Valentine’s Day Special: Kaykay & Co select their favourite Hindi love songs

MARVELLOUS music act Kaykay & Co have made a name for themselves as lead­ing live performers and they are particularly brilliant when delivering the biggest Bolly­wood hits of all time.

This has included superb, streamed shows across the pandemic, which have lifted the spirits of those in self-iso­lation. Eastern Eye decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day by getting group members Kay­kay Chauhan, Shahid Abbas Khan, Anj Chauhan, Rekha and Parry Mad to put together a Bollywood romantic playlist of 10 top tracks, selecting two film love songs each.

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Kaykay Chauhan

Ang Lagja Balma - Mera Naam Joker: The ultimate love song packs a punch with many moods of innocence and the beauty of affection. This song describes love to me in every way. Asha Bhosle serenades and charms with her shivery vocal delivery and Shankar- Jaikishan’s melodic music stays with you forever, along with Shailendra’s lovely lyrics.

Mohabbat Ke Khuda – Brah­machari: A boisterous love song composed by Shankar- Jaikishan, sung with romantic optimism by Mohammed Rafi and picturised on the rebel ro­mantic hero Shammi Kapoor. The words’ emphasis is on the lover being the king of all lov­ers. The fast-paced rhythm combines well with an energy and confidence in this song. A one-of-a-kind love song!

Shahid Abbas Khan

Aaya Tere Dar Par - Veer Zaara: My all-time favourite. This song beautifully illus­trates  and picturises through the story of Veer Zaara of how when you truly love someone you can go to any extent for them. You can make any sacri­fice for them, risk your life and face any hardship for them.

Hume Tumse Pyar Kitna – Kudrat: I love this song for its composition and lyrics. The relatable song speaks of how the love you feel for another cannot be measured as it is truly infinite, ever-growing and everlasting. The thought of someone else even looking at the one you love makes you burn up with jealousy, which can be seen as possessiveness or insecurity, but is also really deep love.

From Left -Parry Mad, Rekha, Kaykay Chauhan, Anj Chauhan, and Shahid Abbas Khan.

Anj Chauhan

O Mere Shah-E-Khuban - Love In Tokyo: A timeless love ballad penned by the great Hasrat Jaipuri and rendered by the deep silky vocals of Mo­hammed Rafi saab. I love the use of Urdu poetry in contem­porary music and this is my all-time favourite as the lyrics can be interpreted on both a romantic and spiritual level. They don’t write them like that anymore!

Kya Yehi Pyar Hai – Rocky: Another all-time classic writ­ten by Anand Bakshi. Paired with the deep and haunting melody, it makes for a beauti­ful love song. The use of dia­logue throughout adds a unique dimension, making it different from typical Bolly­wood songs. It triggers memo­ries of Sanjay Dutt’s entry into the film fraternity.

Rekha

Kismat Se Tum – Pukar: When AR Rahman meets Sonu Nigam, the listener cannot help, but fall in love. This song is especially meaningful as Parry and I have recorded our version to Kaykay’s beautiful arrangement (to be released soon). This song is about fate bringing two people together and joining their broken piec­es. If love can be described as bringing pieces of a puzzle to­gether then I completely be­lieve soulmates exist.

Tu Hi Re – Bombay: Another AR Rahman classic about sac­rifice and how love is all en­compassing. The idea that you cannot live without someone is truly overwhelming. When leaving everything and every­one behind to follow your heart, you are truly immersed in love. To invoke such feel­ings through a melody and in­strumentation is a stroke of genius. This song gives me all the feels every single time.

Parry Mad

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha - 1942 A Love Story: RD Burman’s last work sung by my childhood singing hero Kumar Sanu and beautifully written by Javed Akhtar in a special way. All three won well-deserved Film­fare awards for this song. The three verses are arranged the same, but each has seven short lines that bring to life the feelings the hero experiences upon seeing his love. Often when performing this song, I feel as if I’m serenading the crowd with poetry and have broken out into my own lines at times.

Sun Ri Sakhi - Humse Hai Muqabla: Beautifully composed by AR Rahman, written by PK Mishra and amazingly rendered by Hari­haran. The award-winning song, which was originally written in Tamil, is close to my heart because I love how Hari­haran renders the Hindi ver­sion. The lyrics are simple enough for a British born Bol­lywood lover to understand. For years, the song played in my head like a jukebox and is one I love performing live. Considering the song is not as well known, the effect it has on the audience is indescriba­ble and I’m sure the moment is etched in the memories of those present. That is what music is all about.

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