The Best Ever Song-Dances of Bollywood

Probably the most unique characteristic of Bollywood movies are its songs, which not only break monotony and add color to the long movies, but are also a genre in themselves. Bollywood music is indeed the most popular music in India. A large number of Bollywood songs are filmed as dances - individual or in group, some based on Indian classical dances, while others on folk traditions. Either way, there is a lot of innovation and drama that goes into it. Good music and good song-dances can be one of the major prescriptions for the success of a Bollywood movie.

Come and have a look at the ten best ever song-dance sequences created in the over seven decades of Bollywood's existence.

This dream sequence can be considered the first of all Bollywood dance bonanzas. In spite of the six decades that have passed sine then, and all the great technological advancements, it remains unmatched. It owes its greatness not to the visual effects, which were also ahead of its times, but to the extraordinary and dignified presence of Nargis (the lead female actor) and Raj Kapoor (the lead actor and director of the movie). It established Raj Kapoor as a great showman of Bollywood. Add to it the legendary voice of Lata Mangeshkar, the music of Shankar-Jaikishan and the 'Bhairavi' tune of Classical Hindustani music on which this song is based, and this is what you get...

This must be one of the finest dance performances ever seen in Bollywood, and combined with the great music it is an extraordinary piece to watch, even after half a century. Padmini (the lead actor and dancer) was trained in Bharatnatyam, a classical Indian dance form and her prowess is all too evident. It is a great song too, sung by legendary Lata Mangeshkar, with music directed by Shankar-Jaikishan. The lyrics of the song were written by Shailendra, while the music is based on Basant Mukhari tune of Hindustani classical music.

This song-dance sequence is filmed on Vyjayantimala (the lead female actor), one of the best ever dancer actors to have starred in Bollywood. The movie is based on the life story of Amrapali, a court dancer on ancient India, on whom many stories have been written. The dance is based on Bharatnatyam, an Indian classical dance form, though the steps may not be classically pure. Indian dances place a lot of emphasis on facial expressions and can be considered a refined and abstract form of acting. The beautiful song is rendered by Lata Mangeshkar, with music composed by Shankar-Jaikishan, based on Bhupali tune of Hindustani classical music.

This is one of the eternal dance songs of Hindi Cinema. Its greatness lies in the manner in which it glamorizes the rural festivities, which were the most common form in which India entertained itself till around half a century ago. The bubbly Duleep Kumar (lead male actor) is at his best, justifying his status as one of the all time leading actors of Bollywood. The great song was rendered by another legend, Mohammed Rafi, while the music was composed by the great Naushad.

This medley of dances connected together with a beautiful song, is one of the foremost representatives of different dances often seen in Bollywood. Backed by excellent choreography, it fully showcases the extraordinary talent of Waheeda Rehman (the lead actor-dancer). The movie, Guide, is itself one of the greatest movies made in Bollywood. Waheeda Rehman was one of the best ever dancer-actors of Bollywood, and this sequence has immortalized her talent. The song is voiced by Lata Mangeshkar, the living legend of Bollywood, while the music was composed by S D Burman, arguably the best ever composer in Bollywood.

There are few song-dance sequence in Bollywood, which can touch your heart the way this song can. The dance is based on Kathak, a North Indian dance form patronized by courtesans for a very long time. Kathak places a lot of emphasis on sensuality and facial expressions, but this song attains its true greatness largely due to the dignified movements of Meena Kumari, the lead actor-dancer, who died a few weeks after the release of this movie, but made it and herself immortal with it. The great song is sung by great Lata Mangeshkar, lyrics were written by Kaifi Azmi and music composed by Ghulam Mohammed.

The lead dancer of this song, Helen, has done more dance sequences than any other actor of Bollywood. She began her dancing career as a lead female actor during the black and white era, and went on to perform till the eighties, becoming particularly popular for her cabaret dances. This dance-songs attains immortality due to a combination of three factors, the sensual acting dancing of Helen, the attractive choreography and the melodious voice of Asha Bhonsle. The music is composed by R D Burman, another great of Bollywood.

This song, made more headlines for its lyrics, which were then considered vulgar by many. The words literally mean, " what is there behind the blouse ?.... Behind it, is my heart..." However, the initial scandalous attention that it attracted did not undermine its phenomenal depiction of Rajasthani Folk dance, and lead to several similar sequences in subsequent years. Its immortality was also contributed by the lead actor-dancer, Madhuri Dixit, and an excellent peace of choreography. The song is rendered by Alka Yagnik and Ila Arun and music composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal.

This song-dance sequence is a landmark in terms of popularity charts in recent times. It has one of its kind extravaganza, shot on a narrow gauge train moving on a hilly terrain. The dance is neither folk nor classical, and yet the overall aura it creates on the screen makes it a match for any other sequence. It brings together many greats, beginning with A R Rehman, the double Oscar & Grammy winning music composer from India. It is filmed on Shahrukh Khan (leading male actor), a legend in himself and Mallaika Arora, who became a rage with this song. The choreography is done by famous Farah Khan and voices are of Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi. Lyrics of this song are written by another Bollywood legend, Gulzar.

This is certainly one of the all time great dance-songs of Bollywood. The greatness of this sequence can be credited to the combination of visually mesmerizing piece of choreography, based on Gujarati folk, with beautiful Aishwarya Rai (the lead actor-dancer) at her best, and one of the most melodious pieces of Bollywood music composed by Ismail Darbar. The choreography is done by Vaibhavi Merchant. Both Darbar and Merchant won the National Award that year. The song is rendered by Kavita Krishnamurthy and Vinod Rathod.