10 Bollywood Songs Which Were Shot In A Single Take
Posted On: 03 May 2019 | Last Updated : 03 Jan 2023 | Views : 4.8k
No Bollywood film is complete without songs, which don’t just take the narrative forward but also add a lot of value to the proceedings. Songs are often planned diligently by the director, cameraman, and choreographer before shooting them for it does not just involve the dance steps but also the story, characters, situation, tune, playback singers, and lyricist. There have been quite a few Bollywood songs, which were shot at various locations with many cuts and takes but only a handful of songs have been shot in just one take, which is no mean feat. Here's the list of Bollywood's one-take songs or should we say the top 10 Bollywood songs shot in single take which many of us probably didn't know about.
1. Roop Tera Mastana – Aradhana (1969)
Probably the first song to be shot in one take since the 30s and 40s era when songs sung by actors in their own voice were shot with a couple of cuts. Roop Tera Mastana which was rated among the top 10 Bollywood songs of the 60s featuring Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore was a sensual song, which continues to charm listeners to date. Director Shakti Samanta had narrated that it was initially planned to capture the song with a few cuts but the emotions made the director continue only with expressions. Penned by Anand Bakshi, composed by S.D. Burman and sung by Kishore Kumar, the number was an instant hit fetching the latter a Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1969.
2. Barson Ke Baad Aayi Mujhko Yaad – Anjaam (1994)
It was a Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit wave, which made audiences go crazy in the early 90s. This song from director Rahul Rawail’s Anjaam which was released in 1994 wasn’t that popular compared to the Channe Ke Khet Mein song picturized on Madhuri Dixit. But the USP of Barson Ke Baad Aayi Mujhko Yaad song picturized on Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit was that it was captured in a single take without any cuts which made people take notice of it. The song was crooned by Alka Yagnik, written by Sameer, and composed by music director duo Anand - Milind.
3. I Want to Make Love to You – Aitraaz (2004)
I Want To Make Love To You sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, penned by Sameer and composed by Himesh Reshammiya too has the distinction of being a Bollywood song shot in a single take. Featuring Priyanka Chopra and Akshay Kumar, this song had made it to the top of the charts and remains one of the most sensuous numbers from the album as the film too went on to become a box-office success in 2004 with Priyanka Chopra walking away with that years Filmfare award trophy for 'Best Villain'.
4. Ae Chhori Zara Nach Ke Dikha – Cash (2007)
Ae Chhori Zara Nach Ke Dikha which appears in the end credits of Anubhav Sinha’s 2007 action thriller Cash, too figures in the list of one-take songs of Bollywood. The song sung by Anushka Manchanda, Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani was penned by Vishal Dadlani while the music was by Vishal – Shekhar. Picturized on Dia Mirza, Zayed Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Esha Deol, Shamita Shetty, this song along with the others in the album was the only saving grace in this otherwise forgettable film.
5. Ek Se Bure Do - Title Song (2009)
This lesser-known Arshad Warsi and Rajpal Yadav starrer comedy film co-incidentally had the title song of Ek Se Bure Do that was captured in a single take without any editing. Though there’s just a single cut in the whole song which may go unnoticed but, overall, a good effort. The song which appears at the beginning of the credits is sung by Vinod Rathod, Sonu Nigam and Hema Sardesai while it’s composed by Ravi Pawar and directed by Tariq Khan.
6. Raabta (Siyaah Raatein) – Agent Vinod (2012)
This catchy track picturized on Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan from the spy thriller Agent Vinod was penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya with music by Pritam while sung by Shreya Ghoshal, Arijit Singh, and Joi Barua. Though captured in one shot, the picturization needs to be applauded, as it would have taken something special to pull this off by the cinematographer and actors. The song which turned out to be one of the top 10 Hindi film songs released that year was later used in the Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon starrer Raabta by Pritam again which was picturized on Deepika Padukone.
7. Gallan Goodiyaan – Dil Dhadakne Do (2015)
Gallan Goodiyaan from Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do was a foot-tapping party song also shot in a single take. Featuring almost the whole star cast of the film; the song was composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, written by Javed Akhtar, and sung by Shankar Mahadevan, Farhan Akhtar, Sukhwinder Singh, Yashita Sharma and Manish Kumar Tipu. With so many characters together, it would have been a tough task for choreographer Farah Khan who had come very close to doing the same in her directorial debut film Main Hoon Na in 2004.
8. Sexy Baliye – Secret Superstar (2017)
Probably the first time in his career Aamir Khan has shot a song in one take which is Sexy Baliye from his 2017 released film Secret Superstar which features in the end credits. The way Aamir does it nails it to the 'T' as Shakti Kumaarr which is his character's name with a loud get-up. Though there is just a single cut in the entire song where he removes his jacket is edited smartly. The song was composed by Amit Trivedi and penned by Kausar Munir while it had playback by Mika Singh.
9. Dil Bechara - Title Song (2020)
The latest Bollywood song to join the list of one-take songs is the title track of Dil Bechara featuring Sushant Singh Rajput, Sanjana Sanghi, and others. The introductory scene of Sushant Singh Rajput was followed by this shot entirely in a single take! The song composed, produced, arranged, and sung by A. R. Rahman was penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya and choreographed by the one and only Farah Khan for which she bagged the Filmfare Award for 'Best Choreographer'. The song reportedly was the last song picturized for the movie which marked the directorial debut of Mukesh Chhabra, while the movie was an adaptation of John Green’s popular novel, The Fault In Our Stars.
10. Meri Jaan – Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)
The latest Bollywood song to make it to the list of songs shot in one take is Meri Jaan Meri Jaan from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi which treats you with the mischievous romance and chemistry between Alia Bhatt and Shantanu Maheshwari in a moving car. The song composed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali himself, sung by Neeti Mohan, and penned by Kumaar holds your attention till the last for many don’t realize that it has been shot in one take.
