You’re watching a movie and then suddenly you come across a song which is absolutely perfect for the scene. It seems as if the song was made for that particular moment in the film. Often times this is the case, and they are written and composed by relatively unknown indie artists. Here’s a list of awesome songs from notable movies which were performed by independent artists.
- Bandeh (Black Friday): Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean is best known for its fusion of folk and contemporary music. They started as an indie band which experimented with music and was voraciously accepted by the Indian populace. Bandeh featured in the heart-wrenching movie Black Friday.
Source: imgrum.com
- Aaoge Tum Kabhi (Angry Indian Godesses): The Local Train
This Indian Indie Artists band hails from Delhi. Their debut album was Aalas Ka Pedh, which became massively popular on Facebook and other social media platforms. Aaoge Tum Kabhi was in the original soundtrack of the movie, Angry Indian Goddesses.
Source: Indian band Blogspot
- Mon (Nil Nirjane): Cactus
Cactus performed and composed the score for the movie, Nil Nirjane. The song, Mon, soon became a crowd-puller and is still extremely popular.
- Ha ha ha (Rajma Chawal): Mohit Chauhan
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Mohit Chauhan and his band Silk Route started turning heads in the early 90s with their first album, Boondein. The song, Dooba dooba, was a cult hit which catapulted Mohit to the limelight. Since then, he’s performed in many Hindi movie songs. The song mentioned above is one of his latest tunes to feature in the Netflix movie, Rajma Chawal.
- Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (Baar Baar Dekho ): Prateek Kuhad
Prateek Kuhad attained international notice after the release of his 2015 debut album, In tokens and Charms. He has a vast range of songs under his belt which can tangle and untangle you in equal measure. This particular song was taken from the movie, Baar Baar Dekho.
- Dooriyan Bhi Hai Zaroori (Break Ke Bad): Monika Dogra
Monika Dogra sang an amazing along with Vishal Dadlani in the movie, Break Ke Bad. Dogra is a versatile musician. She also hosts the Deawarists on Star world.
- Na Tum Jano Na Hum: Lucky Ali
The man whose songs defined a generation. Along with Na Tum Jano Na Hum, Ek pal ka jeena from the movie, Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, was another monster Indian Indie Artists hit with the public. His melodious Oh Sanam will always be an iconic indie song.
Other honourable mentions include Sonu Nigam and Shaan. Although not strictly indie artists, their first albums opened up a new era in Indian music. This gave new opportunities to upcoming indie artists and songwriters a chance to showcase their talents in India. Give a listen to Sonu’s album Deewana and Shaan’s Tanha Dil.
However, at the end of the day, it’s sad how indie artists have shoved aside in commercial movies. Indie artists cultivate unique styles of music, which would be a welcome change from the formulaic Bollywood movie “numbers”. It would be a welcome change to see more indie artistes’ original compositions getting featured on the big screen.
