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Be it the softly romantic 'Pyar hua iqraar hua' from Sri 420 or the frankly sensual 'Aaj rapat jayen' from Namak Halaal, rain songs have been a constant in Bollywood films down the ages. Here, stars and directors list their favourites:
Saif Ali Khan: My favourite rain song will have to be 'Tip tip barsa pani' from the film Mohra. I like the lyrics and the ambience created by the tune.
Hema Malini: I'll choose one of my own songs. It will have to be 'Rama rama gazab' from Naya Zamana. It was a scene where this rich girl gets in a folk costume and sings and dances in the rain with the folks in the basti. I loved the simplicity and grace of the moment. And it was filmed with great dignity.
Shabana Azmi: 'Pyar hua iqraar hua' from Sri 420. It contains the iconic image of Nargis singing to Raj Kapoor with her entire soul embodied under the umbrella as the three little kids (actually, Raj Kapoor's real-life children) pass by.
Urmila Matondkar: 'Pyar hua iqraar hua' in Sri 420 had an unforgettable melody by Shankar-Jaikishan, truly sensuous sung by Manna Dey and Lata Mangeshkar and great chemistry between Raj Kapoor and Nargis. I also love my own 'Geela geela pani' from 'Satya'. Lataji's voice, Vishal Bharadwaj's composition and Gulzar saab's lyrics soak you in ravishing rain even if you are perched in a parched desert.
Alka Yagnik: 'Rimjhim ke geet saawan gaye' by Lataji and Mohammad Rafi saab in Anjana and my own 'Tip tip barsa pani' from Mohra, for different reasons - first one because it's the height of romance and the other because it's very seductive.
Bappi Lahiri: My favourite rain song is 'Aaj rapat jayen' from Namak Halaal because Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan) and Smitaji (Smita Patil) danced so well in the rain. I also like 'Tip tip barish' from Afsana Pyar Ka where Aamir Khan stood the whole night in the rain singing to his beloved. Very romantic!
Vipul Shah: 'Pyar hua iqrar hua' from Sri 420 because it's romantic and sexy, and still not vulgar.
Aftab Shivdasani: 'Tip tip barsa pani' from Mohra, I had loved it on the audio. I loved it even more when I saw it on screen featuring Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon.
Mahesh Bhatt: It will have to be 'Dil tera diwana hai sanam'. The black and white film Dil Tera Diwana, which I saw in primary school, still twinkles in my mind. It was a great tune by Shankar-Jaikishan. And there were super performances by Shammi Kapoor and Mala Sinha soaked in rain and marinated in the spice of nostalgia.
Pritam Chakbraborty: 'Rimjhim gire sawan' in Manzil. I love the song. Awesome composition by Rahul Dev Burman, fabulous lyrics by Yogesh and terrific singing by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. And it was shot on Amitabh Bachchan and Moushumi Chatterjee on Marine Drive. I loved the chemistry between them. I also like 'Dilbara' from Dhoom because it's my tune and I like how Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra and Esha Deol romp in the rain.
Zayed Khan: It would have to be 'Kaate nahin kat-te yeh din yeh raat' from Mr. India. It had Sridevi in a wet blue chiffon sari at her sensuous best. She projected the quintessential Indian woman. Simply super!
Rahul Bose: Sridevi in 'Kate nahin kat-te yeh din yeh raat' gave an entirely new definition to the 'blue wet Indian clingy sari' trick. She was in splendid form. Pure magic. And the rains did the rest.
Rituparno Ghosh: 'Chotisi kahani se, baarishon ke paani se' in the film Ijaazat. Gulzar bhai has written other rain songs like 'Barse phuhar' in 'Thodisi Bewafaii' and 'Phirse aayo barda bidesi' in Namkeen. But the 'Ijaazat' song remains special. It defined the entire mood of the film. I wish I could've used it in my own film Raincoat.
Madhur Bhandarkar: My favourite rain song is 'Rimjhim gire saawan' from Manzil. It has an earthy aromatic feel to it and has been shot candidly in the streets of Mumbai.
Aadesh Shrivastava: 'Bheegi-bheegi raaton mein' from Ajnabee sung by Kishore da and Lata Mangeshkar. What I like the most about the song is the on-screen pair Rajesh Khanna and Zeenat Aman.
Manoj Bajpai: 'Rim-jhim gire sawan' in Manzil. It's simple yet sensuous. I don't like in-the-face sensuality. I don't think we can capture that mood ever again. We aren't that simple any longer.
David Dhawan: 'Hai hai yeh majboori' in Roti Kapda Aur Makaan. Laxmikant-Pyarelal's tune, Lataji's singing, Zeenat Aman on screen and Manoj Kumar's direction. What else?
Raveena Tandon: 'Ab ke sawan' by Shubha Mudgal. It has amazing energy. And it immediately makes me want to get wet and wild in the rain. 'Lagi aaj sawan ki phir vo jhadi hai' in Chandni when the rain makes me mellow moody and romantic.
Rajit Kapur: 'Rimjhim gire sawan' - it's a brilliant composition, serene and sensuous, fragrant and romantic, and to this day, as fresh as the first showers.
Sammir Dattani: I've three favourite rain songs from three eras. I love 'Tip tip baarish shuroo ho gayi' from Afsana Pyar Ka. As kids we all loved to get wet and sing this number because it was so easy to sing. My second favourite is 'Lagi aaj sawan ki Phir vo jhadi hai' from Chandni. It's filled with romance and nostalgia and Sridevi was so dignified in the rain. Finally, my new favourite rain song is 'Barso re megha' from Guru. For one reason only - Aishwarya Rai.
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