Spring is just around the corner, and Holi celebrations around the world have commenced! This celebration of spring, also known as the festival of colors, involves playful attacks with colorful powders in addition to water guns and water balloons filled with colored water. Can you even imagine a better set up than Holi for vibrant, fun-filled Bollywood music videos? Here are ten Holi songs to help you revel in spring’s arrival:
1. “Chhan Ke Mohalla” from Action Replayy
Travel back in time to play some Holi with Aishwarya in this 2010 movie that was allegedly inspired by the Back to the Future series.
2. “Rang Barse” from Silsila
Amitabh’s voice and his character Amit’s bhang-influenced state in this video make this song more than memorable — and all the flying color in the world wouldn’t be able to mask Amit’s affair with Rekha’s Chandni in this 1981 classic.
3. “Holi Re” from Mangal Pandey: The Rising
This 2005 film starring Aamir Khan as the title character marked the actor’s comeback after his post-Dil Chahta Hai hiatus in 2001. This historical drama features a color-tastic Holi song on the sepoy whose hanging ultimately led to the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
4. “Do Me a Favor Let’s Play Holi” from Waqt: The Race Against Time
Priyanka Chopra and Akshay Kumar frolic together in pink Holi powder for this 2005 music video…although, Anu Malik’s voice helps kill this song for me a little. Okay, I lied, his voice kills this song for me a lot. As in, his voice completely kills the song for me.
5. “Aayee Hai Aaj To Holi Khelenge” from Ilaaka
This 1989 film starring Mithun and Madhuri borrows a bit from Amitabh’s classic Holi hit “Rang Barse” for this festive song.
6. “Soni Soni” from Mohabbatein
Shahrukh Khan’s Raj Aryan leads his troop of love-sick students, including Jimmy Shergill, Jugal Hansraj, and Uday Chopra, in this epic 9-minute song from 2000 that proves that all’s fair in love and Holi.
7. “Holi Ke Din” from Sholay
Of course this 1975 classic masala flick has a Holi song. Of course.
8. “Lahu Munh Lag Gaya” from Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela
Leave it to the festival of colors to lead to the introduction of these two star-crossed lovers in this 2013 movie.
9. “Ang Se Ang Lagana” from Darr
With his face disguised with powdered color, nobody notices SRK’s Rahul creeping on Juhi Chawla’s Kiran in this video until he utters his famous “I love you K-K-K-Kiran” line from this 1993 film.
10. “Balam Pichkari” from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
An ode to Holi’s colored water blasting pichkaris, this Deepika-Ranbir song from 2013 will be stuck in your head for days. You can thank me later.
Feel like participating in your own Holi festivities after watching all of these videos? Find out about local Holi events near you and play out your own Bollywood Holi dreams!
Farah Naz Khan is an internal medicine resident at Emory University. After graduating from college in Boston, she returned to her Alabama hometown to attend medical school, and was reunited with the mix of Southern hospitality and South Asian flair that had shaped her childhood. Follow her on Twitter @farah287 or read some of her thoughts at farah287.blogspot.com.
