Sonu Nigam turns 47: From Yeh Dil Deewana to Satrangi Re, a playlist of singer's best on his birthday

Singer Sonu Nigam is celebrating his 47th birthday on Thursday, 30 July. One of the most popular artists of his generation, Nigam has delivered songs of different genres in a career spanning nearly three decades. He became popular after the release of his album Deewana in 1999. He has also acted in a few movies and shared screen space with Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty among others. According to The Indian Express, Nigam started his career at the age of four when he accompanied his father for a stage show. He started gaining fame by singing Mohammed Rafi songs in his late teens. Hindustan Times mentions Nigam’s first playback song was for a 1990 film which never released. His first released song was ‘O Aasman Wale’ from the 1992 film Aaja Meri Jaan. He became one of the go-to male playback singers in Bollywood after delivering hits such as ‘Yeh Dil Deewana’ from 1997 film Pardes and ‘Sandese Aate Hain’ from Border. Nigam has also been conferred with the National Film Award for Best Playback Singer (Male) for the title track of 2003 film Kal Ho Naa Ho. On Nigam’s birthday, here are 5 of his evergreen songs: ‘Ab Mujhe Raat Din’

This romantic song is from Nigam’s hit album Deewana. The music is composed by Sajid Wajid and the lyrics were penned by Faaiz Anwaar. The song is about a lover explaining his feelings for his partner. ‘Yeh Dil Deewana’

This upbeat song is from the 1997 film Pardes and is picturised on Shahrukh Khan and Mahima Chaudhry. The music was by Nadeem-Sharavan, known for their expertise in romantic numbers, while Anand Bakshi wrote the lyrics. ’Satrangi Re’

The song from Mani Ratnam-directed 1998 film Dil Se is picturised on Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala. Considered to be one of the most romantic Bollywood numbers, this song is sung by Nigam and Kavita Krishnamurthy. Maestro AR Rahman composed the music for this film. ‘Saathiya’

The lyrics by Gulzar for this title track are ethereal. The song, picturised on Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukherjee, instantly became popular among youngsters. The music of this 2002 film was provided by AR Rahman. ‘Suraj Hua Maddham’

‘Suraj Hua Maddham’, from 2001 film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, is sung by Nigam and Alka Yagnik. Filmed aesthetically and against an exotic background, the song features one of Bollywood’s most-loved romantic pairings, Shahrukh Khan and Kajol.