It’s been more than a couple of years since I concluded the yearly review of the 90s series with a post on my favourites from the year 2000. And there I expressed my wish to continue into the next decade covering the years till 2005. But due to some reason or the other, I was unable to start the new decade.
This time, while I was wondering what next, my thoughts went to these years. But surely it’s the nostalgia of my generation.
Having passed the MBBS exam in the month of December 2000, the 1st January 2001 began as the year for internship. Everyone was excited about it as we were going to step into actual patient care, though devoid of actual responsibility of the treatment plans. But were the ones to help execute it by resident doctors. Resident doctors are the ones who want to pursue post graduation in a particular subject and actually work throughout the day and night for patient care. So it was in a way insight into our future years, as everyone of us had dreamt of securing post graduation in the subject one’s choice.
The new century was somehow more or less similar to the late 90s. The internet was still not in everyone’s life, the internet cafe was the only option for most of us. Mobile phones were yet not even dreamt of, at least by most of us. The life was peaceful and happy, no rushing hastily, everyone hadn’t his or her two wheeler and public transport by city buses was still one of the main ways of transportation. Four wheelers were still a luxury and not many had them.
I think before you yawn, I should get to the point. The year brought a few newcomers in Bollywood and let’s have a look at them.
Dia Mirza & R Madhvan (Bollywood debut) in RHTDM
Gracy Singh in Lagaan (as a main lead)
Arjun Rampal in Pyar Ishq Mohabbat
Bipasha Basu in Ajnabee
Tusshar Kapoor in Mujhe Kuchh Kehna Hai
Randeep Hooda in Monsoon Wedding
Sandali Sinha, Rakesh Bapat and Priyanshu Chatterjee in Tum Bin
Lisa Ray in Kasoor
Jatin Grewal in Rahul
Sahil Khan in Style
Karannath in Paagalpan
Popular lyricists of the year –
Veteran lyricist Anand Bakshi was still active and penned songs for quite a few Hindi films, the prominent being, Yaadein, Nayak, Gadar, Indian, Pyar Ishq Mohabbat and Asoka (only one song, San Sananan). Though the majority of his songs were popular, he lost the Filmfare best lyricist award to Javed Akhtar for Lagaan. Javed Akhtar emerged as one of the most popular lyricists of the new millennium and wrote for, Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, both musical blockbusters of the year. Gulzar wrote for Asoka, while Sameer penned songs for a number of popular films. A lesser known lyricist Anil Pandey wrote the beautiful song, Suraj Hua Maddham for K3G, which was composed by Sandesh Shandilya. He later wrote for Sandesh Shandilya in a few more Hindi films, but couldn’t get noticed.
Popular composers of the year –
The year saw Anu Malik composing for a number of films, the majority gaining popularity across the masses, though he didn’t receive the Filmfare trophy, which he lost to A R Rahman for Lagaan. The songs of RHTDM were composed by Harris Jayaraj, who also had composed for the Tamil original of the movie. The songs were immensely popular and almost all were chartbusters. Later he composed for just a handful of Hindi films, though had a very successful career in South Indian movies. Jatin Lalit were also among the toppers, with popular songs of K3G. A few tracks of the movie were composed by Sandesh Shandilya (in his debut as a composer) and Adesh Shrivastava. A R Rahman composed for 4 Hindi films, including Shyam Benegal’s Zubeida and Nayak. Lagaan and Zubeida had memorable songs. Uttam Singh’s songs for Gadar: Ek Prem Katha were appreciated, while Shankar Ehsaan Loy’s songs in Dil Chahta Hai were truly songs of the new millennium. The immense popularity of the songs also boosted the box office performance of the movie.
Popular playback singers of the year –
Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik still dominated the playback front. Kavita Krishnamurthy, Abhijit, Shaan also had their share. Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik receive the best male and female playback singer Filmfare awards, for two different songs from Lagaan. Sonu Nigam was rapidly gaining popularity and was chosen by the majority of the composers as a promising new singer. Sunidhi Chauhan sang for Nadeem Shravan for Hum Ho Gaye Aapke, which was perhaps her only song for the duo. The playback singer duo, Preeti, Pinky came into limelight with the song Piya Piya O Piya Piya in 2000. They sang one song each in RHTDM and Mujhe Kuchh Kehna hai in 2001. Despite the immense popularity of these songs, they were not heard frequently in Hindi films later.
Let’s move on to the Overview of films, where a few prominent films and offbeat films are briefly discussed. These films couldn’t get to the final list.
I’ll start the overview with the film, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke. The movie centered around a couple, played by Rani Mukherjee and Salman Khan, while Preity Zinta played a prostitute, who agreed to be a surrogate mother for the couple. Though the concept was novel at the time, it also faced controversy. The film was among top ten films of the year and Preity Zinta’s character received critical acclaim.
I remember Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee starter Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai, for the romantic soft melody, Yeh Hawain Zulfon Mein Teri, composed by Adesh Shrivastava.
Kalpna Lajmi’s Daman fetched Best Actress National award to Raveena Tandon, whose acting potential was usually wasted in romantic action movies in the 90s.
Raveena Tandon’s other release in the same year also got critical acclaim and she received a special award at the Filmfare for her performance in The movie. The movie was Aks, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. Amitabh also received the Best actor critics award at the Filmfare for Aks.
Model turned actor Arjun Rampal debuted in the year with three releases, none being prominently popular. The films were Pyar Ishq Mohabbat, Moksha and Deewanapan. Though Moksha was supposed to be Arjun’s debut in the late 90s, the film got delayed in shooting to finally release in 2001. Though Arjun’s performance was praised, it’s largely forgotten now. The only thing I remember about it is the song, Jaanleva.
Madhur Bhandarkar’s Chandni Bar was acclaimed for its subject and execution. The film received 4 National awards including Best film on other social issues, best actress (Tabu), Best supporting actor (Atul Kulkarni), and best supporting actress (Ananya Khare). It reinforced Tabu’s position in Bollywood.
Tum Bin introduced newcomers in Bollywood and the songs were popular, though not my favourite. Still, I remember Tumhare Siva Kuchh Na and the title track from the movie.
Nayak featuring Anil Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee had a few good songs and good performances by Anil Kapoor and Amrish Puri. Though not commercially successful in the first run, it is now considered a cult classic after its popularity on television.
I haven’t watched Subhash Ghai’s Yaadein, though it had a few good songs including both the versions of the title track.
Prakash Jha’s Rahul had a somewhat cliché and predictable story, and couldn’t survive at the box office.
N Chandra’s Style regained popularity after a while to eventually get labelled as a hit movie. What I remember about the film is the title track and the song Excuse Me. The immense popularity of the latter later reflected in the sequel which was named Xcuse me.
Out of a few releases in 2001, Govinda was nominated as an actor in a comic role for Kyun Kii Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta and Jodi No. 1. The latter is remembered for the song Ande Ka Funda.
Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding received critical acclaim in various international film festivals, and won Golden Lion at the Venice film festival. Revolving around a traditional Punjabi marriage, the film released in November 2001 in India to receive positive reviews.
Now let’s start with the main song list….
1. Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe – Dil Chahta Hai (2001) Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan, KK, / Shankha Ehsaan Loy – Javed Akhtar
Dil Chahta Hai was truly a path breaking movie. It started a new age cinema as the new millennium started. The story of close friends was presented in a fresh way, with humour and sincerity both. Farhan Akhtar’s directorial debut indeed marked him as a successful and talented director. Right from a short spike hairstyle for Amir Khan and a much required haircut for Saif, the film offered a fresh look to Hindi cinema. Saif Ali Khan actually and literally reinvented himself as an actor, and though his role had a lot of comic side, he surely delivered a mature performance. Preity Zinta’s fresh and bubbly personality, Sonali Kulkarni’s new style, and Dimple’s new innings as a character artist all were received well and acclaimed. Shankar Ehsaan Loy composed trendy songs for the movie which ranged from the Jazzy Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe to the soulful Tanhai. Who would ever forget the signature step of Woh Ladki Hai Kahan! After struggling between the title track and this song, I finally went for the latter. Akshaye Khanna’s performance was also praised along with the intense song, Kaisi Hai Yeh Rut.
The film received 13 nominations at the Filmfare awards. It won 4 awards including the best supporting actor for Akshaye Khana and best actor in comic role for Saif. The others include, best screenplay to Farhan Akhtar and best choreography award to Farah Khan for the iconic steps in Woh Ladki Hai Kahan. It also won the best editing award in the technical awards category.
2. Ud Ja Kale Kawan – Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001) Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik & Nihar S / Uttam Singh – Anand Bakshi
The song is one of my all time favourites. The tune is simple, but very melodious. The singers add extra energy to the tune. The film was among the top 3 grossers of the year and had melodious songs, including a precious semi classical song rendered by Begum Praveen Sultana and Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty. The film portrayed marriage between a Sikh man and a Muslim girl from across the border and the consequences thereafter. Despite the controversies and the protests against it, it emerged as a box office success. It was a good opportunity for Ameesha Patel to showcase her acting, who also received a special trophy at the Filmfare awards for her performance. The film received 9 nominations at the Filmfare awards and also won for best action in technical awards category.
The mentioned song was recreated in the sequel of the movie which was released in 2023.
3. Mitwa – Lagaan (2001) Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Sukhwinder Singh, Srinivas / A R Rahman – Javed Akhtar
The film was produced by Amir Khan, who also played the main lead in the film. The film was directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar, who proved his potential beyond doubt to emerge as a promising director in Hindi films. The film had cricket as a central theme, though paucity of rains and the resultant drought was portrayed as a driving force for the game. It was a good concept and knowing the affinity of Indians for cricket, which is celebrated in India almost as a religion rather than a game, the audience support was sure to get. In addition, excellent songs by A R Rahman with meaningful lyrics by Javed Akhtar played a great role too. There was also the issue of caste and religious discrimination issue. An aspect of the love triangle was handled with maturity. Asha Bhosle’s Radha Kaise Na Jale, Ghanan Ghanan Ghir Ghir Aaye Badra, were hugely popular. The added song has an interesting situation in the movie, where Amir Khan inspires others for unity and encourages them to participate in the game, despite their sparse knowledge of cricket. Gracy Singh, though received acclaim for portraying Gouri, couldn’t get many opportunities later as a lead actress. Lastly, I want to mention about Sadhana Sargam, whose contribution to the song ‘O Palanhare’ was restricted to the film version, where she sang for Gracy Singh. The record version however has vocals by Lata Mangeshkar in full length. In a way, a bit of injustice to Sadhana Sargam.
The film was India’s official entry to the Oscar awards, though it didn’t win. At the Filmfare awards, it received 8 nominations and perhaps a record, it won in all the categories. It received best film, best director, best actor, best composer, best lyricist and best male and female playback singers.
4. Pyar Tune Kya Kiya – Pyar Tune Kya Kiya (2001) Alka Yagnik & Sonu Nigam / Sandeep Chowta – Nitin Raikwar
The song is very melodious and has meaningful lyrics. It’s one of my all time favorites.
The film was not commercially successful, but the songs were hugely popular. The title track is my all time favorite, though Kambakht Ishq was the most popular song of the movie. Fardeen Khan and Urmila got together after Jungle (2000). Sonali Kulkarni was the most surprising element of the movie, as her existence was not disclosed before the release. So Fardeen Khan’s character being married was an equally great shock to the viewers as it was for the character played by Urmila Matondkar. Urmila Matondkar proved her acting abilities once again and it was the main thing that remained with the audiences after leaving the theatres. Though she was nominated in the negative role category, she lost it to Akshay Kumar for Ajnabee.
5. Rabba Mere Rabba Rabba – Mujhe Kuchh Kehna Hai (2001) Sonu Nigam / Anu Malik – Sameer
The film marked the debut of Tusahar Kapoor, son of actor Jeetendra. Kareena Kapoor was very popular back then and her vivacious and attractive screen presence completely overshadowed him in my opinion. Though he received the Best male debut of the year at the Filmfare awards, his later career never actually bloomed. The film had a number of songs and the majority were hugely popular. But when it came to choosing just one for the list, this Sonu Nigam solo won. He poured intense emotions in his rendition and on screen, Kareena Kapoor looked so gorgeous that I hardly ever noticed Tusshar Kapoor in the song. Equally favourite was the duet, Jabse Dekha Hai Tere Haath Ka Chand by Alka Yagnik and Babul Supriyo.
6. Bole Chudiyan Bole Kangana – Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001) Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sonu Nigam, Amit Kumar & Chorus / Jatin Lalit – Sameer
The film was released in the later half of the year, I think after Diwali. I remember watching it immediately after the All India PG entrance test, for which I was in Panaji. I hardly knew anything about the movie, which proved quite enjoyable and humorous despite its slightly longer length. Kajol stole the show. Her bubbly, mischievous, but loving and caring Anjali was very believable and real. Equally adorable was Farida Jalal in her relatively short supporting role as Daai Jaan aka DJ. What to say about Amitabh Bachchan! He was as usual excellent and his stern character Yashvardhan Raichand remained for long with audiences. Hritik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor did their job very well, mainly the latter. Her self centred, but good at heart ‘Poo’ was a reason to smile while watching the movie. The Prom selection scene is my all time favourite scene of Hindi cinema.
The film received 16 nominations, the maximum for a single film in the year, and won 5 including three technical awards. Kajol and Jaya Bhaduri both won as best actress and best supporting actress award respectively.
7. Meri Zindagi Mein Ajnabee Ka Intezar Hai – Ajnabee (2001) Sunidhi Chauhan & Kumar Sanu / Anu Malik – Sameer
Ajnabee was a kind of different movie than the routine ones. Akshay Kumar and Bipasha played negative characters, though it was not revealed during the initial promotion of the movie. The title track with vocals by Sunidhi and Kumar Sanu was very popular. The movie handled a somewhat bold and unconventional subject of wife swapping, which was perhaps hard to digest for Indian audiences. The songs, though good, weren’t necessary in the narrative. The film wasn’t superhit at the box office despite having the most popular starcast of the era.
This song is one of my all time favorites, mainly for Sunidhi Chouhan’s rendition. The climax song, Mehbooba Mehbooba was also hugely popular.
The film got a couple of awards at the Filmfare, including best actor in a negative role and best female debut.
8. Zara Zara Behekta Hai – RHTDM (2001) Bombay Jayashri / Harris Jayaraj – Sameer
The songs of this movie were extremely popular during its initial release, but despite having a fresh pair and good performances, the film saw a surprise failure! R Madhavan was already popular in Hindi serials and audiences offered a warm welcome to him. But the film couldn’t survive at the box office. The song, Churaya Churaya, which was a smashing hitband a few other songs were composed by the duo Vishal-Shekhar. The original composer Harris Jayaraj reprised his tunes from the Tamil original movie, with an additional couple of new tunes for the Hindi version.
Sach Keh Raha Hai Deewana, Dil Ko Tumse Pyar Hua, were the other memorable songs of the movie, mainly the former. I added this seductive sounding song, as it’s still one of my favourites and maintains its appeal, standing the test of times.
The re-release of the film in 2024 was however a commercial success, wipping off the tag of failure during the first run.
9. Raat Ka Nasha Abhi – Asoka (2001) Chitra / Anu Malik – Gulzar
This movie directed by Santosh Sivan was overhyped and despite the popularity of the songs, it wasn’t among the top 10 grossers of the year. The film received the best cinematography trophy at the Filmfare awards.
The song’s boat sequence was shot at the marble rocks of Bhedaghat. The make-up and costumes are a bit over the top in my opinion.
10. Love Ke Liye Saala Kuchh Bhi Karega – Love Ke Liye Kuchh Bhi Karega (2001) Udit Narayan & Sunidhi Chauhan / Shekhar – Pratik Joseph
The film received a lukewarm response and in general is now largely forgotten. But a couple of songs, including the title track are my favourites. The song is really enjoyable and has a good tune, not to forget good rendition by the singers. The interludes are so good.
The on screen pair of Fardeen and Twinkle Khanna looks good and this film was marked as the last film the latter acted in.
11. Ahista Ahista Milte Hain Dil – Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar (2001) Sonu Nigam & Shraddha Pandit / Sajid Wajid – Faiz Anwar
I’ve no idea about the story of this movie, which I remember solely for this beautiful song. The song is picturised on a handsome looking Jimmy Shergill and Ameesha Patel. The song has a catchy tune and Sonu Nigam’s fresh and expressive voice adds a charm to the song.
12. Pyar Ishq Aur Mohabbat – Pyar Ishq Mohabbat (2001) Udit Narayan & Alka Yagnik / Viju Shah – Anand Bakshi
It was the debut movie of the model turned actor, Arjun Rampal. The film wasn’t a commercial success, but had really good songs which are rather forgotten by now. Viju Shah is a talented composer, though he didn’t compose for many Hindi films. Look at the way the song opens with very soft vocals by Udit Narayan only to burst into a nicely rhythmic mukhda. Though the lyrics are not very impressive, the tune has a few twists and turns. It doesn’t follow a cliché, making it very enjoyable. Viju Shah always manages to amalgamate the western and Indian instruments in an effective way. The song becomes easy on the ear.
13. Zindagi Ban Gaye Ho Tum – Kasoor (2001) Udit Narayan & Alka Yagnik / Nadeem Shravan – Sameer
The film received acclaim for the performances by the main lead, Aftab Shivdasani and Lisa Ray in her Hindi film debut. Though it wasn’t superfit at the box office, the songs were hugely popular. Mainly the three duets picturised on the main lead were popular and still continue to be.
14. Badi Mushkil Baba Badi Mushkil – Lajja (2001) Alka Yagnik / Anu Malik –
Madhuri plays a stage actress and dancer in the movie. The song perhaps is not as popular as the other songs on the list, it’s my favourite. The song has good dance steps and see how gracefully and effortlessly Madhuri dances. Her sharp and accurate movements get highlighted when she is joined by Manisha Koirala, who just manages to pull through. The choreography is really very impressive and is refreshingly novel.
The song was choreographed by Ganesh Acharya, who got a nomination for the first time for the song. The woman oriented film had Madhuri Dixit in a supporting role, with Manisha Koirala as a protagonist. The film portrays Vaidehi’s (Manisha Koirala) journey and the women she meets. It tries to put forth a woman’s place in a male dominated society and how unfair our standards towards a woman are.The injustice a woman faces as a wife, as a daughter, as a mother at the hands of a rude society was well portrayed. Though the performances by the leading ladies were highly appreciated, the film got an average box office response.
15. Dheeme Dheeme Gaaoon – Zubeidaa (2001) Kavita Krishnamurthy / A R Rahman – Javed Akhtar
The film was based on the life of an actress, Zubeida Begum, who was Khalid Mohammed’s mother. The latter was the writer of the film, which was directed by the eminent director, Shyam Benegal. Karisma Kapoor played the title role and was awarded with the Best actress (critics) trophy at the Filmfare awards. It’s surely one of her finest performances. The film had a few songs by Lata Mangeshkar, but I have forgotten those songs. The mention of this film always evokes the memories of this beautiful melody. The tune, the orchestration and Kavita Krishnamurthy’s rendition everything seems so perfect!
Bonus track –
Aaj Main Khush Hoon – Grahan (2001) Asha Bhosle & Hariharan / Karthik Raja – Mehboob
And to end the list, let me present a song from the film Grahan. The songs of the movie were released in 1997, when I was in the first year of MBBS and I distinctly remember liking a couple of songs by Asha Bhosle and a duet by Abhijit and Kavita Krishnamurthy. The film however faced a delayed release and when it was released in 2001, I was an intern. Manisha Koirala and Jackie Shroff were the main leads, while it was perhaps Anupama Verma’s debut film. Upon release however, the movie couldn’t stir the air, despite having good performances. Nevertheless, I still remember this wonderful song! Karthik Raja didn’t compose for many Hindi films, though he later became a popular composer in the South. He also received an upcoming composer award for this movie.
I hope you enjoyed this post as much as you enjoy the other posts on old Hindi film songs. Please add your thoughts and favourites from the year.
Disclaimer –
Mehfil Mein Meri, claims no credit for any image, 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.
