Across the world, the first thing that strikes when one talks about Bollywood is the dance. It indeed is the indispensable ingredient of Bollywood. From Kathak to Cabaret, Hindi cinema has exhaustively covered all forms and excelled too! In the western countries, Bollywood dance has found a unique place alongside other popular forms like hip-hop and salsa.
Here is a list of some Bollywood moves that enthralled us through the decades.
Piya Tu – Caravan
A lady in a glittering red dress utters “Woh aa gaya ..Dekhi Dekho Woh aa gaya”, climbs up the steps and falls down through the slide, and starts shaking her hands and herself from heels to head – That’s Helen and yes, the iconic song of Bollywood began – Piyaa Tu Ab toh Aaja. That was the time when cabaret dance was a part and parcel of the movies, and the seductive steps of Helen were the inception of item songs which are now an integral part of Hindi Cinema.
Main Toh Rasthe Se – Coolie No.1
If there is any star who had a style of his own, so unique and just cannot be copied by any means ever – it has to be Govinda. He had an unusual but an interesting rhythm in his moves. Main toh rasthe se is one of his trademark dance numbers where you can find a completely entertaining set of steps, and his best dance partner Karishma Kapoor shaking the leg. When the line “Tujhko Mirchi Lagi toh main kya karoon” arrives, Chi Chi and Lolo become the human forms of fire-crackers. We miss Govinda’s blue waistcoats, yellow suits, white trousers and pink shirts!
Akhiyan Milaun – Raja
Until this song happened, no one even imagined that eye-balls can dance too! Madhuri Dixit, the dancing diva drove the youngsters crazy with mesmerizing moves embedded in simple steps. The sensational number from Raja, had all the girls in the country trying to emulate her. There is a great enthusiasm in Akhiyan Milaun ! So far Hindi cinema hasn’t witnessed a successor to this dancing queen.
Jhumma Chumma De De – Hum
(For Guys) Wear a black shirt upon a white shirt without buttoning them and just tie the two. Now, put your hands forward and close your fist. Now, move your hip forward and hands backwards and repeat. Automatically, a song should play from the vocal chords – Jhumma Chumma de de. The chartbuster had Mr. Bachhan dancing to some really cool moves. A very popular visual from this ‘josh’ful song is also the white mugs in the hands of the workers screaming “Chummaa…Chummaa”.
Churaake Dil Mera – Main Khiladi Tu Anadi
On the beachside, the song begins with Akshay Kumar wearing blue jeans with sports shoes, and Shilpa Shetty wearing a sexy red-and-black outfit dancing to an Anu Malik number. The sizzling pair lift their heels and hips up and down so gracefully and so much in sync with the beats. The hot couple seemed to have enjoyed shaking their leg together, hence the amazing output. No wonder, it remained Number One in the charts of ‘Superhit Muqabla’ on Doordarshan channel for long time.
Le Gayi – Dil to Pagal Hai
This song was the beginning of a new era in the Bollywood dance history. Shaimak Davar brought in a fresh style which was an amazing Indian – Western fusion. His choreography had grace and grandeur. The costumes of the dancers at the back, the set, look-and-feel and all the other aspects sat in their places perfectly. Karishma Kapoor’s attractive performance also made Le Gayi a regular at the cultural events in the schools. The high-point of the song is in the last minute when SRK suddenly appears from the underground, and does a somersault in the air.
Chaiyya Chaiyya – Dil Se
Dance on a train?? – Only Bollywood has the passion to do that. Choreographed by Farah Khan, Chaiyya Chaiyya became a trendsetter with a combination of flawless music, choreography and performance. No sign of fear is seen doing the risk by Shah Rukh Khan, Malaika Arora and the team showed. All you see is passionate performances. Malaika’s midriff and King Khan’s neck danced energetically to this amazing song composed by A.R.Rahman.
Ek Pal Ka Jeena – Kaho Naa Pyar Hain
In a pub, a muscular tall guy in a black transparent t-shirt started a move keeping his left-hand still and the right-hand doing a forward-and-backward 1-2-1, 1-2-1… This was the birth of the biggest dancing star of Bollywood- Hrithik Roshan. ‘Ek Pal Ka Jeena’ instantly became the best dance number in that period. Hrithik’s moves made the girls go crazy! The signature step in this song became the heart of all the discos when the millennium began.
Dola Re – Devdas
How about a mix of Kathak and Bharatnatyam?
Sounds interesting but is it possible? Yes, Saroj Khan made it possible with two amazing dancers – Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai in Dola Re. Be it the expressions, or the ‘Ada’, or the grace, or the co-coordination, each and every element of a perfect dance was present in this song. Clad in traditional Bengali attire, the two lovely ladies delivered an electrifying performance
Mauja Hi Mauja – Jab We Met
This Punjabi disco number rendered by Mika Singh became an instant chartbuster with Shahid Kapoor and Kareena dancing full throttle. The patialas were back in style in the glimmering lights. The highly energetic moves and the fantastic chemistry between the most happening pair at that time made it highly popular in the discos. The number is a MUST in the DJ library even now.
Dhinka Chika – Ready
Salman has a unique ability of doing a simple step and makes it immensely attractive. In Dhinka Chinka, he simply puts his hands in the pockets and moves it right and left. A step which a grandpa can pull it off too. The towel dance in Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and the belt dance in Dabangg are also similar examples of Sallu Bhai’s easy and enetertaning dance moves.
Ainvi Ainvi – Band Baaja Baarat
Punjabi culture in Bollywood songs has grown manifold in the last decade. This peppy number with Punjabi tadka from Band Baaj Baarat became heavily popular. The feverish dance by Ranveer caught attention and was easily imitated by the junta. This wedding special song had all the samdhi-samdhans enjoying it in the sangeeths and the baaraths.
Tumhi Ho Bandhu – Cocktail
This became the new era friendship song filled with fun and frolic. The lovely song from Cocktail had Deepika Padukone, Saif Ali Khan and Diana Penty grooving to the cool music of Pritam. Especially the step by Diana Penty trying to do a Bharatnatyam made it super cute. A perfect song on the beachside with buddies.
Badtameez Dil – Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
A song that made even the Dadas and Dadis wish to hit the dance floor and re-ignite the Badtameezi inside them. Badtameez Dil was very catchy and had Ranbir dancing with unlimited energy in that black and white suit. The entertaining number was rendered by Benny Dayal coupled with crazy moves choreographed by Remo D Souza. A brilliant break-free song!
Lungi Dance – Chennai Express
The tribute to Thalivar Rajnikath was made it in the most entertaining way possible with ‘Lungi Dance’ of Chennai Express. Choreographed by one of the oldest dance masters of Bollywood – Chinni Prakash, Lungi Dance became an instant hit and went viral. SRK and Deepika dancing to some insanely funny steps with some equally frivolous lyrics made it a hot-favorite at any celebration in our homes and parties.
There is a Bollywood dance number for every occasion, a unique boon, which no other film industry on the earth has given to its audience.
