On Jagjit Singh's 77th birth anniversary, a playlist of some of his evergreen ghazals in films

The late ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh and his evergreen renditions of ghazals has left an indelible mark in the hearts and minds of numerous music aficionados over the years. He is often credited with “mainstreaming” ghazals, thus making it a popular music genre. Jagjit Singh has a huge role to play in developing interest in ghazals. His baritone, clear pronunciation and impeccable hold on classical music made for a soothing, almost a heavenly concoction. People took to his music to take a departure from their daily stress, and we can vouch for the fact that it always works. After his untimely demise on 10 October 2011, there remains a void in the musical space that no one seems to be able to replenish. The throne of the Emperor of Ghazals remains unchallenged. On his 77th birth anniversary, here’s a playlist of some of his most memorable songs from Hindi films. ‘Hothon Se Chhulo Tum’ from Prem Geet (1981)

This remains an audience favourite even today. Singh has made it a point to sing this number at every performance of his. Picturised on Raj Babbar and Anita Raj, this Prem Geet song was composed by Singh himself and was written by Indeevar. ‘Tum Ko Dekha To Ye Khayal Aaya’ from Saath Saath (1982)

Another gem from Singh’s Bollywood discography, this song is a poetic offering from a lover to his beloved. Can it get any more romantic than this? Farooq Sheikh and Deepti Naval’s on-screen pair justified the lyrics of the song perfectly. ‘Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar’, ‘Tum Itna Jo Muskara Rahe Ho’ from Arth (1983)

The 1983 Mahesh Bhatt directorial not only presented Indian cinema with one of its most woman-empowered scripts, but also a music album that is still cherished across generations. These two numbers have attained the reputation of being classic Bollywood ghazals of all time. ‘Woh Kaagaz Ki Kashti’ from Aaj (1990)

For those who thought this was a song from one of Singh’s many independent albums, here’s some trivia: the song is from the 1990 film Aaj and features Kumar Gaurav and Smita Patil. Although a rather melancholic rendition, the song is exhilarating. ’Chitthi Na Koi Sandes’ from Dushman (1998)

This song from the Kajol-Sanjay Dutt-Ashutosh Rana starrer is a tragic ode to the departed. Singh’s voice, Kajol’s eyes and the point in the film’s screenplay when the song plays makes the effect even more powerful, so much that by the end even the listener empathises with the pain and emotional drought of Kajol, who has just lost her twin. ’Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya’ from Sarfarosh (1999)

This Sarfarosh song has probably been an introduction to the Ghazal genre for many millennials who enjoy Indian music. ‘Kiska Chehra Ab Main Dekhu’ from Tarkieb (2000)

This melodious number is probably one of the lesser-known songs of the ghazal maestro. Pictured on Tabu and Milind Soman from the film Tarkieb, this is in fact one of the most pleasing numbers of his discography. Listen it to believe it. ’Koi Fariyaad’ from Tum Bin (2001)

The album Tum Bin is unarguably one of the most musically-rich Hindi film albums. The popularity of the songs only prove our point. One of the many gems from the album is this song. ’Jaag Ke Kaati Saari Ratiyaan’ from Leela (2002)

Singh displayed his mastery over Indian classical music in this song from the 2002 Indie film Leela starring Dimple Kapadia, Deepti Naval and Vinod Khanna. ’Badi Naazuk Hai Ye Manzil’ from Joggers’ Park (2003)

This is yet another lesser known song of the maestro, which was part of the Victor Bannerjee-Perizaad Zorabiyan starrer. Set on a racing tempo, the song makes for a good listen for those who complain that ghazals are slow.