Bollywood Movies Which Had Maximum Number Of Songs
Posted On: 19 Aug 2024 | Last Updated : 16 Sep 2024 | Views : 1.5k
If there’s one film industry in the world that cannot do without songs, it’s the Indian film industry. Ever since talkie movies started in 1931, besides dialogues, songs too became an integral part of the story. So much so that whenever a film doesn’t have a song, it is considered unconventional. While most films have a few songs, some films are so packed with them that you don’t realize whether the songs are made for the movies or the movies are made for the songs. Bollywood movies are known for their elaborate musical sequences, and some films have become famous for including many songs. Here are some Bollywood movies that are known for having the most number of songs housing extensive and memorable soundtracks, contributing significantly to their appeal and success.
(Note: The below list includes Bollywood movies that had a minimum of 13 songs. In case, we have missed out on any, please do mention it in the comment box below.)
1. Indra Sabha (1932) - 72 Songs
Director J.J. Madan’s Indra Sabha tops the list of Bollywood movies with the maximum number of songs in it. The film holds the Guinness World Record for featuring the most songs in a single movie, with a staggering 72 songs. This film continues to hold the record for the most songs in a single movie. Indra Sabha was produced by Madan Theatres and starred Nissar, Jehanara Kajjan, Abdul Rehman Kabuli and Mukhtar Begum. The music was by Nagardas Nayak which included 9 tthumris, 31 ghazals, 13 proper songs, 4 Holi songs, 5 chhands, 5 chobolas, and 5 normal songs in the film.
2. Jagga Jasoos (2017) - 21 Songs
Director Anurag Basu’s Jagga Jasoos easily makes it to the list of top 10 Bollywood movies with most songs. The Ranbir Kapoor-Katrina Kaif starrer had music by Pritam, and songs penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya, Samrat Chakraborty, Neelesh Misra and Anurag Basu. Ranbir Kapoor played the character of a stammerer in the movie who could communicate only through songs. Despite having a long list of playback singers the album faced a few controversies for housing so many songs, including hits like ‘Ullu Ka Pattha’, ‘Galti Se Mistake’, ‘Jhumritalaiyya’, ‘Phir Wahi’, ‘Musafir’, and ‘Khaana Khaake’, but, the movie turned out to be a tedious watch for the audience.
3. Shirin Farhad (1931) - 18 Songs
Another J.J. Madan musical that finds itself among Bollywood movies with the most songs in Hindi is Shirin Farhad, released in 1931. Based on the legendary love saga of ‘Shirin Farhad’, it was the second film with sound to release after Alam Ara. Starring Nissar, Jehanara Kajjan, Mohammad Hussain, Abdul Rehman Kabuli and Sharifa; the music was by Brijlal Varma while the songs were written by Agha Hashar Kashmiri. Besides having 18 melodious soundtracks which were recorded on R.C.A. photophone, the film had good dialogues as well as dance sequences that later became an important trademark in the talkie’s era.
4. Gully Boy (2019) - 18 Songs
Among the latest Bollywood movies with the most songs is Zoya Akhtar’s Ranveer Singh - Alia Bhatt starrer Gully Boy, which narrated the story of an aspiring street rapper and comprised of as many as 18 soundtracks. Though most of the songs were in the form of rap, they included ‘Asli Hip Hop’, ‘Mere Gully Mein’, ‘Sher Aaya Sher’, ‘Azaadi’ and others penned by Divine, Naezy, MC Altaf, MC Todfod, etc. Songs were composed by multiple musicians, including Spitfire, Divine, Naezy, Rishi Rich, Dub Sharma, Ankur Tewari, Prem - Hardeep, and others.
5. Baiju Bawra (1952) - 17 Songs
Vijay Bhatt’s musical biopic, Baiju Bawra, was based on the great devotional classical singer who was known to be better than Tansen during Emperor Akbar’s regime. Starring Bharat Bhushan in the titular role and Meena Kumari as his love interest, it had music by Naushad and lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni. The vocals used in this magnificent album, comprising 17 songs, were that of Mohammed Rafi, Shamshad Begum, Lata Mangeshkar, and Ustad Amir Khan, D. V. Paluskar and Hridaynath Mangeshkar. Who can forget songs like ‘O Duniya Ke Rakhwale’, ‘Tu Ganga Ki Mauj’, Jhoole Mein Pawan Ke’, ‘Mann Tarpat Hari Darshan Ko’, ‘Mohe Bhool Gaye Sawariya’, and more.
6. Dev.D (2009) - 16 Songs
Director Anurag Kashyap’s Dev.D, was a modern take on Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s classic novel 'Devdas' which took everyone by surprise. Anurag Kashyap, who is known for his songless movies, broke the barrier and housed 16 songs in his Dev.D. The album, composed by Amit Trivedi, had a total of 18 tracks, including the two themes. The songs were written by Amitabh Bhattacharya, Shellee, Anusha Mani, and Shruti Pathak, of which two were Punjabi tracks, two romantic Haryanvi folk tracks, apart from a hard rock song, and an Awadhi number. The two tracks that stood out were ‘O Pardesi’ and ‘Emosanal Attyachaar’.
7. Jogan (1950) - 15 Songs
Dilip Kumar and Nargis starrer Jogan is also one of the Hindi films with the most songs released in 1950. This romantic drama, directed by Kidar Nath Sharma, had a total of 15 songs composed by Bulo C. Rani while the lyrics were by Meera Bai, Himmat Rai Sharma, B.R. Sharma, Pt. Indra and Kidar Nath Sharma. Playback singers included Talat Mehmood, Shamshad Begum and Geeta Dutt who lent her vocals to the hit song ‘Ghunghat Ke Pat Khol’. The film was actor Rajendra Kumar’s first credited role after debuting earlier, with small roles in Mela and Patanga.
8. Mela (1948) - 14 Songs
Producer - director S.U. Sunny’s blockbuster Mela, despite being a romantic tragic drama, broke all previous box office records, thanks to its unforgettable gems by Naushad and lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni. Starring Dilip Kumar and Nargis in the lead, Mela’s playback singers included Mukesh, Shamshad Begum, Zohrabai Ambalewali and Mohammed Rafi who sang 'Yeh Zindagi Ke Mele', 'Gaaye Ja Geet Milan Ke', 'Phir Aah Dil Se', 'Dharti Ka Aakash Pukaare', 'Mera Dil Todne Waale', 'Main Bhanwra Tu Hai Phool', etc. The album of Mela was not just one of those Bollywood movies with maximum songs but all of them were hits.
9. Babul (1950) - 14 Songs
Another black-and-white Hindi classic movie with the most songs was S.U. Sunny’s Babul starring Dilip Kumar, Nargis and Munawar Sultana in the lead. The film was produced by Naushad and also had music by him and lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni. Singers who contributed to this unforgettable album were Shamshad Begum, Talat Mehmood, Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, and Munawar Sultana. Each song was a gem, comprising of ‘Chhod Babul Ka Ghar’, ‘Duniya Badal Gayi’, ‘Kisi Ke Dil Mein Rehna Tha’, ‘Mera Jeevan Saathi Bichhad Gaya’, ‘Milte Hi Aankhen Dil Hua’, ‘Nadi Kinare Saath Hamara’, etc.
10. Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994) - 14 Songs
Though released over three decades ago, if one asks the current generation which movie has the most songs, the answer would be Sooraj R. Barjatya’s Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! The Salman Khan-Madhuri Dixit starrer is known for its numerous hit songs and its influence on Indian weddings, popularizing many wedding rituals through its musical sequences. Dominated by the voices of Lata Mangeshkar and S.P. Balasubramanyam, Raam Laxman was just unstoppable, making every soundtrack memorable. HAHK's lyrics by Dev Kohli and Ravindra Rawal, the songs which continue to be on our playlist today are: ‘Didi Tera Devar Deewana’, ‘Pehla Pehla Pyar Hai’, ‘ Joote Dedo, Paise Lelo’, Maye Ni Maye’, ‘Wah Wah Ramji’, ‘Yeh Mausam Ka Jaadu’, ‘Dhiktana’, etc.
11. Mirzya (2016) - 14 Songs
Loosely based on the Punjabi folklore ‘Mirza Sahiban’, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s technically brilliant Mirzya, starring newbies Harshvardhan Kapoor and Saiyami Kher did not strike a chord with the audiences, but the music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and lyrics by Gulzar were top notch. The unmissable album of Mirzya comprised 14 songs. Some of the soundtracks that stood out in the voice of Daler Mehndi, Nooran sisters, Mame Khan, and Sain Zahoor were the title track, ‘Mirzya’, ‘Teen Gawah Hain Ishq Ke’, ‘Chakora’ and ‘Aave Re Hitchki’, etc.
12. Tansen (1943) - 13 Songs
Talk about black-and-white Hindi classic films with most songs and you are reminded of Jayant Desai’s musical hit Tansen, starring K.L. Saigal and Khursheed Bano. Based on the 16th-century musician in the court of the Mughal emperor, Akbar, Tansen featured 13 rich soundtracks of classical music compositions by Khemchand Prakash and lyrics by Pt. Indra. Crooned by K.L. Saigal and Khursheed, some of the notable songs included, ‘More Balapan Ke Saathi’, ‘Rum Jhum Rum Jhum Chal Tihari’, ‘Kahe Ghuman Kare Gori’, ‘Bina Pankh Ka Panchhi’, ‘Diya Jalao’, ‘Baag Laga Doon Sajni’, etc.
13. Anokha Pyar (1948) - 13 Songs
Initially publicized as Dil Ki Awaz, Anokha Pyar was a love triangle starring Dilip Kumar, Nargis and Nalini Jaywant, with 13 songs with music by Anil Biswas and lyrics by Zia Sarhadi, Gopal Singh Nepali, Behzad Lakhnavi and Shams Azimabadi. Some of the notable songs were ‘Jeevan Sapna Toot Gaya’ by Lata and ‘Mere Liye Woh Gham-E-Intezaar Chhod Gaye’, sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Meena Kapoor. Other popular songs were ‘Yaad Rakhna Chaand Taaron’ sung by Lata and Mukesh, and ‘Ek Dil Ka Lagana Baqi Tha’ by Lata Mangeshkar.
14. Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955) - 13 Songs
Director V. Shantaram's technicolor musical classic dance ballet, Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje had 13 songs to its credit. Starring Gopi Krishna, Sandhya, Keshavrao Date, and Bhagwan Dada, the film had music by Vasant Desai and lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri, Dewan Sharar, and Meera Bai. The music became a big hit; especially evergreen songs like ‘Nain So Nain Nahin Milao’ sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Hemant Kumar, ‘Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje’ sung by Ustad Amir Khan, ‘Jo Tum Todo Piya’, ‘Saiyyan Jao’, ‘Kaisi Yeh Mohabbat’ by Lata. The other songs were crooned by Mohammed Rafi, Manna Dey, and Asha Bhosle in the movie.
