[Update: 25th June 2021] After a very dry spring in Michigan, it has started raining again; and has made me very sentimental and dreamy and whatnot! So I thought of rehashing this old blog post of mine (from April 2012!). And as I’ve grown a bit since then, and my tastes have changed more than a bit, I also updated the post a bit lot. So, here’s a list of some of my favorite Bollywood rain songs, in no particular order.

Disclaimer:  The links of  YouTube videos are not owned by me; I just found them on YouTube…

1. Saawan Barse Tarse Dil from the movie Dahek

I have to start this list with one of my most favorite rain songs ever, even though I haven’t seen the movie (I don’t think anyone has!). But I have watched this song umpteen times for it sheer innocence and lyrical romance! Akshaye Khanna and Sonali Bendre going to meet each other while battling it out with the various difficulties created by the rain, and still enjoying that rain in the meanwhile, is the essence of this beautifully shot song.

2. Barso Re Megha from Guru

The amazing visuals of a raindrop creating ripples in water, dark clouds in the background of lush green fields and a washed clean look of several picturesque locations are what I like the best about this song; although the music and the stunning voice of  Shreya Ghoshal are also individually sufficient to make this song appear in my list of favorites. 

3. Le Ja Le Ja Re from the music album Ustaad & the Divas

This is by far the cutest song with a rainy background! But the rain here is not just outdoors from the sky – it is also indoors on the dance floor, inside the heroine’s eyes, and in the hero’s and the heroine’s hearts. There is a scene in this song where the heroine is sad and sketches herself drenched in rain on a bus stop billboard, while the hero adds an umbrella to the picture. And another one where she sketches herself getting drenched by a bus splashing water on her – only to find that the hero draws himself between her and the bus! I have no words for this cuteness! The music is of course, divine!

4. Rimjhim Ke Taraane Leke Aayi Barsaat from the movie Kaala Baazaar

Whenever I think of rains, a wave of nostalgia hits me! This song shows Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman walking in the rains and reminiscing their moments together, along with glimpses of  a rain-drenched old Bombay. What a treat for the eyes and ears! And as with most old songs, the lyrics are soulful!

5. Ghanan Ghanan from the movie Lagaan

This is a unique song dedicated to rain that never came!  But the yearning it causes was captured so melodiously in this classical/folk music-inspired song, you could feel the heartache at the sight of those dark clouds floating away…

6. Dum Dum Digaa Digaa from the movie Chhaliya

Rains in the film studio have never looked as refreshing as they do in this song! And Raj Kapoor in his serenading avatar is charming!

7. Bhaage re Mann Kahin from the movie Chameli

A shady lane in a shady area in South Bombay, Kareena Kapoor dressed up in a tacky red-and-blue Sari, and a car as a prop – not to mention a lot of rain… does not seem like an interesting scenario, right? Negative! It is a beautiful scenario! The way the rain-wind combination is shot in this song is mind-blowing! And the music is blissful.

8. Rimjhim Rimjhim from the movie 1942 A Love Story

Beautiful, dusky, and lush green setting of the Ooty botanical garden, a beautiful and very expressive Manisha Koirala, a handsome and sentimental Anil Kapoor, R D Burman’s music, and Javed Akhtar’s soulful lyrics – add all of these to lots of rain and baadal and bijli! Can a rain song get better than that? Naah! Totally mesmerizing song!

9. Bheegi Bheegi Raatonme from the movie Ajnabee

I don’t care for the video of the original song at all, so I am adding the link of the remixed song, but the song in itself is such a work of genius! You can imagine the rain and the dreamy atmosphere created by it just by listening to it. Kishore Kumar at his best! And yeah, the remix version of this song is great too, for a change!

10. Ab Ke Saawan Aise Barase from the music album Ab Ke Saawan

This awesome amalgamation of classical, folk, and pop music is not just pleasing to the ear, but is lavishly shot in a small-town setup (in a studio) and is so pleasant to watch! sense. It brilliantly shows the perfect combination of romance, fun, confusion, peace, chaos, and overall joy brought about by the rains!

11. Koi Ladki Hai from the movie Dil To Pagal Hai

The rain usually makes us smile, but what if our smiles make it rain? That’s the crazy romantic sentiment depicted in this song, with the dreamy voices of Lata Mangeshkar and Udit Narayan making it even better. Also, props to the choreography!

12. Lapak Jhapak from the movie Boot Polish

This is another unusual rain song featuring bald, aging inmates from an asylum! Oh but Manna Dey is as amazing as ever, and the metaphoric ballad asking for rain to come and water the barren heads of people is of another level altogether!

Yeah, so that’s my list of favorites, people! Which is your favorite rain song? Let me know!