Bollywood music has given us songs for every occasion and mood. The sombre soundtracks from earlier movies have been replaced with upbeat and dynamic music. They are, however, among the most popular musical genres of our day, with unprecedented levels of success in terms of reach and intensity of appeal. Some of these songs have surpassed a billion views since they were first published on YouTube.
Here are some of the most viewed Bollywood songs on YouTube.
1. Zaroori Tha - Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, 2014
The video for the song Zaroori Tha from Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's album Back 2 Love features former lovebirds Gauahar Khan and Kushal Tandon. Sahir Ali Bagga, a talented Pakistani musician, composed the song and Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar wrote the lyrics. It is one of the most viewed Indian videos on YouTube, with over 1.2 billion views.
2. High Rated Gabru - Guru Randhawa, 2017
Guru Randhawa sang, wrote and composed the superhit Punjabi song, with music production handled by Manj Musik. The song's video was directed by DirectorGifty, and the artist is Guru Randhawa. Among the most viewed Indian songs on YouTube, it has received over 1.1 billion views.
3. Lahore - Guru Randhawa, 2017
Guru Randhawa wrote, composed and sang the Punjabi song Lahore, with Vee Music producing the music for "Lagdi Lahore Di Aa." Amit Syal choreographed the music video, which was directed by DirectorGifty. This Indian song with a billion views always has us tapping our feet.
4. Swag Se Swagat - Tiger Zinda Hai, 2017
Swag Se Swagat, a song from Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif's film Tiger Zinda Hai, is one of the most viewed Bollywood songs on YouTube. It is sung by Vishal Dadlani and Neha Bhasin. The lyrics were written by Irshad Kamil, and the music was composed by Vishal and Shekhar. On its way to a billion, the song has received over 900 million views.
5. Why this Kolaveri Di, 2011
Why This Kolaveri Di is a single from Dhanush and Shruti Haasan's 2012 Tamil movie 3. Anirudh Ravichander composed the song, which Dhanush wrote and sang. It went on to become one of YouTube's most popular Indian videos. The video has received over 300 million views.
6. Rowdy Baby - Maari 2, 2018
Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the soundtrack for Maari 2. While the other songs of the movie missed the radar, Rowdy Baby became a hit. Raja is the son of famed music director Ilaiyaraaja, and it's clear that music runs in the family. The Tamil song, which was published on YouTube in 2019, has crossed the 1 billion views mark.
7. Title Track - Badrinath Ki Dulhania, 2017
Badri Ki Dulhania is sung by Dev Negi, Neha Kakkar and Monali Thakur, with Ikka providing the rap. Tanishk Bagchi composed the music, and Shabbir Ahmed wrote the lyrics. Badrinath Ki Dulhania, directed by Shashank Khaitan, stars Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. The song’s video is close to crossing 800 million views on YouTube, making it one of the most viewed Hindi songs on YouTube.
8. Kala Chashma - Baar Baar Dekho, 2016
This track, from the 2016 movie Baar Baar Dekho, is a new version of the superhit Punjabi song Tenu Kala Chasma Jachda Hai. It features Amar Arshi and Neha Kakkar as vocalists, including popular rapper Badshah. It is one of the most-watched Indian YouTube videos with over 700 million views.
9. Dil Diyan Gallan - Tiger Zinda Hai, 2017
The Tiger Zinda Hai song Dil Diyan Gallan was written by Irshad Kamil, composed by Vishal-Shekhar and sung by Atif Aslam. Actors Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif star in the music video, which has over 700 million views on YouTube.
10. Nashe Si Chadh Gayi - Befikre, 2016
The song Nashe Si Chadh Gayi from the movie Befikre is an upbeat track sung by Arijit Singh, who nailed it by making it one of the most viewed Bollywood songs on YouTube with over 600 million views. Vishal-Shekhar created the music that makes you want to dance. The lyrics were written by Aditya Chopra’s favourite and frequent collaborator, Jaideep Sahni. Vaibhavi Merchant choreographed equally impressive dance moves for the song.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication only.