Holi, Bollywood style

Come Holi, you have 'thandai', 'bhaang', 'gujhiya', colours, 'namkeen', sweets, camaraderie and love in the air. Festivities abound and life takes on a breezy outlook. Part of all these Holi paraphernalia are the Holi songs, the filmi ones Bollywood has been dishing out for decades. Yes! The world's most popular Holi songs are from tinsel town, and many from Big B films.

Amitabh Bachchan indeed rules when it comes to Holi. The latest song that rules Holi celebrations is 'Holi khele Raghubeera Awadh Mein' from his Baghban, where he and his wife (Hema Malini) sing, dance and prove to the world that age is no bar to playing Holi. Ask for another song and you are in for 'Rang Barse', the ever-green Holi song from Silsila.

If Big B has given the top songs of the season, SRK is not far behind either. Remember 'Soni soni akhiyo wali' from Mohabbatein or the Holi song from Darr? And what's more, Bollywood has celebrated Holi even in English – listen to 'Do me a favour, let's play Holi... rango me mili hai pyar ki boli' from Waqt, you would know what we mean.

Holi in Bollywood is as old as Mother India. No, not the country, but a film of that name starring Nargis and Sunil Dutt. 'Holi aaye re kanhayee rang barse suna de jara' is till now considered by many as the first Holi song of Bollywood. A few other yesteryear songs include 'Aaj na chodenge bus humjoli, khalege hum holi' from Rajesh Khanna's Kati Patang and 'Arey jare hat natkhat' from�Navrang.

Apart from these popular numbers, there are�other less popular 'Koi bheega hai rang se' from Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost, 'Mal de gulal mohe' from Kaamchor, 'Apne rang mein rang de mujko' from Aakhir Kyon and 'Rang di preet na rang di' from Dhanwan. When Holi dawns in India, it is these numbers that reverberate�from loudspeakers in the streets with people dancing to their tunes.

With Bollywood being an inherent part of our lives, can Holi be far behind from it? Never! So, don�you Holi caps, pick up a dhol or just play these songs and sing, dance and enjoy this Holi! Happy Holi!