Chaandi Ki Daal Par Sone Ka Mor
Hello Brother (1999)
The 1990s would have passed by without the mandatory dahi-handi-breaking hit but at the end of the decade, a spry Salman Khan, in a white netted ganji and pink trousers to break the handi and win Rani Mukherjee’s heart in Hello Brother. At first hearing, the song doesn’t strike you as a dahi handi song. When you watch the film, you realise that the chaandi ki daal refers to the rope on which the matki is tied, and the sone ka mor is the matki with a wad of notes attached to it.
Go Go Go Govinda
OMG... Oh My God (2012)
Embellished with a contemporary beat, this song also has shades of the original Govinda aala re from Bluff Master besides also doffing its hat to the Hum hum refrain in Rafooo Chakkar’s (1975) Chuk chuk chak chak Bombay Se Baroda tak. Despite Prabhu Deva’s stupendous, cartilage-defying moves, Sonakshi manages to hold her own in a knotted blouse worn over a T-shirt and torn jeans. For the first time, and hopefully not the last, a jubilant heroine, clambers over a human pyramid and confidently breaks the handi and shatters with it, the stereotype of the actress remaining a mute spectator to the hero’s hi-jinks.
Govinda Aala Re
Bluff Master (1963)
Shammi Kapoor is peerless in thise song; a class act that no one has been able to surpass in the past 53 years. The opening shot has Kapoor rolling up his sleeves and then jumping down a flight of stairs. This robust song is composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and sung by the inimitable Mohammed Rafi. Shot on the crowded streets of Mumbai’s Thakurdwar, the realistically picturised song with actual crowds thronging their balconies to see Kapoor break a matki, has been perspicaciously penned by Rajendra Krishan. Revellers dunk Kapoor to the bone with buckets of water but he is unperturbed.
Shor Mach Gaya Shor, Dekho Aaya Maakhan Chor
Badla (1974)
Shatrughan Sinha had two left feet but in the Kishore Kumar crowd-pleaser, Shor mach gaya shor, he managed to hold you captive with his characteristic boisterous mannerisms and bulging eyes act. Bhagwan Dada (the veteran of Albela (1951) fame) provided a perfect foil with his famous dance steps. Along with Sunil Dutt, the actor tried to recapture the success of this song with Teen battiwala Govinda aala in Muqabla (1979) but the latter proved to be a weak competitor to the original, which remains a festival favourite.
Mach Gaya Shor
Saari Nagari Re
Khuddaar (1982)
Amitabh Bachchan, in a tapori avatar with a black t-shirt and a red scarf, is very light on his feet and keeps you riveted in this foot-tapping song. He channels the sheer joie de vivre and sparkle of the revellers. The normally westernised Parveen Babi looks like a dream in a red nau-vari (Maharashtrian) with a nose ring. Vocal virtuosos Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar are at their ebullient best in this Rajesh Roshan composition. Just before breaking the matki, Amitabh falls from the human pyramid into Parveen’s lap — a cute touch.