Amun and Sonal are the founders of London-based dance group BeBollywood. The dance duo aims to entertain audiences with their versatile performance style and have performed on major stages with leading stars. They also offer dance and fitness classes. Eastern Eye got them to choose 10 Bollywood songs they love.
Chaiya Chaiya from Dil Se: This song represents a real essence of Bollywood, which includes dancing on top of a moving train. This song is loved by all and has those iconic dance moves you just can’t help but do when it comes on. I think a lot of us, including BeBollywood, must have made up dance moves to this AR Rahman-composed track as children. Although it was released in 1998, it still has a great beat and will never get old.
Dhak Dhak Karne Laga from Beta: We, as BeBollywood, have enjoyed our old school songs and love to incorporate them in our dance medleys. Everyone, especially the older generation, really appreciate it when we do this. The song features one of our biggest inspirations, the dancing queen Madhuri Dixit. The music is catchy and allows us to portray love, passion and the beating heart of a lover. Totally Bollywood!
Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaye from Jurm: This beautiful melody number is perfect for a first dance. We recently taught a couple this song and found that this is more than just a slow dance. Throughout rehearsals, we could see the chemistry unfold beautifully between the bride and groom-to-be. As teachers and choreographers, our dance movements connected them closer as newlyweds-to-be. It was a lovely moment to experience.
Jiya Jale from Dil Se: This AR Rahman composition has been a favourite for many years. We love the music and sweet voices of the singers along with the passionate, and deep meaning of it. This resonates with us as it reminds us of the authentic and elegant Kathak dance style.
Kajra Re from Bunty Aur Babli: This is just an absolute crowd pleaser. If you’re a Bollywood lover, you know that the famous iconic Kajra Re move gets everyone going and never gets old. The song is beautifully picturised on the Bachchan family. It also has a comedy aspect we enjoy when dancing to this. We appreciate the choreography by Vaibhavi Merchant who has worked her magic on so many songs, including theatre production The Merchants of Bollywood.
Le Gayi Le Gayi from Dil To Pagal Hai: We love this song so much that we decided to do a dance cover of it. We have also choreographed several versions of this over the years as its popularity never dies. In the film, Karisma Kapoor delivers a strong performance, which has an iconic movement that keeps people engaged. These scintillating moves steal your heart away and make you want to get up and join them. This was where a more modern style of Bollywood started to shine. Check out our cover on YouTube under BeBollywood.
Dola Re Dola from Devdas: We love how classical Indian dance was so beautifully incorporated into this film. The way Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan interact with each other reminds us of the two of us when we dance together. It’s important to have chemistry with whoever you are dancing with. And, of course, there are some iconic moves, which we have replicated when dancing to this song.
Mauja Hi Mauja from Jab We Met: Most of the songs from this film were a hit, but this one became a popular one to dance to because of its upbeat pace and western influence. We choreographed this on a couple of occasions and enjoyed performing it. It’s a feel-good track, perfect for dance workshops too. It’s one of those songs that any member of the family can enjoy and ours certainly do.
Dilbar from Satyameva Jayate: Remixes of old classics lately have been very good, but this one in particular has got the sass and attitude, while also keeping that sultry Bollywood feel to it. When this song plays, it reminds us of a strong powerful woman like Sushmita Sen who was in the original video. It’s a track that everyone knows and sings along to. We’re sure it’s a guilty pleasure song for a lot of men, who may not admit they love it.
Piya Tu Ab To Aaja from Caravan: This 1970s cabaret number featuring Helen is a classic. A song of romance between two lovers, this exhilarating number is exciting, fun, loud, upbeat and so expressive. It’s given us a lot of memories growing up dancing and singing along freely to this piece. It is sung amazingly by Asha Bhosle and allows you to let yourself go on the dance floor.
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