Friendship defined by music

Who can forget, ‘Yeh dosti hum nahin todenge’ from the film ‘Sholay’?  Besides Gabbar Singh and his dialogues, the friendship between the two lead actors was the trademark of one of the most popular Hindi films of all time. The song was about friendship.

Music can convey a thousand emotions, one of them is friendship. It has been used as a central theme in several Hindi films and songs. Remember, ‘Bane chaahe dushman’ from the film ‘Dostana’. The song was a big hit in those times. Another song, ‘Tere jaisa yaar kahan’ from ‘Yaarana’ was about two friends, one who is successful and rich and the other, who sings well, but is poor and ignorant. 

The song moved many to tears due to the on-screen chemistry between Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan and the soulful voice of Kishore Kumar. Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Saathi’ was based on two friends, one ruthless and wayward and  the other, humane and considerate. The song, ‘Yaarana yaar ka’ from the film, sung by Kumar Sanu and Vipin Sachdeva conveyed the feelings of two youngsters who cared for each other more than anything else.

 The film, ‘Zanjeer’, besides, turning Amitabh Bachchan into a star and angry young man also showed that sworn enemies can become best friends. ‘Yaari hai imaan’ was based on the friendship of a police officer and a gangster. The song was a hit and eventually achieved cult status. The music director trio of Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy, who are good friends in real life, composed ‘Dil chahta hai’ based on three friends. The song was an instant hit as many youngsters could relate to it. Another song, ‘Yaaron dosti’ by KK also became immensely popular among youngsters, especially college students.

As times changed, so did the definition of friendship. Friendship between a boy and a girl was portrayed by the song, ‘Ladki badi anjaani hai’ from the film, ‘Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai’. The remarkable feature of the song was the energy, which was characterised by fast paced drum beats. It is not that only Hindi films and its songs portray friendship. The song, ‘Seasons in the sun’ by ‘Westlife’ is based on friendship. The song is based on the intricacies of friendship. 

It was sung by many others, but Westlife gave us the best version with their soulful rendition.  Several International rock bands have been formed by close friends who understand each other’s style and music. ‘Yaaron yehi dosti hai’, a song by a Pakistani band called, ‘Junoon’ was sung by the lead singer Ali Azmat. The song is fast paced and is loved by youngsters in India and Pakistan.