The most iconic Bollywood songs of the 2000s include Kal Ho Naa Ho, Kajra Re, Dil Chahta Hai, Tum Se Hi, Chak De India and Masakali. These tracks topped charts, won major awards and are still played at weddings, college fests and cricket matches. Here are 10 songs from the decade, with the singers, composers and lyricists behind them.
The 2000s gave Hindi film music new sounds. Composers such as Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Pritam, Salim-Sulaiman and Vishal-Shekhar became household names, and A.R. Rahman kept raising the bar. We have listed the songs in order of release, not by rank. All of them are available on major music streaming apps in India.
1. Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
The title song of Farhan Akhtar’s debut film is sung by Shankar Mahadevan, with music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and lyrics by Javed Akhtar. The song plays as Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna head out on their Goa road trip.
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It became the unofficial anthem for friend groups planning a trip, and the guitar riff is still easy to recognise. Mahadevan won the Bollywood Movie Award for Best Male Playback Singer for it.
2. Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)
Sonu Nigam sang the title track of this Nikhil Advani film, written by Javed Akhtar and composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan lead the film, which is set in New York.
The song won Sonu Nigam the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer, along with the Filmfare and IIFA awards. Javed Akhtar won the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist.
3. Kajra Re (2005)
From Bunty Aur Babli, Kajra Re features Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai on screen. Alisha Chinai, Shankar Mahadevan and Javed Ali sang it, Gulzar wrote the lyrics and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy composed the music.
Alisha Chinai won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, and Vaibhavi Merchant won several awards for the choreography. It is still a favourite at sangeet functions.
4. Aashiq Banaya Aapne (2005)
Himesh Reshammiya composed and sang the title song of this Emraan Hashmi film along with Shreya Ghoshal. Sameer Anjaan wrote the lyrics. Aditya Datt directed the film, which also starred Tanushree Dutta and Sonu Sood.
The song captured the mid-2000s sound of Himesh Reshammiya, whose songs were everywhere in those years. It still turns up on retro Bollywood playlists.
5. Rang De Basanti (2006)
A.R. Rahman composed the title track of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s film, with lyrics by Prasoon Joshi. Daler Mehndi and K.S. Chithra sang it. The film starred Aamir Khan, Siddharth, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor and Soha Ali Khan.
The soundtrack won Rahman the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director, and Naresh Iyer won a National Award for another song from the album, Rubaroo.
6. Chak De! India (2007)
Sukhwinder Singh sang the title song with Salim-Sulaiman and Marianne D’Cruz. Salim-Sulaiman composed it and Jaideep Sahni wrote the lyrics for Shimit Amin’s hockey film starring Shah Rukh Khan.
The track has since become a sports anthem in India. Composer Salim Merchant has said it grew in stature after India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and it is still played at stadiums across the country.
7. Tum Se Hi (2007)
Mohit Chauhan sang this romantic song from Imtiaz Ali’s Jab We Met, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor. Pritam composed the music and Irshad Kamil wrote the lyrics.
The song made Mohit Chauhan one of the most popular voices of the late 2000s. The same album also gave us Mauja Hi Mauja and Yeh Ishq Haaye, which won Shreya Ghoshal a National Award.
8. Main Agar Kahoon (2007)
From Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om, this love song was sung by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal. Vishal-Shekhar composed it and Javed Akhtar wrote the lyrics. On screen, it marked Deepika Padukone’s Bollywood debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan.
The first half of the film is set in the 1970s Hindi film industry, and the song is styled like a romantic number from that era.
9. Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai (2008)
This song from Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was composed by Salim-Sulaiman, with lyrics by Jaideep Sahni. Roop Kumar Rathod sang the main version, and Shreya Ghoshal sang a shorter female version.
Ghoshal and Sahni both won Producers Guild awards for the song. It is still a popular choice at weddings.
10. Masakali (2009)
A.R. Rahman composed Masakali for Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Delhi-6, with lyrics by Prasoon Joshi and vocals by Mohit Chauhan. The video features Sonam Kapoor and a pigeon in the lanes of Old Delhi.
Director Mehra has said the song was added to give the film a link to its finale. Its playful lyrics and Rahman’s arrangement made it a favourite with listeners of all ages.
Why these songs still work
Most of these songs came from films that were hits in their own right, but the music has outlived the box office numbers. They were written by lyricists like Gulzar, Javed Akhtar and Prasoon Joshi, and sung by voices that defined the decade. For more lists like this, see our Listicles section, or read the latest updates on our Bollywood page.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the most iconic Bollywood song of the 2000s?
Kal Ho Naa Ho is often named among the top picks. It won Sonu Nigam the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer.
Who composed the most hit songs in 2000s Bollywood?
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, A.R. Rahman, Pritam, Vishal-Shekhar and Salim-Sulaiman were behind many of the decade’s biggest hits, including several songs on this list.
Which 2000s Bollywood song is played at sports events?
The title song of Chak De! India (2007) is widely used as a sports anthem in India, especially at cricket and hockey matches.
Where can I listen to these songs?
All 10 songs are available on major music streaming apps in India and on the official YouTube channels of the music labels.
Sources: Song credits and awards from Wikipedia: Kal Ho Naa Ho (song), Wikipedia: Kajra Re, Wikipedia: Chak De! India soundtrack and Wikipedia: Dil Chahta Hai soundtrack.
