Yeh dosti….Celebrating the songs of friendship

1. Diye jalte hain phool khilte hain, badi mushkil se magar duniya mein dost milte hain (Namak Haram): This film about a friendship across the class-divide starred two actors who couldn’t stand each other in real life. Never mind. That’s what acting is about. When Rajesh Khanna gives screen-buddy Amitabh Bachchan those bromantic looks and sings Anand Bakshi’s elegantly affectionate lyrics Jab jiss waqt kissika yaar juda hota hai kuch na pucho yaaron dil ka haal bura hota hai, the world seems like such a nicer place. R.D. Burman composed the dosti ditty straight from the heart. Apparently he composed the song keeping in mind his great friendship with Rajesh Khanna.

2. Ram Kare Allah kare Teri meri dosti bani rahe (Aap Ke Deewane): Best friends Rishi Kapoor and Rakesh Roshan had no problem emoting their mutual affection to Rajesh Roshan’s composition. This film had two other lovely dosti songs Tumko khush dekh kar bringing the two giants Mohd Rafi and Kishore Kumar together, and Apni khushiyan tujhko de doon where Kishoreda had to be replaced by his son Amit after his death.

3. Bane chahe dushman zamana hamara salaamat rahe dostana hamara (Dostana): A rare song bringing arch-rivals Mohd Rafi and Kishore Kumar together. Rafi’s fans believed the Kishore Kumar wave after Aradhana wiped out Rafi’s supremacy. Laxmikant-Pyarelal coaxed the singing stalwarts to come together once again for this rumbustious celebration of friendship. On screen it was Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha faking friendship when in fact they couldn’t stand each other.

4. Yeh dosti hum nahin chhodenge (Sholay): Perhaps the single-most popular friendship song in Hindi films, a lot of gay interpretations have been imputed to the song and its filming. But director Ramesh Sippy vouches for his heroes’ heterosexuality. Jai and Veeru were definitely not gay, although they loved one another to death, literally. This song had Kishore Kumar singing for Dharmendra and Manna Dey for Amitabh Bachchan.

5. Yaari hai imaan mera yaar mera zindagi (Zanjeer): Amitabh Bachchan had no songs to sing in this cop’s saga. But Pran who played Mr B’s Pathan buddy, pulled out all stops for this ebullient ode to friendship which Manna Dey sang with glorious gusto. Pran danced around his dost with infectious energy. The song is a rarity in that became a chart-topper although it was not filmed on the leading man. That’s the power of a toast to the dost.