1995 – My Favourites

The year 2020 is (finally) heading toward the most awaited end. The first wave of Covid pandemic is subsiding in India, though the frightening stories of the second Covid wave in Europe, send chills down my spine. It’s far too depressing. But life continues. The show must go on. Let’s try and distract our minds with songs.

This year the film DDLJ completes 25 years. I thought it’s a good opportunity to continue my 90s series and talk about my favourites from the year 1995.

The year was full of studies for me, as I was going to appear for the 12th board exams in March 1996. There was no separate entrance exam till then and all we had to do was to study hard for the board exams. Still I used to watch movies and listen to the songs, maybe on a lesser scale. I can still remember I watched only a couple of movies in theatre that year, DDLJ (fortunately Yash Chopra movies always used to release near Diwali) and Rangeela. But my parents never restricted me from listening to the songs. That time only cassette players were popular, CDs were a sort of costly affair.
No internet, no social media, no mobiles. Wow! Just a simple and calm life. Only worries were that of studies and board exams. There used to healthy competition between students and students getting into depression and committing suicide was very rare. Neither peer pressure nor abnormal parental pressure.
Private channels were rapidly gaining popularity and it was a major setback for Doordarshan.
There never used to be unnaturally heavy rains, blocking of roads or heavy flood situations etc. The balance of nature was not much disturbed I guess!

Anyways, let’s turn to the topic.

Let’s have a look at the major debutantes –
Bobby Deol and Twinkle Khanna in Barsaat
Sanjay Kapoor in Prem
Parmeet Sethi & Mandira Bedi in DDLJ

Popular lyricists, composers and playback singers of the year –
The year saw a number of popular songs, and popularity of the song album became the mirror of film’s popularity. The songs decided the fate of the films, though the top grossers were good at all the departments including music. A R Rahman received the Best music director trophy at the Filmfare for Rangeela, which was the highest selling album of the year. It was his first Hindi movie, the dubbed songs of Bombay were also released in the same year. And popularity of both the albums made him a smash hit composer of the year. He also had won upcoming music talent the previous year. He soon became a new heart throb of the nation.
It would be very interesting to know the other music awards were grabbed by DDLJ, except The best female playback singer award. Kavita Krishnamurthy received the latter for the immensely popular song from Yaraana.
1994 was a fresh beginning for Anu Malik, who started his second innings and achieved tremendous popularity. The trend continued the next year as well, though the Filmfare award was yet a dream. Nadeem Shravan had a couple of super hits, though somewhat less magical. Anand Milind continued composing for Hindi films, though now the duo wasn’t among most successful composers. Their songs had similar tunes and the interludes also started sounding very monotonous, in my opinion. M M Kreem had a huge blast with the movie, Criminal, where the song Tum Mile Dil Khile became popular among masses and classes. Laxmikant Pyarelal had less films, though a couple of songs from the movie, Prem stirred the air for a while.
Playback singers were the same, the full decade of 90s belonged to Alka Yagnik, Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan and Kavita Krishnamurthy. Sadhna Sargam though sang for a lot of films, couldn’t get the same popularity. The Mangeshkar sisters were still in action and Asha Bhosle sang for Rangeela under Rahman’s baton for the first time. She recorded a couple of songs and was awarded with a special award for the songs at the Filmfare. Navin Dave, Chandana Dixit were the new playback singers. Though the latter did sing for a few more films, I never heard of the former, at least in popular Hindi films.
Sameer obviously had another successful year. Veterans like Anand Bakshi, Majrooh, Indeevar also did well in the year. The extreme popularity of DDLJ fetched Anand Bakshi the best lyricist Filmfare award. Mehboob mainly penned songs for Rahman. Maya Govind, who is perhaps the only female lyricist of Hindi films also had her share.

Let’s have an overview of the prominent films released that year. As usual the films discussed on the list wouldn’t be discussed in the section.

The year started with Karan Arjun releasing on 13th January. It was a super hit. Nothing much happened later in the first three months, except the movie, Najaayaz releasing in mid March. It’s curious to know that no movie was released in the month of February.
Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Baazi was released in the second week of April.

Except, a couple of songs, I don’t remember much about it. The film didn’t perform well, it was a flop. Amir Khan’s club song (disguised as a female dancer), based on the ‘Come September’ tune, did catch the eye, so did the romantic duet, Dheere Dheere Aap Mere. Both the songs were ‘inspired’ ones. Amir Khan had three more films, and except Aatank Hi Aatank, the rest two are still remembered.

Akshay Kumar had four films in the year, but except Sabse Bada Khiladi, the others were a failure. The former started the ‘Khiladi’ series of his films. The film was among the top ten grossers of the year. The song, Bholi Bhali Ladki was very popular, though it hardly impresses me today.

Sanjay Kapoor is Anil Kapoor’s younger brother, who debuted opposite Tabu in Prem. It was a flop. But the same year, she appeared opposite Madhuri Dixit in Raja, which was a super hit.

Gulshan Kumar debuted as a director with the film, Bewafa Sanam, which was declared a super hit at the box office. Sonu Nigam got an initial break with the film as he was the main singer for the movie.

Though the songs ‘Achha Sila Diya Tune’ and ‘Ishq Mein Hum Tumhe Kya Bataye’, were extremely popular among the masses, I’m not much of a fan of the songs. The year also saw the directorial debut of Anees Bazmi with Hulchul, and Shafi Inamdar with Hum Dono. Both the films were average at the box office.
Ajay Devgan had an average year with four releases. All the films were in tune with his image as an action hero. None was successful at the box office. But his performance in Hulchul and Najaayaz was actually good. Both the films also had good songs.

Govinda had a number of releases in the year, but out of the six movies, only one could be super hit. Also the film Gambler is remembered for the songs by Devang Patel.

Juhi Chawla had an average year with four releases. 1993 – 94 was successful for her, but 1995 couldn’t create magic for her. But I liked her performance in Najaayaz.
Madhuri Dixit having had a blast with HAHK the previous year, again got a super hit with Raja, but other couple of films couldn’t succeed.

Shah Rukh Khan had seven releases (can anyone beat this number? At least not so easy) including a couple of super hits and five average hits. Though I guess, Ram Jane and Trimurti were declared hits and were among the top ten grossers of the year.

Not being a Subhash Ghai fan, I didn’t watch the latter and I don’t have an inclination for action movies, so skipped the former. But I do remember the song, ‘Duniya Re Duniya Very Good, Very Good’ from Trimurti.

The story line of ‘Oh Darling Yeh Hai India!’ does sound interesting and a bit different from routine Bollywood films, though the film was a box office disaster.

And before we turn to the song list, a word about Govind Nihlani’s Droh Kaal. Simultaneously made in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, it was India’s official entry to Academy awards. With the talented team of Om Puri, Nasiruddin Shah, Ashish Vidyarthi, Meeta Vashishth, it was not surprising that the latter two received the Best supporting actor/actress awards at various award ceremonies.

The plot of the film looks very interesting, I should watch it someday. It is said that A R Rahman was supposed to debut in Hindi films with this one, but due to a technical problem with his computer had to leave the film.

Let’s hit the list. My favourites from the year 1995, in no particular order.

1. Na Jane Mere Dil Ko – Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995) Lata Mangeshkar & Udit Narayan / Jatin Lalit – Anand Bakshi
It was very difficult to choose a song among all the hits. I chose the one, where the couple realizes their love for each other. Both can’t think of anything, but each other. The picturisation is also quite interesting. SRK’s typical mannerisms also became popular. Kajol’s most natural acting took her directly to number one position.
DDLJ is one of the most successful and the most popular Hindi films. It was running in one of the theatres in Mumbai for more than 20 years, albeit for the matinee show for the last decade or so.
It created magic when it was first released. HAHK started the trend of family movies, full of Indian values and traditions. DDLJ further expanded it by adding NRI angle to it. The story was presented in a fresh way, with a very good on screen couple. The chemistry between SRK and Kajol is amazing. It helped SRK establish his romantic boy image. He became The King Khan after the release of the film. Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, Anupam Kher, even Himani Shivpuri in a small role, all supported the story excellently. Jatin Lalit composed typical Yash Chopra tunes that became tremendously popular. Karan Johar played a small role in the movie, in addition he also designed SRK’s costumes and Manish Malhotra for Kajol. Aditya Chopra excelled in his directorial debut, while he was still in his early 20s. He won the Filmfare Best director award, the film won nine other awards, including Best Actor, Actress, Best supporting actress, Best film, Best lyricist etc.

2. Pyar Ye Jane Kaisa Hai – Rangeela (1995) Suresh Wadkar & Kavita Krishnamurthy / A R Rahman – Mehboob
   Rangeela was released in September. As it was Rahman’s first Hindi venture, songs were already popular and people were crazy about the songs by Asha Bhosle. The entire album was popular and it was difficult for me to choose a song for the list. I was torn between the tapori songs, Yaaron Sun Lo Zara, and Kya Karen Kya Na Karen on one side, while the sensuous Hay Rama Ye Kya Hua and the sizzling Mangta Hai Kya on the other. Finally I decided to go for the soothing Pyar Ye Jane Kaisa Hai.
   Amir Khan’s Munna, Urmila Matondkar’s Mili, and Jackie Shroff’s Kamal, all were adored by the audience.
   Ram Gopal Verma changed the style of presentation of Bollywood movies. Urmila hasn’t had a bold image before, but the film changed her image forever. The move was acclaimed and criticised by the audience. Some liked it, others found it unnecessary. Urmila was denounced for resorting to the skin-show for popularity. But she became popular overnight, is a fact. Amir played a tapori role for the first time, but he managed it well. The film also received best choreography Filmfare award (Ahmed Khan) and best costume design (Manish Malhotra). Both of them established themselves in respective fields thereafter.

3. Nahin Yeh Ho Nahi Sakta – Barsaat (1995) Sadhna Sargam & Kumar Sanu / Nadeem Shravan – Sameer
   There was a very tough competition for Nadeem Shravan in the year. While the duo managed to score popular songs for a couple of films, their magic waned a bit. The songs were hugely popular and in addition to the mentioned song, Teri Adaaon Pe Marta Hoon is my favourite. The film took a long time in making, Shekhar Kapoor was supposed to direct it. He left it for Bandit Queen and Rajkumar Santoshi took over. The lead pair was allegedly not friendly with each other. The film however became a hit.

4. Aankhiyan Milaun Kabhi Aankhiyan Churaun – Raja (1995) Udit Narayan & Alka Yagnik / Nadeem Shravan – Sameer
   The song was very popular, thanks to Madhuri Dixit and choreographer Saroj Khan. Madhuri’s eye movements, facial expressions and other dance steps were the major attractions of the song. The catchy tune and beats also had a share.
   While the film was the third top grosser of the year, I never came around watching it. Though I like a couple of songs, it’s basically Madhuri Dixit who’s responsible for it. The songs are not great in my opinion. In addition to the mentioned song, ‘Nazaren Mili Dil Dhadka’ was quite popular. The latter was based on the popular tune from Come September.

5. Raja Ko Rani Se – Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995) Udit Narayan & Alka Yagnik / Anu Malik – Majrooh
   Portraying the ego clashes between a couple, the film was acclaimed for the performances by the lead pair, Amir Khan and Manisha Koirala. The latter was also nominated for the best actress category at the Filmfare. As the lead pair was a singer, the film had good songs. Though not all the songs were memorable, the mentioned song has managed to maintain its popularity even after 25 years. Manisha Koirala had guts to perform on screen mother in the early years of her career. She had a chance to perform different roles in the year.

6. Tum Mile Dil Khile – Criminal (1995) Alka Yagnik & Kumar Sanu / M M Kreem – Indeevar
   The film had a good plot and it was a hit. The songs were popular, but this song still maintains its place in people’s minds. It’s interesting to know that the humming in the song (the most enchanting and difficult part to sing) was originally sung by Chitra for the Telugu version and it was kept the same for the Hindi version as well. The verses were sung by Alka Yagnik. The male version and the duet version both became popular. Let’s hear the duet. Veteran lyricist Indeevar penned all the songs for the Hindi version. Interesting orchestration, pleasing to the ears. It’s a honeymoon song, so it is picturised accordingly.

7. Kya Tum Mujhse Pyar Karte Ho – Naajayaz (1995) Alka Yagnik & Kumar Sanu / Anu Mailk – Indeevar
   Naajayaz was a good movie, though it wasn’t very successful. The story wasn’t different, but the performances by all the lead and supporting artists were good. Inspector Jay (Ajay Devgan) is an illegitimate son of a gangster, Raj Solankhi (Nasiruddin Shah). Unaware of the fact, Jay considers his father dead. He fights against Raj. One-day Raj comes to know about his illegitimate son and complex emotional entanglement ensues. Jay’s colleague Inspector Sandhya (Juhi Chawla) handles the situation with utmost gentleness and supports Jay emotionally. Director Mahesh Bhatt has handled it well. The mentioned song is a soft romantic expression of their love. I guess, ‘Laal Laal Hothon Pe Bol Kiska Naam’ was more popular, but I like the mentioned song more. ‘Tujhe Pyar Karte Karte’ by Alka Yagnik is good too.

8. Meri Chudiyan Baje Chhan Chhan – Prem (1995) Alka Yagnik & Nalin Dave / Laxmikant Pyarelal – Anand Bakshi
   Laxmikant Pyarelal scored music for at least two films in the year. While Trimurti was successful to some extent, Prem was a complete washout. The story of reincarnation didn’t appeal much to the audience. But the song had a catchy tune and it was somewhat popular. A new playback singer, Nalin Dave sang for Sanjay Kapoor, though couldn’t create a mark of his own. I remember another song ‘Aati Nahi’, which was also popular for a while.

9. Aankhon Mein Base Ho Tum – Takkar (1995) Abhijit & Alka Yagnik / Anu Malik – Maya Govind
   The film was a flop, but this song with a very catchy tune was very popular. Sonali Bendre looks very pretty in the song, almost like a cute doll. I used to like the song a lot and was on charts frequently. I think the name of the film is remembered just for the song now. Unfortunately Sonali Bendre couldn’t get a super hit, though she is a good actress.

10. Mera Piya Ghar Aaya – Yaraana (1995) Kavita Krishnamurthy & Shankar Mahadevan / Anu Malik – Maya Govind
    The song is inspired by a qawwali by the same name, rendered by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. But except for the tune of the first line, the rest of the song sounds different. Yet another masterpiece by the duo, Choreographer Saroj Khan and Madhuri Dixit. The dance steps are still very popular. The popularity of the song also fetched best female playback singer award for Kavita Krishnamurthy. It’s interesting to know that the aalaps were sung by Shankar Mahadevan, who was beginning his career in Hindi films. The film didn’t perform well at the box office despite the immensely popular dance number.

11. Dil Ne Dil Se Iqraar Kiya – Haqeeqat (1995) Hariharan & Alka Yagnik / Dilip Sen Sameer Sen – Nawab Aarzoo
    It was an out and out action film, a typical Ajay Devgan movie. That means good songs and a romantic angle seamlessly woven into the story, though action predominates. The film also wasn’t very bad, though it couldn’t succeed. A couple of songs were popular including the mentioned one. The jazzy, catchy, energetic song, ‘Aa Papiya Jhapiya’ was quite popular too.

12. Tu Hi Re – Bombay (1995) Hariharan & Kavita Krishnamurthy / A R Rahman – Mehboob
    Bombay was released in April and the songs became popular. The song ‘Kehna Hi Kya’ was a fusion qawwali, and it was very popular. So was the jazz based song Humma, by Remo Fernandez. But I was torn between Kuchh Bhi Na Socho and Tu Hi Re, the latter won finally. The film was acclaimed by critics and masses alike. The performances by Manisha Koirala and Arvind Swamy were praised, so was the directorial genius of Maniratnam. The sensitive issue of communal riots in Mumbai during 1992-93, was presented in an equally sensitive and sensible manner. The film was showered with awards at national and international festivals. Manisha Koirala received the Best Actress Filmfare award both at Hindi and south awards. In all it strengthened her position as a leading powerful actress. The film also won the national award for best feature film on national integration.

13. Jaati Hoon Main – Karan Arjun (1995) Alka Yagnik & Kumar Sanu / Rajesh Roshan – Indeevar
    I’m not much fond of loud and melodramatic films. The story of reincarnation of two brothers was the second top grosser of the year. I was hardly interested in the film. This song was extremely popular due to its catchy tune. Equally popular was ‘Mujhko Ranaji Maaf Karna’ and Mamta Kulkarni dancing to it.

14. Main To Raste Se – Coolie No 1 (1995) Alka Yagnik & Kumar Sanu / Anand Milind – Sameer
    As I’ve already mentioned, I’m not a fan of the ‘Govinda – David Dhawan’ duo. So I obviously didn’t go for this one. But I must agree, the catchy, fast paced song was extremely popular as it was easily hummable. I couldn’t keep it out of the list. The film was a hit as well and was the first of ‘No 1’ series of films.

15. Sanwali Saloni Teri Jheel Si Aankhen – Hum Sab Chor Hai (1995) Alka Yagnik & Kumar Sanu / Bappi Lahiri – Nawab Aarzoo
    To end the list I’ve a surprise hit from a completely forgotten movie. I hardly remember any other song of the movie. Though the film and Kamal Sadana, Ritu Shivpuri are not remembered now, the song is still popular and has maintained its appeal. A simple yet very pleasant and attractive melody. Today’s list would have been incomplete without it.

Please add your favourite from the year.

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 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.