Diwali is celebrated with fervour across India, and Hindi films have been capturing the joyous essence of the festival of light since the golden era. From black-and-white films to contemporary cinema, many music directors, writers, and singers have portrayed the spirit of the festival through countless songs.
Here is a look at six timeless tracks from Hindi movies that not only resonate on the silver screen but have also become an integral part of real-life Diwali celebrations.
"Aai Diwali Aai Diwali": The black-and-white song is from the pre-Independence era feature film Rattan, directed by M Sadiq. Naushad is the composer of the 1944 track, which was penned by DN Madhok. Zohrabai Ambalewali is the singer. Rattan was Naushad's first successful film as a composer. The movie featured Karan Deewan, Manju, Swarnlata, and Vaasti.
"Aayi Diwali Aayi Kaise Ujale Lai": The evergreen classic is from the 1958 film Khazanchi. The song was written by celebrated lyricist Rajinder Krishan and composed by music legend Madan Mohan. Asha Bhosle is the singer. Khazanchi, directed by Prem Narayan Arora, starred Balraj Sahni, Rajendra Kumar, and Shyama.
"Mele Hain Chiragon Ke": In the voice of Lata Mangeshkar, the song was part of the 1961 movie Nazrana. Rajendra Krishan is the lyricist and the music director is Ravi Shankar Sharma. The film, directed by CV Sridhar, starred Raj Kapoor, Vyjayanthimala, Usha Kiran, Gemini Ganesan and Agha.
"Deep Diwali Ke Jhute": Picturised on Hindi cinema veteran Dharmendra, the song is from 1973 hit Jugnu. Sung by Kishore Kumar and Sushma Shrestha, the track is composed by SD Burman. Directed by Pramod Chakravorthy, the movie also stars Hema Malini, Lalita Pawar, Mehmood, Prem Chopra, Nazir Hussain, Ajit and Pran.
"Aayi Hai Diwali Suno Ji Gharwali": The track featured in the 2001 family comedy Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya. The multi-starrer was headlined by Govinda, Juhi Chawla, Tabu, Johnny Lever, Chandrachur Singh, Vinay Anand, Isha Kopikkar, and Ketki Dave. It was directed by K Raghavendra Rao. The song, composed by Himesh Reshammiya, has Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Kumar Sanu, Shaan, Ketki Dave, and Sneha Pant singing for different actors.
"Happy Diwali": From digital Diwali cards to house parties, this song has been the go-to number to celebrate the festival of lights since its release in 2005. Sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, Vaishali, Surthi, Divya, and Suraj, the track is from Home Delivery- Aapko...Ghar Tak. The composers are Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani. Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, the film starred Vivek Oberoi, Mahima Chaudhary, Boman Irani, and Ayesha Takia.
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