‘Ghosts came everytime Jhalak Dikhlaja was played’: Himesh Reshammiya picks his 9 favourite songs

Himesh Reshammiya told us previously that he’s stayed relevant by reinventing his music every year. “Whether it is ‘Odhli Chunariya’, ‘Nikamma Kiya’, ‘Just Chill’, ‘Mohabbat Hai Mirchi’ or ‘Tere Naam’, they are completely Indian and raga-based melodies which I learned from my father. Then there’s Namaste London or going completely Sufi with ‘Aashiq Banaya Aapne’, ‘Aapka Suroor’ and ‘Hookah Bar’. So I have tried all kinds of stuff, while making sure that the soul remains intact,” he said.

While he called “Aashiq Banaya Aapne”, his love and his life, the title track of Aitraaz remains a classic for him even to this day. As the composer-singer turns 48 today, he picks a handful of his most popular compositions in an interaction with indianexpress.com, and reveals why they became a success.

Jhalak Dikhlaja

“For me, it is the biggest dance track ever. When this song got release, the kind of craze it garnered, be it ringtones or downloads was unparalleled and we all are aware of that. Till today, there hasn’t been any stage show, where I haven’t performed on it at least 5-6 times because of fans’ demand. I love it. There’s another story, I’m sure some people know, that there were rumours in some villages, whenever this song played, ghosts came. When I heard these rumours, I was shocked. It was unbelievable.”

Tera Suroor

“This song represents the story of every person in love. ‘Meri baatein, teri yaadein, tanha raatein, tera tera tera suroor…’ This song is the voice of heart. Its notes, the cry, that emotional connect it had, made it an iconic song. Till today, people demand this song in each of my performance.”

Bardaasht Nahin Kar Sakta

“It was a very trendsetting song when I did the music of Humraaz. The way KK was used in “Aye aao”, and the feel of the words “Bardasht nahin kar sakta” was very fresh. It was a very different dance anthem that brilliantly suited those days. I feel proud and excited when I hear it on radio stations today.”

Just Chill

“It’s very contemporary, modern song, a complete shift to what I was doing during those days of films like Tere Naam. After several pure melodies, composing a dance anthem was outstanding.”

Teri Meri Prem Kahani

“It had pure ‘raag’, pure ‘bandish’ notes simplified into an easy tune. It tells the emotions of every person in love. It’s an iconic song that proves pure melodies are timeless.”

Aashiqui Mein Teri

“It was supposed to be my launchpad song as a singer. But, I also signed a small film Aashiq Banaya Aapne. When we heard “Aashiq Banaya Aapne” in my voice, we thought this should be the one. Otherwise Abbas-Mustan always wanted to introduce me as a singer in China Town. But Aashiq Banaya Aapne came first.”

Tere Naam

“Iconic, classic… One of my best melodies and something I connect to emotionally. I love this song and it’s everywhere whenever I go.”

Main Jahaan Rahoon

“It was my first collaboration with Javed Akhtar. The kind of melody it got, its lyrics, its high and low notes made it beautiful. Javed sir and I are reuniting for a film after all these years, titled Main Jahaan Rahoon. We’ve completed its full album. We wanted to do something better or at least at par with Namaste London. We are very proud of it as we’ve managed to make very high level romantic songs. It’s high time pure melodies come back.”

Jumme Ki Raat

“The way Salman Khan carries the song is brilliant. Amitabh Bachchan’s “Jumma Chumma” was so iconic. So, the only similarity was one word “Jumma”. Our aim was to create an equally big song with the same level of energy, with a different tune and another superstar. The challenge was to make it bigger than “Jumma Chumma” and today I’m so proud of what we managed to make.”

Happy birthday, Himesh Reshammiya!