MUMBAI: Song and dance are the identity of India Film industry since the time immemorial and makes a distinguishing factor from the West. The songs usually last for three to four minutes, however, encapsulates the whole essence of the situation it is based on. While we have a long list of hit and iconic songs, some songs are extra special due to their back-story. Let‘s have a look at five such iconic songs.

Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya (Mughal-E-Azam): The iconic song from the epic movie Mughal-E-Azam has the ethereal Madhubala dance as the nautch girl Anarkali. The song is situational and symbolizes the tension between Emperor Akbar and Anarkali. What makes the song iconic beyond these highlights are the sets. The set Sheesh Mahal was created with intricate glasswork handcrafted by the craftsmen from Firozepur. An unheard sum of 1 million was spent only on one set, making it a landmark that stayed unbroken for years after the release of the film. The end result was totally worth and a relief for the otherwise tensed financiers.

Prem Jogan Ban Ke Sundari (Mughal-E-Azam): Another song from the same movie, depicts the romance between Prince Salim and the nautch girl Anarkali. The song is the reference point for romantic songs. The highlight of the song stays the fact that legendary Bade Ghulam Ali Khan who was the main singer of this Thumri sang it live while the shooting proceeded. This is certainly one of its kinds in Hindi film history. Also, the legend goes, that the lead pair, Dilip Kumar and Madhubala who were actually in a relationship, had a bitter fall out during the shoot. This however didn’t affect the shooting and goes down in the records of professionalism shown by two actors.

Khai Ke Paan Banaraswala (Don): Imagining Don without the celebrated Khai Ke Paan song is difficult. This was however not meant to be. This song was originally designed and composed for Dev Anand Rakhee starrer Banarasi Babu. Somehow things didn’t work out, and the song was incorporated in the movie Don. In the original situation too, the main lead was supposed to be wearing dhoti, which director vetoed. Even while the shoot of Amitabh Bachchan’s song, the idea was suggested but discarded by the writers Salim-Javed. The song required the male lead to chew paan, so Amitabh Bachchan chewed over 25 paans, leaving his tongue burnt. The singer Kishore Kumar too chewed paan while recording it, to give it an original flavour, Paan intended.

Chaiyya Chaiyya (Dil Se): Almost 17 years ago, Chhaiya Chaiya had catapulted to frenzy even when social media wasn’t in existence. A Gulzar written song, with AR Rahman music, and Shah Rukh Khan performing was enough to create a buzz. However, the director Mani Ratnam and dance director Farah Khan decided on adding more to this already glamorous song. The song was shot on a moving train. What’s more, the background dancers were tied on board so no one falls out. Each time they would approach an overbridge, the dance director and assistants would wave a white flag to stop the shooting. Quite a risk but the song was in the BBC list of most famous songs.

Gallan Goodiyaan (Dil Dhadakne Do): The wedding anthem these days, Gallan Goodiyaan is one of the most loved songs. This song however was a one take song. According to the director Zoya Akhtar, while she discussed the song with cinematographer, they came with this unbelievable idea. With 25 actors including main leads and character actors, the song was shot without any midway. Therefore, if anyone went wrong, the whole song had to be shot again from scratch. The team had to do this drill six times, until it went right completely. Kudos to the director, dance director Bosco Caesar, and the star cast.