Dinesh Raheja

Almost every other song in Hindi films is a love song. So it is difficult for one to choose the definitive Valentine Nine from a treasure trove of thousands of romantic songs.

Let's just say this list is dedicated to Valentine 2002 -- the old and new, the light-hearted and the soul-deep, the oft-heard and the rare nuggets...

Lag jaa gale, ki phir yeh haseen raat ho na ho (Woh Kaun Thi)

Manoj Kumar shuns his stunning wife Sadhana because he is convinced she is a spirit. But on a rain-lashed night, she beckons him in Lata's inviting voice with Lag jaa gale ki phir yeh haseen raat ho na ho. Unable to resist, he melts in her arms.

Talk about siren calls.

A seductive Sadhana in a drenched sari, pearl necklace and a mysterious smile; and Raja Mehndi Ali Khan's suggestive lyrics: Paas aayiye ki hum nahee aayenge baar baar make for a lethal combination of intimacy with a fear of the unknown.

When the song concludes, Sadhana disappears, seemingly, into thin air!

Raat ke humsafar, thak ke ghar ko chalen (An Evening In Paris)

After all those cartilage-straining numbers (including the frisky Aasman se aaya farishta where bathrobe-clad Shammi Kapoor hangs out of a helicopter to woo Sharmila Tagore), this is a welcome dulcet.

Raat ke humsafar has Shammi and Sharmila walking the streets of Paris at night, high on the discovery of love. Shammi exploited his blue eyes to devastating effect, suffusing them tenderness. And a coquettish Sharmila, daintily removing her stilettoes or twining her arm with Shammi Kapoor, seemed in sync with the mood of the moment -- romantic.

Pehla nasha, pehla khumar (Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander)

This cool Jatin-Lalit tune is like a gentle waterfall. It follows the rhythms of a gradual awakening to first love.

Aamir's eyes evocatively capture the faraway look of a teenager experiencing love. Shot in slow motion and choreographed with the care of a debutante (Farah Khan), the images of Aamir leaping in the air or jubilantly throwing away his cap and Pooja Bedi in the red dress a la Marilyn Monroe, are etched in memory.

That Aamir desires Pooja Bedi while a deluded Ayesha Jhulka thinks that Aamir is exultant because he has discovered his love for her, gives the song a bittersweet feel.

Jab pyar kiya toh darna kya (Mughal-e-Azam)

When Madhubala's smile is switched on to full, defiant beam, love breathes for itself caring a whit for impending doom.

Anarkali (Madhubala) is a kaneez [girl] while her lover Salim's (Dilip Kumar's) father Akbar (Prithviraj Kapoor) is the mighty Emperor. Her life hangs like a slender thread under a dagger. But before a bemused Salim and a raging Akbar, she is unafraid. Her reasoning :"Maut wohi jo duniya dekhe, ghut ghut ke yun marna kya."

Your hair stands on end as Anarkali takes on the mighty emperor with a smile and embers in her eyes. She swirls like a top to announce, Chhup na sakega ishq hamara, chaaron taraf hai unka nazara. The palace mirrors reflect hundreds of her images --- and the omnipresence of love.

Chhod do aanchal zamana kya kahega (Paying Guest)

Dev Anand and Nutan made a mesmerising pair --- her nonchalance complemented his hyperventilation, her understated simplicity, an interesting contrast to his affable affectations.

What gives Chhod do aanchal an edge over Dil ka bhanwar kare pukar, another daffy Dev-Nutan song, is the deft touch Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle lent the number. The saucy song is interjected with Asha's crisp Aahs.

Aaj mausam bada, beimaan hai bada, beimaan hai aaj mausam (Loafer)

Dharmendra doesn't dance in this song; he just saunters, wearing his charm easily and smiling bashfully while serenading a flattered Mumtaz. But behind-the-scenes talent also contributed a lot to the magic of this number. The romantic beimaani that hangs heavy is the handiwork of Laxmikant Pyarelal's heady tune and Rafi's rapturous rendition.

Tere bina zindagi se koi shikwa toh nahee (Aandhi)

A greying, estranged couple, Suchitra Sen and Sanjeev Kumar meet by chance in the sunset of their lives. Memories flood them as they rue the wasted hours of their lives. Lyricist Gulzar comes very close to capturing this complex feeling with a simple line like Tere bina zindagi se koi shikwa toh nahee, tere bina zindagi bhi lekin, zindagi toh nahee. Even the ploy of playing on words doesn't sound contrite.

Subtle nuances like Sanjeev rearranging the shawl on Suchitra Sen's shoulder draw sighs. It was almost liberating to see a senior couple expressing their love so well. A definite change from all those Hatto, bacche dekh lenge.

Aaj rapat jaaye toh humme na bulaiyo (Namak Halal)

Rain songs are a Hindi film staple --- as if our screen lovers seek a cosmic blessing for their ardour. Aaj rapat gets few marks for lyrics. But I choose this rain song for its joie de vivre and its infectious masti.

It was invigorating to see Amitabh and Smita gambolling in the rain on the streets of Mumbai like kindred souls, with a definite erotic electricity. Smita, in a figure-hugging sari, has rarely looked so sensuous. And the raffish Amitabh hasn't looked so uninhibited in his passionate scenes since.

Hum dil de chuke ... (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam)

Ajay Devgan is the huge-hearted hubby with the tortured soul who brings his wife Aishwarya Rai to Europe to reunite her with her lover, Salman Khan. Along the way, Ash finds herself taken up by her husband's stolidity and intrinsic niceness.

In this plaintively sung Kavita Krishnamurthy number, heightened emotions are brought to a cataclysm. As Ajay drives Ash for the last time to Salman, he vainly tries to camouflage his dejection. Ash's eyes fill with pain for Ajay. And finally, love wells up in her eyes.

The song captures the anguish of resolving the mysteries of the human heart.