The soundtrack to the 1990 Hindi-language romantic musical film Aashiqui features twelve songs composed by Nadeem–Shravan (a duo consisting of Nadeem Saifi and Shravan Rathod) and lyrics written by Sameer, Rani Mallik and Madan Pal. Released by T-Series on 26 December 1989, it became the highest-selling Bollywood soundtrack of all time with around 2 crore units sold. Its success established the duo to become one of the leading music composers in the Hindi film industry.
| Aashiqui | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 26 December 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1989 | |||
| Studio | Sudeep Studios Pvt. Ltd. | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 58:13 | |||
| Language | ||||
| Label | T-Series | |||
| Director | Mahesh Bhatt | |||
| Producer | Gulshan Kumar | |||
| Nadeem–Shravan chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editNadeem–Shravan were recommended by singer Anuradha Paudwal to Gulshan Kumar, the founder of Super Cassettes Industries (parent company of T-Series). Gulshan replied that his company was not producing films at that point time, instead interested on curating a studio album and asked the duo to record few songs, further adding that if he liked their compositions, he would recommend another producer who would express their interest on making a film.[1][2]
The duo then brought lyricist Sameer and playback singer Kumar Sanu, to record the songs under the tentative title Chahat; the first song they recorded was "Main Duniya Bhula Doonga". After curating around five to six songs, director Mahesh Bhatt happened to hear them and was impressed with it, eventually deciding to write a story surrounding those songs which became Aashiqui. He further insisted Sameer to write the title track, which became "Bas Ek Sanam Chaahiye".[1][3]
After production being completed, Gulshan contacted Sameer saying that though people felt the film's music was great, it sounded more than an independent album rather than a soundtrack for the film, admitting that Gulshan eventually planned to release the album only instead of the film. Bhatt met Gulshan and assured that he would quit direction, if the soundtrack to the film becomes unsuccessful. As per the latter's suggestion, Mahesh eventually released a poster with lead pair Rahul Roy and Anu Agarwal were shown hiding under a jacket, in order to avoid revealing the actors in the promotional material. The album was eventually released on 26 December 1989, months before the film's theatrical release.[1] Most of the songs fall under the filmi-ghazal genre, based on the ghazal style.[4][5]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jaan-E-Jigar Jaaneman" (Version 1) | Sameer | Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal | 5:12 |
| 2. | "Main Duniya Bhula Doonga" | Sameer | Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal | 5:18 |
| 3. | "Ek Sanam Chahiye Aashiqui Ke Liye" (Male) | Sameer | Kumar Sanu | 6:12 |
| 4. | "Nazar Ke Samne" | Sameer | Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal | 5:35 |
| 5. | "Tu Meri Zindagi Hai" | Sameer | Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal | 4:45 |
| 6. | "Dil Ka Aalam" | Madan Pal | Kumar Sanu | 5:00 |
| 7. | "Ab Tere Bin" | Sameer | Kumar Sanu | 5:46 |
| 8. | "Dheere Dheere Se Meri Zindagi Mein Aana" | Rani Malik | Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal | 5:29 |
| 9. | "Mera Dil Tere Liye" | Sameer | Udit Narayan, Anuradha Paudwal | 4:34 |
| 10. | "Ek Sanam Chahiye Aashiqui Ke Liye" (Female) | Sameer | Anuradha Paudwal | 6:11 |
| 11. | "Jaan-E-Jigar Jaaneman" (Version 2) | Sameer | Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal | 3:55 |
| Total length: | 57:00 | |||
Reception
editRakesh Bandhu of Planet Bollywood described the soundtrack as "a collection of beautiful compositions" by the duo and assigned a score of 9 (out of 10).[6] Gautam Chintamani of Scroll.in described the duo's arrangement as "a mix of the traditional sounds of Shankar–Jaikishan and Laxmikant–Pyarelal and the melody of R. D. Burman with a dash of Bappi Lahiri and Anand–Milind".[7] He also noted the similarities of "Jaane Jigar Jaaneman" with Lahiri's "Duniya Mein Tere Siva" from Aandhiyan (1990), and "Mera Dil Tere Liye" being inspired from John Farnham's "You're the Voice".[7]
Sales and records
editAashiqui became the highest-selling soundtrack album in the history of Indian music industry.[8] Each cassette of the film's soundtrack was priced at ₹22.[9] It sold over 2 crore units upon release, becoming the best-selling Bollywood soundtrack of all time.[10][11] According to Bhushan Kumar, the current chairman and managing director of T-Series, no other Hindi film soundtrack had managed to surpass its records.[12]
Aashiqui's soundtrack was ranked at number 15 on the BBC Asian Network website,[13] while Planet Bollywood ranked it at number 4 on their "100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks of All Time",[14] and at 76 on "Top 100 Bollywood Albums" by Film Companion.[15]
Impact
editThe success of Aashiqui's soundtrack eventually impacted the musical styles of Bollywood with the revival of filmi-ghazal music in the early 1990s.[16] Popular film soundtracks such as Dil (1990), Saajan (1991), Phool Aur Kaante (1991) and Deewana (1992) particularly fall in that genre.[16][17] With the success of Aashiqui, T-Series established as the leading music label in India;[18] its annual earnings grew from ₹20 crore in 1985, to ₹200 crore in 1991 and ₹500 crore in 1997.[19][20]
Aashiqui established Nadeem–Shravan's popularity as a leading music composer in the Hindi film industry during the early-1990s.[21] However, following the murder of T-Series founder Gulshan Kumar by the Mumbai underworld syndicate D-Company, the duo's film career came to a halt with Nadeem Saifi initially accused of involvement, before later being exonerated,[22] and eventually made a comeback in the 2000s.[23]
A cover version of the song "Dheere Dheere" was composed and performed by Yo Yo Honey Singh and released as a single on 2 September 2015, with an accompanying music video featuring Hrithik Roshan and Sonam Kapoor.[24][25] Although the song was commercially successful,[26] Nadeem Saifi criticised Singh for not crediting the original artists of the song and claimed that he did not obtain permission from the composers to recreate the version.[27] he demanded legal action against Singh regarding the same, albeit Singh described the song as a tribute to the film.[28]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Lyricist Sameer Anjaan revealed why Gulshan Kumar refused to release Aashiqui: 'Mahesh Bhatt promised him…'". The Indian Express. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ "Nadeem Saifi's emotional tribute to his 'chhota bhai' Shravan Rathod: 'Saanson ki zaroorat hai jaise'". The Indian Express. 24 April 2021. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ "Shravan Rathod, Nadeem Saifi were the sound of '90s Bollywood and pioneers of the 'filmi ghazal'". Firstpost. 23 April 2021. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ Gregory D. Booth, Bradley Shope (2014). More Than Bollywood: Studies in Indian Popular Music. Oxford University Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-0199928859. Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
- ^ Nettl, Bruno; Arnold, Alison (2000). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia : the Indian subcontinent. Taylor & Francis. p. 534. ISBN 978-0-8240-4946-1. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ Bandhu, Rakesh (28 August 2011). "Aashiqui Music Review". Planet Bollywood. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ a b Chintamani, Gautam (1 July 2016). "I am a Nadeem-Shravan fan and I am not ashamed to admit it". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ Chandra, Anupama (15 November 1994). "Bollywood hinges on Hindi film music industry, fans soak up wacky new sounds". India Today. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
In 1990, he released the breakthrough album, Aashiqui. An estimated two crore [2 million] tapes of the film were sold, with T-Series producing 80,000 to 90,000 units a day.
- ^ Kumar, P. K. Ajith (23 April 2021). "Nadeem-Shravan made 1990s Bollywood melodious". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
The price of a cassette, released by T-Series, was Rs. 22 (much less than what was charged by most labels), if I remember correctly.
- ^ "Music Hits 1990–1999 (Figures in Units)". Box Office India. 2 January 2010. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010.
- ^ Urquhart, Jeremy (2 July 2022). "The 10 Most Popular Movie Soundtracks of All Time, Ranked by Total Sales". Collider. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ EXCLUSIVE: Nobody has broken the music record of Aashiqui (in Hindi). Bollywood Hungama. 22 April 2013. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Asian Network – Top 40 Soundtracks of All Time". BBC Asian Network. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ^ "100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks Ever – Part 4 – Planet Bollywood Features". Planetbollywood.com. Archived from the original on 29 February 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ Nair, Vipin (8 November 2017). "Top 100 Bollywood Albums". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 23 August 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ a b "India Today". India Today. Living Media: 342. 1994.
In 1990, the super-success of Nadeem–Shravan's Aashiqui ushered in the era of ghazal-type romantic music as in Saajan, Dil, Phool aur Kaante, Deewana.
- ^ "Signature tunes". The Indian Express. 1 November 2020. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Nihalani, Govind; Chatterjee, Saibal (2003). Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema. Popular Prakashan. p. 20. ISBN 9788179910665. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
Songs made a triumphal return to mainstream Hindi cinema with the success of the music of a low-budget Mahesh Bhatt film, Aashiqui, which was produced by T-Series, a small-time company that had begun life peddling pirated Hindi film songs.
- ^ Bhargava, Simran (15 January 1991). "As music market expands rapidly, India becomes one of the largest producers of cassettes". India Today. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ^ "The Mafia Calls The Shots". Outlook. 25 August 1997. Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- ^ Chandra, Anupama; Shetty, Kavitha (11 November 1993). "Hitting the Right Notes" (PDF). India Today. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
- ^ "Rediff on the NeT: Music director Nadeem accused of killing Gulshan Kumar". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
- ^ Farooqui, Mazhar (11 May 2016). "Exclusive: 'I request Narendra Modi to help me get justice'". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
- ^ Nijhara, Apoorva (1 September 2015). "Hrithik Roshan and Sonam Kapoor in Dheere Dheere Se: Watch Aashiqui 2.0 in this Honey Singh song". India Today. Living Media India Limited. Archived from the original on 17 September 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ^ "Hrithik Roshan, Sonam Kapoor Star in Honey Singh's Version of 1990 Hit Dheere Dheere". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ Sen, Sushmita (4 September 2015). "Hrithik, Sonam's 'Dheere Dheere' Song Crosses 5 Million Views [VIDEO]". IBT. International Business Times, India Edition. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ^ Reporter, IBTimes Staff (8 May 2016). "Yo Yo Honey Singh was in 'nappies' when I composed 'Dheere Dheere Se' song, says irked Nadeem Saif". International Business Times India. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ "We should bring back Indian flavour in our music: Nadeem Saifi". The Indian Express. 25 January 2016. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2024.