1 Batata vada – Hifazat (1987)
May be we should call it Majrooh Sultanpuri and R.D.Burman’s culinary ode to the most humble snack of Maharashtra. Straight out of Majrooh Sultanpuri’s frying pan, the ‘Batata vada’ track caught on like fire for its oleaginous lyrics and comical choreography. From flying in air to juggling vadas, from Anil Kapoor sporting a bald look to the two actors (Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit) netting vadas from hot oil ponds, the Batata vada song had all the ingredients that made for a perfectly digestible melody. If Asha Bhosle’s voice had the flair of flour, then S.P Balasubramaniam’s voice served as the tender mash potato. It’s hard not to bite your teeth into this ‘Batata vada'
2 Jab takk rahega samose mein aaloo – Mr.& Mrs. Khiladi (1997)
Staying true to the potato, Bollywood used the solanum as the metaphor of love again in the 1997 Akshay Kumar, Juhi Chawla starrer Mr. & Mrs.Khiladi. And this time, the ‘aaloo’ (potato) was mixed in the other favourite snack ‘samosa’.
Cooked by Anu Malik, and crooned by Abhijeet, Sapna Mukherjee, and Poornima, the ‘Jab takk rahega samose mein aaloo’ track was perhaps the only edible thing about the film. Needless to say that lyricist Dev Kohli must have drawn inspiration from the popular political joke on former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav, ‘jab tak rehega samose mein aaloo, Bihar mein rahega Laloo)’ .Well, but as it turned out, Lalu’s gone and aloo still beats in the heart of every samosa.
3 Ande ka Fanda – Jodi.No.1 (2001)
Don’t run away if you’re a pure vegetarian, for there much m’O’re to this track than just an egg. Aryabhatta may have invented the number zero, but Himesh Reshmmaiya (then a hatchling) and Anand Raj Anand successfully hatched a plot to discover the falsafa (philosophy) of ‘Anda’.
Crooned by Pratik Joseph, the song brought together ‘Jodi No.1’ Govinda and Sanjay Dutt (long freed from the anda’ cell) as they enlightened the jamboree with their ‘ande ka fanda’ melody. The choreography and the costume were reminiscent of Amitabh ‘Anthony’ Bachchan in the track ‘My name is Anthony Gonsalves’ from the 1977 classic ‘Amar, Akbar, and Anthony.’ Oh, didn’t Anthony come out of the egg?
4 I love my chicken fry, I love my fish fry – Rock Dancer (1995)
From here on, we get to the hardcore and if it is hardcore, then it ought to be Bappi Lahiri. But even the most ardent of Bappi Da’s fans must have been taken aback by this meaty melody.
‘I love my chicken fry, I love my fish fry, kabhi na kehna kudiya bye bye bye’. These words shocked the connoisseurs, but the culinary composition from the 1995 flick ‘Rock Dancer’ tickled every rib in your body. Chicken, fishes, masala dosa, puri bhaji, rosogullas, this track had served an entire buffet. The dancing resembled more like a PT exercise and an aerobic class on a sunny morning at a Mumbai beach.
Bappi Da’s partner in crime here was Shweta Shetty and the duo returned again to cook the same dish in the 2011 erotic-horror flick Ragini MMS. The 2011 version had a touch of ‘Modern Talking’ to it, but nothing beats the original.
5 Tandoori Nights – Karzzzz (2008)
Out of the fry pan, and straight into the tandoor. But there ain’t no goose being roasted here, for melting here are the love struck hearts of Himesh Reshammiya and Urmila Matondkor from the reincarnation disaster Karzzzz. Both Reshammiya and Matondkar were ridiculed for this disastrous remake of the 1980 blockbuster Karz, but the ‘Tandoori Nights’ track, crooned by Reshammiya and Sunidhi Chauhan, turned out to be the sole saving grace.
6 Ice cream khaungi Kashmir jaungi – The Xpose (2014)
Rumour has it that snow melted early, the frost disappeared in Kashmir when the ‘Ice Cream kahungi, Kashmir jaungi’ abomination of a track was heard in the valley. The music was an poor ode to R.D Burman. Himesh’s mannerism had The Great Gatsby turning over in his grave. It was purely a comedy of errors, but therein lies the fun. The Xpose badly exposed the frailties of Himesh and Yo Yo Honey Singh as actors, but this dollop of Ice cream left the singers with sore throats, and perhaps, bruised egos too.
7 Meri Beri Ke Ber Mat Todo - Anokhi Raat (1968)
The Asit Sen directed 1968 flick, starring Sanjeev Kumar, Zaheeda Hussain, boasted of popular melodies like ‘ O Re Taal Mile Nadi Ke Jal Mein’, ‘Dulhan Se Tumhara Milan Hoga’, but the one song that would be revered by future generations was ‘Meri beri ke ber mat todo koi kaanta chubh jayega’. Crooned by Asha Bhosle and penned by Indeevar, this Roshan composition, saw Aruna Irani sizzle in a sleeveless sari. Many decades later, the Ber seeds were dipped in saucy flavours, but the two remixes were not so ‘plucky’ as they failed to entice the fruitarian.
8 Halwa wala aagaya – Dance Dance (1987)
This was one of Bappi’s Lahiri’s sweet confessions, or should we say sweet confection. The 1987 blockbuster Dance Dance featured many ‘inspirational’ tracks, but the one that remained etched in most minds (and bellies) was the soggy ‘Halwa wala aagaya’. All songs were penned by Anjaan and Bappi Lahiri. Vijay Benedict, who had become the voice of disco king Mithun Chakraborty, dug his teeth deep into this ‘semolina’ track one that will be savored for an eternity.
Bappida served this halwa twice – first crooned by the homeless and starving little siblings Radha and Ramu, and then later on, the grown ups, played by Smita Patil and Mithun Chakraborty, recite the refreshed family jingle as pop stars. Sarika Kapoor and Uttara Kelkar had lent their voices to the tracks.
What’s your pick?
9 Chocolate, Lime Juice, Ice Cream, toffeeyan – Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994)
Curious eyes, careless feet, and cherubic looks. It was return to innocence for Madhuri Dixit as she harped on her long lost sweet cravings. Penned by Dev Kohli, the ‘Chocolate, Lime juice, Ice Cream, toffeeyan’ track from the 1994 blockbuster ‘Hum Aapke Hai Koun’, was about reminiscing the good ol’ days of childhood, and at the same a sign of coming to grips with one’s puberty. Unlike some of the other culinary songs, this track came out like a poetry. And it just wasn’t Madhuri, Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar, too, discovered the child in her through this sweet melody.
10 Jalebi Bai – Double Dhamaal (2011)
The desi-hip hop fusion music bore resemblance to ‘Sheila Ki Jawaani’, but that didn’t deter fans from craving for the sweet ‘Jalebi Bai’. Mallika Sherawat had tongues wagging with another frying hot item number. Penned by Anand Raaj Anand and the erotically inviting voice of Ritu Pathak made Jalebi Bai as one of the most enticing item numbers of Bollywood. As it often occurs with most item numbers, they turn out to be the only attraction of such films. Kudos to ‘jalebi Bai’, commiserations to ‘Double Dhamaal’.