major releases were not successful. Though she sparkled in Gumrah, the film saw failure at the box office. The story repeated itself for ‘Roop Ki Rani Chaoron Ka Raja’.

It was Boney Kapoor’s dream project and had a big budget. It also took a long making. Its dance sets and costumes were also allegedly very expensive. But the much hyped film saw utter failure at the box office. Her third movie, Chandramukhi was a fantasy film and despite her jovial screen presence and melodious songs, it couldn’t succeed. Her fourth film, ‘Gurudev’, starring Rishi Kapoor and Anil Kapoor also flopped. She played a double role in the movie. I still remember the catchy and crisp ‘Jaipur Se Nikali Gadi’ from the movie.

Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Sir’ marked the debut of actor, Atul Agnihotri. The story and acting were appreciated, and Paresh Rawal received an award for Best performance in a negative role at the Filmfare.
I would like to mention a couple of movies that allegedly had similar stories and were released in the same year. The films were, J P Dutta’s Kshatriya and Yash Chopra’s Parampara.
I now don’t remember the details of the movies, though I like a song each from the movies. ‘Main Khinchi Chali Aayi Piya’ from Kshatriya and ‘Phoolon Ke Is Shehar Mein’ from Parampara.
Roja was released on 15th August 1992 in Tamil. After its huge popularity, it was dubbed in Hindi and was released in 1993. I’ve added my favourite in the list of 1992. So I won’t repeat it today.
Mehul Kumar’s film, ‘Tiranga’ brought together Rajkumar and Nana Patekar. Action thrillers were never my cup of tea, so I stayed away from the film. But it was a hit movie.
Before I conclude, I want to mention a film, Papeeha directed by Sai Paranjape. I remember watching it on Doordarshan. I don’t remember the story in detail, but I did like it. I came across it again while I was going through the films of 1993. I think I am going to watch it again someday.
There is one more interesting movie to mention, Professor Ki Padosan.

The movie began in the 1980s with Sanjeev Kumar, Asha Parekh and Padmini Kolhapure. After Sanjeev Kumar’s death in 1985, the film came to an halt. It was later completed with a few changes in the script to make Sanjeev Kumar’s character invisible. After Sudesh Bhosle dubbed Sanjeev Kumar’s part, it was released in 1993. It was an interesting trivia that I came across during the research.

Let’s go to the song list, my favourites from the year 1993 from Hindi films, in no particular order.

1. Ghunghat Ki Aad Se Dilbar Ka – Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke (1993) Alka Yagnik & Kumar Sanu / Nadeem Shravan – Sameer
A romantic song, picturised in a beautiful way. It also highlights the simplicity of the era too. Juhi Chawla looks absolutely beautiful in the entire film, with natural makeup and simple attire. Such a realistic character! We can easily relate to all the characters in the movie.
I’m very fond of the film, which was very simple, no side plots, no unnecessary skin show. Very neat and clean plain story, but presented with a touch of humour. Natural and spontaneous acting by Juhi Chawla and Amir Khan was the main attraction, along with Mahesh Bhatt’s direction and melodious songs. No wonder it was awarded with the titles of best Film and best Actress at the Filmfare Awards. All the songs were immensely popular, and also fetched best female playback singer award at National Film Awards to Alka Yagnik.

2. Tere Pyar Ko Salam O Sanam – Gumrah (1993) Alka Yagnik / Laxmikant Pyarelal – Anand Bakshi
The film couldn’t do well at the Box office despite excellent performance by Sridevi. I know the songs were not very popular. But the song always makes me remember Sridevi and her fabulous performance in Gumrah. It was a very interesting and thrilling movie. Certainly one of Sridevi’s best performances. She’s just wonderful. Look at her energy, expressions and though not very complicated, her graceful dance steps.
I still can’t believe she’s no more.

3. Chhupana Bhi Nahi Aata – Baazigar (1993) Vinod Rathore / Anu Malik – Rani Malik
The film had a number of popular songs. I wouldn’t have believed in 1993 that I would choose the mentioned song for a song list 25 years later. But as the years passed, the only song picturised on Sushant Ray, became the most favourite. The soulful song describes the unrequited love of inspector, played by Sushant for his college mate, Kajol. The singer, Vinod Rathore also appears in a cameo.
Baazigar was a little different in the sense, the hero is also antagonist and he is clearly a villain right from the beginning. Shah Rukh Khan had the guts to accept such a role. Shilpa Shetty in her debut had nothing much to do and her role was of small length. I remember the film also for the hilarious character, Johnny Lever plays.

4. Jadu Teri Nazar – Darr (1993) Udit Narayan / Shiv Hari – Anand Bakshi
The song used to top the countdown show, Philips top ten. The show was very popular and it was sort of Binaca Geetmala of our generation. Coming to the song, the opening guitar piece was very popular. As soon as the slow paced guitar piece ends the fast paced song starts. It’s very catchy and the guitar pieces throughout the song are very attractive and capture the attention. Of course, fresh and lively looking Juhi Chawla was another attraction. The film also portrayed Shah Rukh Khan as an antagonist, and it was very courageous on his part to accept such a role, in the initial part of his career. He did the same in Baazigar as well.

5. Gawah Hai Chand Taare – Damini (1993) Alka Yagnik & Kumar Sanu / Nadeem Shravan – Sameer
I came across the original song by Miriam Makeba, while I was researching for my last post. Though the tune is copied, I’m very fond of the song, so I included it on the list. Damini had only three songs all very early in the movie. Of course the film had many things to offer. In addition to a strong story and insightful direction, all the actors made it memorable with their career best performances. It handled a sensitive issue of rape and really was an experience. I want to mention particularly about Meenakshi Sheshadri and Sunny Deol. Though the former didn’t get any award, it was an excellent performance. The latter was awarded with the best supporting actor trophy, at the National Film Awards and Filmfare both. Amrish Puri’s brutal lawyer was impressive as well.
Sunny Deol’s crisp dialogues are still famous and are often heard in popular culture. “Tarikh Pe Tarikh” & “Yeh Dhai Kilo Ka Haath” are the most popular.

6. Palki Mein Hoke Sawar Chali Re – Khanayak (1993) Alka Yagnik & Chorus / Laxmikant Pyarelal – Anand Bakshi
It’s a melodious song, and Madhuri Dixit looks absoultely beautiful in the pink saree. Khalnayak was quite popular and was engulfed in the controversy regarding the song, ‘Choli Ke Peechhe Kya Hai’ before its release. If I remember correctly, the song was scrutinized by a panel of lawyers, which cleared it of vulgarity. The dance and the song were extremely popular, the singer Ila Arun suddenly came in limelight. Sanjay Dutt was allegedly connected with the Mumbai bomb blast case. His character of the villain in the film, ‘Bal.lu’ was very realistic, and few considered him a villain in real life as well. His alleged affair with Madhuri Dixit was also talked about a lot in the year. For me, the movie was average with typical Subhash Ghai styled long climax.
The Filmfare Awards saw the film winning in a couple of categories, Best Female Playback Singer and Best Choreographer. Saroj Khan had a sort of a record of winning the award for a few years with Madhuri Dixit.

7. Tere Dar Par Sanam Chale Aaye – Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi (1993) Kumar Sanu & Sadhna Sargam (sung separately) / Anu Malik – Qateel Shifai
Mahesh Bhatt had three of his films released in the year. The mentioned one was a telefilm, that premiered on Zee TV in the month of June. The songs of the movie were hugely popular, and some of them stood the test of time. The mentioned song should be included in the category. The song has two versions, both included in the movie. Anu Malik got two big successful films in the year, and that definitely boosted his career. The film had Rahul Roy, Pooja Bhatt and Pooja Bedi and then the film was allegedly based on a part of Mahesh Bhatt’s life. However, the film was released on TV and wasn’t much appreciated. But for me, the songs are among the best music scores by Malik.

Lip synced by Rahul Roy, the male version appears as a rendition in a party. His eyes keep on searching for Pooja Bhatt.

The female version is a background song, where Pooja Bhatt passionately longs for Rahul Roy.

8. Dil Hoom Hoom Kare – Rudaali (1993) Lata Mangeshkar / Bhupen Hazarika – Gulzar
A little too high pitched composition. But a good song, that has the verses in slightly different tunes. The second verse starts at a low octave, but soon reaches high octave. The other song, ‘Jhoothi Moothi Mitwa’ also has a very high pitch.
Rudaali was a film by Kalpana Lajmi, based on a Bengali story by Mahashweta Devi. It talks about a custom in Rajasthan, where ladies are hired as professional mourners on death of upper caste males. The film fetched Best Actress Award for Dimple Kapadia at the National Film Awards. The film also received, National Award for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. It was one of the last films of Amjed Khan. I don’t remember if the film did well or not. But such films are usually looked up as art films and only a selected group of audience goes for it.
One of the attractions was the music by Bhupen Hazarika, with renditions by Lata Mangeshkar and the composer himself. It was much appreciated and is considered among the best music scores by Hazarika.

9. Dil Tera Aashiq – Dil Tera Aashiq (1993) Alka Yagnik & Kumar Sanu / Nadeem Shravan – Sameer
With the storyline somewhat similar to the Shammi Kapoor starrer, Professor, the movie had nothing new to offer. The songs however were melodious and were much popular those days. So even if it was an average movie, I still remember the songs. Mainly the title track is most melodious. But I also like, ‘Mujhe Kuchh Kehna Hai Aap Ko’ and ‘Kam Se Kam Itna Kaha Hota’. Madhuri’s talent was wasted in such movies. Though capable she didn’t receive many challenging roles in her career. On the other hand, whenever she tried such roles, the films were not successful. Audience always wanted her dance numbers, they never cared for her acting talent. Of course, it’s my personal opinion.

10. Hum Na Samajhe The – Gardish (1993) S P Balasubramanium / R D Burman – Javed Akhtar
I couldn’t watch the movie then and now I want to watch it. The story does seem intriguing. Till then I will listen to the song. It was popular at that time and I guess, it’s still! It was considered one of the best performances by Jackie Shroff. I’m sure Amrish Puri must have excelled as well.
Watching the video will be more informative. It gives a good background to the lyrics, a man describing his broken dreams.
Click here for the video

11. Ek Haseen Nigah Ka – Maya Memsaab (1993) Kumar Sanu / Hridaynath Mangeshkar – Gulzar
Those who are well acquainted with the compositions by Hridaynath Mangeshkar won’t be surprised with this one! What a totally different song. In contrast to the average Bollywood songs, the song stands out. The tunes of the verses and the mukhda are different. He composed for a less number of Hindi movies, but whatever he did was good.
What a wonderful picturisation the song has! What picturesque nature. The tall trees, the thick snow, the flowery vallies, all so beautiful.
The Ketan Mehta movie was also controversial due to allegedly objectionable scenes. Shah Rukh Khan was also a part of it. It was about extramarital affairs of a lady, with three men. I haven’t watched the movie yet. I think it was certified as an adult movie and a school going boy was not allowed. And later I didn’t care much about it.

12. Teri Hi Aarzoo Hai – Chandramukhi (1993) Kavita Krishnamurthy & S P Balasubramanium / Anand Milind – Sameer
The story was Salman Khan’s idea. It was a fantasy movie about a fairyland away from the earth. The princess of the planet has a fascination for the earth. The story revolves around a boy, who is turned into an adult by the fairy princess and the tale that follows. The pairing of Sridevi opposite Salman Khan wasn’t much appealing to the audience. And Salman Khan with his long mane was really irritating. There were issues with continuity as well. Salman’s ever changing hair length makes us wonder about it. (Take the example of the mentioned song). Sridevi’s looks also change, she appears much older in some of the parts. The film must have taken a long time in the making. The end result of course wasn’t impressive, though Sridevi tried her best to save the film. She’s the only attraction other than the songs. The latter were very popular and over the years, the mentioned song has stood up to the test of time.

13. Tujhe Na Dekhoon To Chain – Rang (1993) Alka Yagnik & Kumar Sanu / Nadeem Shravan – Sameer
The song was really very popular, along with other songs like, ‘Har Sawal Ka Jawab’. It was the last film featuring Divya Bharati. Her last shooting for the film was the song mentioned here. The film was a hit, and was dedicated to her fond memories.
The films featuring Divya Bharati which were near complete, were simply completed with a dummy. She was replaced by another actress where the movies had just begun. The prime example of the latter is Ladla, Sridevi replacing Divya Bharati.
In fact some of the scenes in the interludes of the said song were shot with another actress (Rambha?) who resembled her in long shots. Her sudden death was a great shock to all her fans. She was too young to die, and would have had a long and successful career waiting ahead. The truth behind her death was never revealed. Was it really an accident?

14. Ek Din Jhagada Ek Din Pyar – Platform (1993) Sadhna Sargam & Kumar Sanu / Anand Milind – Sameer
I don’t think the movie did well at the Box office, but the majority of the songs were good and popular. Ajay Devgan was establishing himself as an action hero and all of his films used to have fight scenes. But the films always had a romantic angle as well and of course in the scenario, melodious songs would be necessary.
The song depicts a faux nok-jhonk between the couple. Tisca Chopra debuted with her maiden name Priya Arora. Though I don’t care for the movie, I’m very much fond of the song. Anand Milind’s music became too stereotyped very soon. The same interlude pieces of flute and same rhythm in the majority of the songs very soon ended their career in popular Hindi cinema. They however continued their journey, but lost the magic. Very contrary to their father, Chitragupta who’s magic lasted for two decades.

15. Kaise Jiyunga Main – Sahiban (1993) Jolley Mukherji & Anuradha Paudwal / Shiv Hari – Anand Bakshi
The song with a touch of raag Pahadi, is very melodious. The movie otherwise had nothing memorable. Madhuri’s choice of movies was certainly not good. Many films made me wonder why she accepted the films? Why didn’t she insist on a different or challenging role than to accept the films with dance numbers.

Would you add your favourite to the list?

Disclaimer –
Mehfil Mein Meri, claims no credit for any image, movie poster, screenshots or songs posted on this site. Images on this blog are posted to make the text interesting. The images, movie posters and screenshots are the copyright of their original owners. The song links are shared from YouTube, only for the listening convenience of music lovers. The copyright of these songs rests with the respective owners, producers and music companies.