Shankar Ehsaan Loy's Timeless Hits (2000-2009)

The musical trio, Loy Mendonsa (Left), Shankar Mahadevan (Centre) and Ehsaan Noorani(Right), image courtesy: Google

The musical trio which is often referred as the Amar, Akbar and Anthony of Bollywood, have been entertaining us with their mellifluous music for more than two decades. Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy are one of the most talented composers that Bollywood has ever seen. They have engraved their names among the legends with their breathtaking music. The extremely talented trio brings together different styles on the platter. Shankar Mahadevan and his melodious voice has been one of the most successful playback singers of all time with hits like Dil Chahta Hai, Breathless, Pretty Woman, Aaj Kal Zindagi, etc. Ehsaan Noorani is trained in western music and has made his name with his work in bands like Pegasus and Crosswinds. He has written jingles for television commercials and has been the architect of this group. He has studied music in Los Angeles and is one of the most sought after musicians of all time. He met Loy Mendonsa while working for Ranjit Barot, an admaker and later they met Shankar Mahadevan and thus began the journey. Today we are going to look at some of the timeless hits that these three have composed. Without further ado, lets move on to our list.

1. Main aayi hoon UP, Bihar lootne...(Shool)

Shool was the debut of the group. This was the first movie, whose music was composed by the trio. Their first movie as music composers was supposed to be Mukul Anand's Dus, which unfortunately never released following the death of Anand. The song from RGV's Shool is a classic and till date it is one of the most popular songs and often can be heard in weddings and other occasions. The item song features Shilpa Shetty and the lyrics of the song are penned by Sameer. The song has been sung by Sapna Awasthi and Chetan Shashithal. 

2. Bumbro Bumbro...(Mission Kashmir)

The Vidhu Vinod Chopra movie Mission Kashmir released in the year 2000 was a musical blockbuster even though the movie didn't perform as per expectations at the box office. The song Bumbro from the song is one of the most popular songs which is as fresh as breeze from the Kashmir valley in the memories of the connoisseurs of music. The song features Preity Zinta and Hrithik Roshan. While the lyrics of the song have been penned down by legendary Rahat Indori, the beautiful song has been sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Alka Yagnik.

Special Mention: Rind Posh Maal...(Mission Kashmir)

Another hit from the movie is the song Rind Posh Maal sung by Shankar Mahadevan. The beautiful lyrics of the song has been penned down by Sameer and the song features Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta. As pleasant as garland made of spring blossoms this song is evergreen.

3. Dil Chahta Hai...(Dil Chahta Hai)

Dil Chahta Hai was Farhan Akhtar's directorial debut and he wanted A.R. Rahman to compose the music for the movie. But due to A.R. Rahman being preoccupied with a lot of projects the job was entrusted to Shankar Ehsaan and Loy and the rest is history. The movie was not just a Bollywood achieved a cult status among fans. The music of the movie was revolutionary as it brought in a new type of music, the music of the 21st century Bollywood and thus the music of this movie will forever go down as a classic in the annals of Hindi music. The title song composed by the trio has been sung by the mesmerizing Shankar Mahadevan. The lyrics of the song has been penned down by Javed Akhtar.

Special Mention: All the other songs of Dil Chahta Hai

I would consider excluding any of the songs above a sin. The music is exemplary and no song is worth a miss. Take a bow!

4. Kal Ho Na Ho...(Kal Ho Na Ho)

Kal Ho Na Ho was a milestone in the career of the trio. The music for the movie bagged the National award for best music composition in the year 2004. The title track of the movie received huge appreciation from music lovers and still remains to be one of the most popular songs even today. The beautiful song has been sung by Sonu Nigam and the lyrics of the song has been penned down by Javed Akthar. The other songs from the movie that deserve a special mention in this list are It's the time to Disco, Kuch To Hua Hai and Pretty woman. Almost all songs from the movie deserve a special mention and arguably the early 2000's were the best era for the musical trio and they delivered some of the greatest hits of 21st century's first decade.

Special Mention: All the other songs of Kal Ho Na Ho

5. Main Aisa Kyon Ho...(Lakshya)

Farhan Akhtar's Lakshya was released in the year 2004, the movie of a confused young man who finds his purpose in life after joining the Indian Army. The patriotic movie has this hugely popular song with the title of the perpetual question which we ask ourselves quite a times. Fahran Akthar entrusted the responsibility of music for this movie to Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy and as usual they didn't fail to deliver. Main Aisa Kyon Hoon, the hit song was popular because of its music and the dance moves of Hrithik Roshan, choreographed by Prabhu Deva. The song was sung by Shaantanu Mukherje and the lyrics of the song were penned down by Javed Akhtar. The other two songs which deserve a special mention are Kandhon se milte hai Kandhe and Agar Main Kahoon. While Agar Main Kahoon is a beautiful romantic duet sung by Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik, Kandhon se milte hain kandhe is a inspiring patriotic song that gets you goosebumps and fills your heart with patriotism and awe for the bravehearts of the nation who guard our borders.

Special Mention: Kandhon se milte hain Kandhe....(Lakshya)

Special Mention: Agar Main Kahoon...(Lakshya)

6. Kajra Re...(Bunty Aur Babli)

Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy composed the music for Shaad Ali's Bunty aur Babli produced under YRF banner in the year 2005. The movie was a hit at box office and so was its music which was very popular at that time. The song Kajra re was the most popular of the lot and was one of the best musical hits of the year. The song was a very popular ringtone as well during the mid 2000's. The song has been sung by Shankar Mahadevan, Alisha Chinai and Javed Ali. The lyrics of the song has been penned down by Gulzar. 

Special Mention: Dhadak Dhadak...(Bunty Aur Babli)

This song can be the official anthem for Indian Railways or for the ones who migrate from small towns and villages to bigger cities to fulfil their dreams. The beautiful song has been sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, Nihira Joshi and Udit Narayan. The lyrics of the song has been penned down by legendary Gulzar.

7. Mitwa...(Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna)

In 2006, Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy teamed up again with Karan Johar for the movie Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. The song Mitwa is arguably one of the best romantic hits of the decade and has been my personal favorite as well. The beautiful song has been sung by Shafaqat Amanat Ali and he has been supported by Shankar Mahadevan and Caralisa Monteiro. The other songs from this movie which deserve a special mention are Tumhi Dekho Na and Where's the party tonight. Tumhi Dekho Na is a romantic duet sung by Alka Yagnik and Sonu Nigam while Where's The Party Tonight had been a popular party anthem of the later part of the decade.

Special Mention: Tumhi Dekho Na...(KANK)

Special Mention: Where's The Party Tonight...(KANK)

8. Aaj Ki Raat...(Don)

Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy once again collaborated with Farhan Akhtar for the 1971 remake Don starring Shahrukh Khan. The movie was one of the most awaited movie as it would see SRK stepping into the big boots of Big B and hence the expectations were very high not only from the movie but also from its music. The ever consistent trio didn't disappoint this time as well. The awesong song Aaj ki raat has been sung by Alisha Chinai and Mahalakshmi Iyer. The lyrics have been penned down by Javed Akhtar. The other songs from the movie that deserve are Bappa Morya Re and the title song. Bappa Morya Re is one of the innumerable Ganpati songs sung by Shankar Mahadevan and is revoked every year during Ganeshotsav.

Special Mention: Title Track...(Don)

Special Mention: Bappa Morya Re...(Don)

9. Bol Na Halke Halke...(Jhoom Barabar Jhoom)

Arguably one of the most popular romantic songs of all time, Bol Na Halke Halke has a class of its own. The mesmerizing music and the captivating voice of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan makes up this evergreen song. It was the year 2007, Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy composed the music for YRF's Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. The film might not have done a good job at the box office but its music was a hit. The female voice in this song is of  Mahalaxmi Iyer. The sound of the instrument Ghatam has been used beautifully in this song. Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy often sing this beautiful song in their concerts. In one such concert in Bangalore, they collaborated with Ghatam player Giridhar Udupa in 2012. The other songs from the movie deserving a special mention are the title song and Ticket to Hollywood.

Special Mention: Title Song...(Jhoom Barabar Jhoom)

Special Mention: Ticket to Hollywood...(Jhoom Barabar Jhoom)

10. Salaam E Ishq...(Salaam e Ishq)

Similar to Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, the multistarrer 2007 movie Salaam e Ishq didn't perform as expected at the box office but the music was still one of biggest hits of the year. This song has been sung by Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal, Sadhana Sargam, Kunal Ganjawala and Sonu Nigam. The lyrics of the song have been penned down by Sameer. The other songs from the movie that deserve a special mention are Tenu leke and Mera Dil Dil Mera.

Special Mention: Tenu Leke...(Salaam E Ishq)

Special Mention: Mera Dil Dil Mera...(Salaam E Ishq)

10. Mast Kalandar...(Heyy Babyy)

The movies Salaam E Ishq and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom tanked at the box office despite its music being superhit. This trend was broken by the movie Heyy Baby. The song Mast Kalandar was one of the most popular songs of the year as it featured two superstars Akshay Kumar and Shahrukh Khan who came together on the silver screen for the first time after 10 years. The song sung by Rehan Khan, master Saleem,Sajid Khan and Shankar Mahadevan.The lyrics of the song have been penned down by Sameer. The music of this movie was a superhit and hence almost all songs from the movie deserve a special mention. However, I have selected the following few of the lot.

Special Mention: Title Song...(Heyy Babyy)

Special Mention: Jaane Bhi De...(Heyy Babyy)

11. Taare Zameen Par...(Taare Zameen Par)

A special movie dealing with a topic that Bollywood had never touched upon, the movie Taare Zameen Par won hearts of people worldwide. The beautiful music for this beautiful movie was rendered by Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy. Shankar Mahadevan sung all the songs in this movie himself. The title track of the movie, the sentimental song Maa and Tu Dhoop Hai. The only song in the movie which wasn't sung by Shankar Mahadevan was Bum Bum Bole. The movie Taare Zameen Par is a movie that made its place in everyone's heart and so did its music.

Special Mention: All the other songs of Taare Zameen Par

12. Pyaar Ke Liye...(Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic)

The next project of Shankar Ehsaan and Loy was the 2008 YRF movie Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. The song Pyaar Ke Liye is a soulful melody sung by Shankar Mahadevan. The lyrics of the song is penned down by Prasoon Joshi. The other songs from the movie that deserve a special mention are Lazy Lamhe and Nihal Ho Gayi. Nihal Ho Gayi is sung by Shankar Mahadevan while the hot Lazy Lamhe has been sung by Anusha Mani. The lyrics of both the songs have been penned by Prasoon Joshi.

Special Mention: Lazy Lamhe...(Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic)

Special Mention: Nihaal Ho Gayi...(Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic)

13. Tum Ho To...(Rock On)

It's year 2008 and Farhan Akhtar is making his acting and singing debut and without a shadow of doubt, he entrusts the responsibility of his Rocking debut movie's music to Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy. Rock On!! As the name itself suggests, the movie is hugely inspired by heavy metal music and is based on friendship between members of a defunct band who come together for one last time. The music was critically acclaimed and the success of the movie can be attributed to the music as it is the soul of the movie. The movie was a huge hit at the box office. Almost all the songs from the movie deserve a special mention. 

Special Mention: All the other songs of Rock On!!

14. Aaj Kal Zindagi...(Wake Up Sid)

Ranbir Kapoor starrer Wake Up Sid which was a story of a spoiled brat who discovers his passion for photography and his love in the city of Mumbai was released in the year 2009. The movie was a hit at the box office and so was its music composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. The beautiful song Aaj Kal Zindagi is sung by Shankar Mahadevan and the lyrics of the song is penned down by Javed Akhtar. The other songs from the movie that deserve a special mention are Iktara, a beautiful rendition and the title song of the movie.

Special Mention: Title Song...(Wake Up Sid)

Special Mention: Iktara...(Wake Up Sid)

15. Khwab Jo..(London Dreams)

Just like Rock On, the 2009 movie London Dreams was a music oriented movie and hence it relied heavily on its music for its success. However despite having a great music, the movie didn't perform as expected from it at the box office. All the songs from the movie were appreciated. The song Khwab Jo has been sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shankar Mahadevan. The soulful lyrics of the song have been penned down by Prasoon Joshi. Even though the movie didn't do well at the box office, almost all its songs deserve a special mention.

Special Mention: All the other songs of London Dreams

So that's all folks! This was for the decade 2000-2009 and I will soon update the best work by Shankar Ehsaan Loy for the decade 2010-2019. I hope you would have enjoyed the list. Please do let me know what you feel about the list in the comments. If you would like to get updates of my latest posts, please don't forget to subscribe. So see you soon, with a new list, till then Adios!