One of the high points of the recent SLAM! The Tour through the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom was the performance of the song "India Waale" from Happy New Year.
The song - performed by Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Vivaan Shah, Malaika Arora Khan and Farah Khan - stood out for the slight change in lyrics for each city. "India Waale" became "Houston Waale", "New Jersey Waale", "Washington Waale", "Chicago Waale", "Vancouver Waale", "San Jose Waale" and "London Waale" - raising cheers from audiences who were all to happy to sing along.
The full soundtrack of Happy New Year - created by the musical duo Vishal-Shekhar - has been appreciated by audiences all over the world with the video songs "Manwa Laage" and "Lovely" getting tens of millions of views within days after they were released.
The heart and soul of the film lies in its music, composed by none other than @VishalDadlani n @ShekharRavjiani ! pic.twitter.com/HMethCepfe
— Happy New Year-Movie (@HNY) October 22, 2014
Vishal Shekhar have a track record for creating songs that audiences embrace. Director Farah Khan describes the film Happy New Year as a combination dance and heist film, so the music had to be something that easily prompted dancing. On top of that, it needed to be music that would encourage those who "can't dance" to move to the beat.
In a recent DNA interview, Shah Rukh Khan talked about Happy New Year and the research he did for the film:
...for this film I went on YouTube and saw dances by many weird dancers. But the weird dancer is the last one to know that he/she is a weird dancer. They are really cool that way. I have someone in my office as well. I have an accountant who is a world-class dancer. While they are having a good time not realise that they are not good dancers, people watching them dance also have fun. I have spent hours on YouTube with my son watching weird dancers and I had a great time doing it. It is the most amazing thing that you don’t know you are a bad dancer but the world knows it, yet they love it and get entertained. It is a strange dichotomy. For me, this film is about that.
Besides the songs from the Happy New Year soundtrack, here are 5 other Vishal-Shekhar songs that will encourage dancers of all skill levels to shake a leg.
1. "Deewangi Deewangi"
Sung by: Shaan, Udit Narayan, Shreya Ghoshal, SunidhiChauhan, Rahul Saxena
Lyrics by: Javed Akhtar
Film: Om Shanti Om
Release Date: 9 November 2007
Director: Farah Khan
The Story So Far: Om Kapoor (Shah Rukh Khan), a beloved but spoiled Bollywood actor, has been having strange and unnerving visions lately. But life goes on and after winning this year's Best Actor award, his fellow performers join him to celebrate.
Why I Love This Song: If you are new to Bollywood, this song introduces you to many of the best and brightest stars in Bollywood. At the same time, the choreography is loose - many dance steps appear to be made up on the spot - so the guests honestly seem to have just dropped in to have some fun at the celebration.
2. "Anjaana Anjaani Ki Kahani"
Film: Anjaana Anjaani
Release Date: 1 October 2010
Director: Siddharth Anand
Sung by: Nikhil D'Souza, Monali Thakur
The Story So Far: After experiencing tragic incidents in their lives, Kiara (Priyanka Chopra) and Akash (Ranbir Kapoor) meet on New York City's George Washington Bridge each with the intent of jumping. After several unsuccessful attempts, they think fate is calling them to complete some unfinished tasks. They make a pact to end it all together on 31 December 2009 and spend their last 20 days helping each other fulfill their unfulfilled wishes. As part of this pact, Kiara takes Akash to a local bar in order to fulfill one of his wishes.
Why I Love This Song: The melody of this bouncy and simple tune sticks with you long after the number is over. Mixing Hindi and English lyrics with entertaining choreography, the song is a fun release after some serious scenes. Vishal-Shekhar were nominated for Best Music Director for this soundtrack.
3. "Chammak Challo"
Sung by: Akon, Hamsika Iyer
Film: Ra.One
Release Date: 26 October 2011
Director: Anubhav Sinha
The Story So Far: After the death of game designer Shekhar Subramanium (Shah Rukh Khan), Ra.One (Arjun Rampal) - the game villain - is discovered to have escaped from the virtual into the real world. The only way to stop him is to release his virtual arch-rival, G.One (Shah Rukh Khan), from into the real world. As G.One tries to track down Ra.One, he also steps into the life of his creator.
Why I Love This Song: With a hollow and metallic synchopated beat, this dance number is a fun opportunity to try your robotic dance style. This award-winning song includes a mix of English, Hindi and Tamil lyrics and became a favorite at nightclubs. Find out more at VIDEO: Be My Sizzling Siren ("Chammak Challo", Ra.One) #musicmonday.
4. "1 2 3 4 Get on the Dance Floor"
Film: Chennai Express
Release Date: 8 August 2013
Director: Rohit Shetty
Sung by: Vishal Dadlani, Hamsika Iyer, Sricharan
The Story So Far: On his way from Mumbai to Tamil Nadu, he gets caught up in the family matters of Meenalochni "Meena" Azhagusundaram (Deepika Padukone), who's father is a South Indian don. Soon he finds himself a prisoner in the home of her father Durgeshwara Azhagusundaram (Sathyaraj), face-to-face with Meena's intended, Thangaballi (Nikitin Dheer), and drawn into a south Indian dance party.
Why I Love This Song: This full-throttle dance riot is designed to do just what it says - get you on the dance floor. The song features an intense south Indian sound but could as easily be a dance number from an Irish pub - highlighting how a good party number has an international appeal.
5. "Tu Meri"
Film: Bang Bang!
Release Date: 2 October 2014
Director: Siddharth Anand
Sung by: Vishal Dadlani
The Story So Far: Harleen (Katrina Kaif) meets Rajveer (Hrithik Roshan) on a dinner date. As they talk, she says that one day she will leave the town of Shimla and explore the world. Rajveer responds, "Carpe diem."
Why I Love This Song: While it helps to have Hrithik Roshan perform the number, the simple refrain and persistent - sometimes pounding - beat of this lively song demands that you join in the dance. With Hrithik Roshan showing you some (what seem like) simple but high-energy dance moves, you might want to feature this song at your next party.
The following playlist features videos for all these songs, including songs from Happy New Year.
If you liked this, check out some of our other posts.