Which is your favourite song of birthday girl Shreya Ghoshal?

Picture Courtesy: Official Instagram Account/Shreya Ghoshal, YouTube

Shreya Ghoshal turns a year younger today, and will also complete 18 glorious years in the Hindi film industry in 2020 itself. In these many years, she has graduated from a new voice on the block to one of the most powerful and enchanting vocalists in the country. The performances of the actors she lends her voice to are sometimes also elevated due to her understanding of the craft. There has to be a chemistry between the actor and the singer and Ghoshal is one such singer who engages you in her singing as much as the actor does with her acting.

Rightly so, she's inspired by the legend, Lata Mangeshkar, and her songs always have what seems to be missing in many albums today - melody, and may we add, posterity. She has crooned in multiple languages in her memorable career that's yet to see a lot more highs and hurrahs, and here are some personal favourites that were tough to pick but hopefully you all will agree.

Here we go:

1. Silsila Ye Chahat Ka - Devdas (2002)

The world has said no filmmaker has been able to tap into the aura and power that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan possesses as meticulously as Sanjay Leela Bhansali. But this prolific filmmaker has also extracted the same amount of tenacity from Ghoshal as well. What Mahesh Bhatt did for Kumar Sanu, Mansoor Khan did for Udit Narayan, Bhansali did for Ghoshal. Devdas was the biggest and the grandest film of 2002, and Ismail Darbar, the music director, worked on the music for more than two years. Ghoshal sang what is arguably the best song of the album. Few may argue it was Dola Re Dola, but it was more about the dance face-off between Aishwarya and Madhuri Dixit. Silsila Ye Chahat Ka was a song that celebrated unrequited love through a beautiful metaphor - an in-extinguishable Diya. Rai's performance and Ghoshal's vocals pierced straight into the heart and the staging of the song and the grandeur of the film mesmerised the eyes. The singer was here to stay!

2. Agar Tum Mil Jao - Zeher (2005)

In what is one of her most underrated songs, she once again sang a song that depicted a woman's longing for a man. Only this time, this was a thriller that dealt with infidelity and murder. Mohit Suri filmed the song as boldly as he could, but there was something about Ghoshal that she made such an erotically filmed number into a romantic track that deserved a lot more.

3. Teri Ore - Singh Is Kinng (2008)

Comedy films usually don't win an award; Singh Is Kinng did for this song that was shot gorgeously in Egypt. Anees Bazmee showed he was no less than Karan Johar when it came to filming his actors and his songs. And Ghoshal won the award for the Best Singer. The lyrics were deeply poetic, and Pritam showed how versatile he could be too. If the album had a party anthem, it also had the love song of the year. The best thing about the singer is she feels the song as much as the actors who participate in them, sometimes, even more.

4. Teri Meri - Bodyguard (2011)

Teri Meri from Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan's Bodyguard was released just a day before the film's release. It was the trump card of the potboiler. Unlike Khan's last few films, this was a romantic drama that showed the star's softer and tender side. Himesh Reshammiya was coming back after a hiatus and created a rage. Not just the way the song was shot, it was also about the way Ghoshal sang the song. It had to become a chartbuster!

5. Aashiyan - Barfi! (2012)

Anurag Basu's Barfi! has to be the sweetest and nicest film in recent times. Every character was immensely likeable that you immediately wanted to befriend them. Even nicer was Pritam's music. Aashiyan was one of them that showed the bond between Barfi and Jhilmil, played by Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. Jhilmil doesn't sing the song, it plays in the background as the saccharine montages of these two continue to unfold one after another. You left the cinema hall smiling at the film's niceness, not really bothering about the flaws in the story.

6. Deewani Mastani - Bajirao Mastani (2015)

Bhansali and Ghoshal's combination has to be a lethal one. Nobody collaborates the way they do! In Bajirao Mastani, one of the filmmaker's many magnum opuses, this song came at a crucial juncture. This was the time when Bajirao is mesmerised by Mastani's beauty. As she dances enchantingly to the tunes of the song and croons in Ghoshal's magnificent voice, we are hooked too.

7. The Journey Song - Piku (2015)

Again, this is a song that isn't being sung, it's playing in the background as our three central characters embark on a journey. The song is rightly titled The Journey Song. As the camera lingers on the actors' faces and the view outside the vehicle, we get a sense of what the film is about. We also realise Ghoshal's ability to hook us with her gripping vocals and it's not necessary for actors to sing them to create an impact.

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