There’s no denying the charm and uber-coolness of sporting a guitar. Many of our favorite Bollywood celebrities have taken a stab at playing (all right, all right, pretending to play) a guitar in a film or two, whether it be yesteryears superstar Rishi Kapoor in Karz or current teen heartthrob Shahid Kapoor in Jab We Met. Here’s looking at some of the best on-screen guitar moments.
10. “Pappu Can’t Dance Saala” from Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na
All the kids had one song on their lips in summer 2008 – “Pappu Can’t Dance Saala.” The use of the electric guitar, Abbas Tyrewala’s fresh lyrics and the presence of many new, energetic voices (Satish Subramanium, Darshana, Benny Dayal, Anupama Deshpande, Tanvi, Mohd. Aslam, Blaaze) made this A.R. Rahman composition very addictive. The manner in which the uncredited bartender stands up on a platform in his imagination, plays the electric guitar as if there is neither a tomorrow nor anyone better than him, followed by a loud shriek ending his pleasant dream is bound to bring a big smile to your face. Interestingly, this on-screen moment takes place against Tyrewala’s line “Pappu guitar bajaataa hai, Jahaan jaataa hai chhaa jaataa hai” which touches upon how the ability to play a guitar in today’s times makes one stand out as being cool.
9. Aamir Khan: “Papa Kehte Hain” from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak
The song “Papa Kehte Hain” will always be remembered fondly by Aamir Khan fans. This Anand-Milind song, sung by Udit Narayan and written by Majrooh Sultanpuri is from the actor’s debut film and was a hit overnight. Filmed in a college farewell party setting, Khan sings and strums the guitar happily, an interesting juxtaposition to the bloodshed which later follows in this desi adaptation of Romeo & Juliet.
8. Tariq: "Kya Hua Tera Vaada" from Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin
Tariq plays the guitar with boyish charm in “Kya Hua Tera Vaada,” while questioning his beloved’s promises and love. RD Burman’s composition is catchy as usual, and of course this song goes down as one of Mohammad Rafi’s most popular songs and is the only song for which he won a National Award.
7. Shammi Kapoor: “Baar Baar Dekho” from China Town
Shammi Kapoor, one of Bollywood’s most entertaining stars, has a lot of fun dancing around with a guitar in hand to Ravi’s upbeat composition “Baar Baar Dekho” from China Town sung by ace singer Mohammad Rafi.
6. Anupam Kher: Lamhe
Anupam Kher has a whole lot of fun throughout Yash Chopra’s Lamhe. And, of course, his comical rendition of “Laaga Chunari Mein Daag” with an acoustic guitar amongst Britishers is unforgettable.
5. Vinay Pathak: “Mumma” from Dasvidaniya
Dasvidaniya is a very sweet film overall, and Vinay Pathak’s character is extremely loveable. One of Pathak’s goals on his list of things to do before dying is to learn how to play the guitar, and throughout the film his guitar lessons are interspersed, leading to his very touching song-and-dance performance for his mom to the song “Mumma” written and sung by Kailash Kher and composed by the Kailasa trio.
4. Zeenat Aman: “Chura Liya Hai” from Yaadon Ki Baaraat
Zeenat Aman’s amazing screen presence works wonder as she sports an acoustic guitar while dancing to the very romantic RD Burman composition “Chura Liya Hai” written by Majrooh Sultanpuri and sung beautifully by legendary Bollywood singers Asha Bhosle and Mohammad Rafi.
3. Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal: Rock On!!
Revolving around the journey, friendship and dreams of four friends who are part of a rock band, Magik, Rock On!! is rich with several rock and soft-rock compositions. The performances by Farhan Akhtar (guitar, vocals), Arjun Rampal (guitar, vocals), Purab Kohli (drums) and Luke Kenny (keyboard) are lively and seem natural thanks to the lead actors actually undergoing proper musical training.
2. Biswajeet: “Lakhon Hain Yahan” from Kismat
Biswajeet has a bit too much fun in “Lakhon Hain Yahan,” from Kismat, which is composed by OP Nayyar, sung by Mahendra Kapoor and written by S. H. Bihari. He even plays the guitar… umm… hands-free, while dancing like an aspiring Elvis!
1. Amitabh Bachchan: “Disco Bhangra” from Ganga Jamuna Saraswati
“Disco Bhangra,” composed by Anu Malik and sung by Mohammed Aziz, is one extremely bizarre song which does the unthinkable – it combines disco and bhangra. The way Amitabh goes wild with an acoustic guitar and the way Meenakshi Seshadri is dancing randomly in a Banjara outfit (even though Bachchan is clad in leather), are elements that make this song very hard to forget once you’ve seen the film.