Every decade has a sound. The 2000s hummed in sync: in college canteens, sangeets, long drives and last-row cinema seats. Here are ten tunes that never really left.
In This Article
Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai (2000)
Artists: Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik
Music: Rajesh Roshan
The new millennium began with a heartbeat. Hrithik Roshan’s debut turned a breezy title track into a national obsession, and a nation that had barely met him suddenly knew every word. He walked away with both Best Debut and Best Actor at Filmfare. The song’s sunlit romance set the tone for the decade ahead.
Bole Chudiyan (Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, 2001)
Artists: Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurti, Sonu Nigam, Amit Kumar
Music: Jatin–Lalit
Bangles jingle, a family dances, and a whole generation learns what a Karan Johar wedding should sound like. The multi-singer ensemble is as grand as the film’s cast. Over two decades later, no sangeet is complete without it.
Kal Ho Naa Ho ( Kal Ho Naa Ho, 2003)
Artists: Sonu Nigam
Music: Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy
Javed Akhtar’s words are tender, the melody aches, and Sonu Nigam’s voice holds both. The title track taught us to live like tomorrow might not come. It also earned Sonu a Filmfare trophy, and a permanent place in every tearful New York montage.
Mitwa (Lagaan, 2001)
Artists: Sukhwinder Singh, Shankar Mahadevan, Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Srinivas
Music: A.R. Rahman
Dusty fields, a cricket match, and an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Amid it all, Rahman’s Mitwa felt like a quiet confession. It’s earthy, devotional and effortlessly cinematic.
Chaand Sifarish (Fanaa, 2006)
Artists: Shaan, Kailash Kher
Music: Jatin–Lalit
Prasoon Joshi’s lyrics ask the moon to carry a lover’s message, and the Kashmir-set romance gives it a hush that lingers. Shaan’s silken voice and Kailash Kher’s rustic depth make an unlikely and unforgettable pair.
Ajab Si (Om Shanti Om, 2007)
Artists: KK
Music: Vishal–Shekhar
Deepika Padukone’s first film, and a song that felt like old-world Bollywood in a new world’s sheen. Javed Akhtar and Vishal Dadlani’s lyrics chase an unnamed wonder, and KK’s voice makes it feel wonderfully close.
Masakali (Delhi-6, 2009)
Artists: Mohit Chauhan
Music: A.R. Rahman
The decade’s last great gift from Rahman is a rooftop, a pigeon, and Chauhan’s unhurried voice. Prasoon Joshi’s words give an old Delhi lane the sweep of a folk tale, and it sounds like open sky.
Kajra Re (Bunty Aur Babli, 2005)
Artists: Alisha Chinai, Shankar Mahadevan, Javed Ali
Music: Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy
Gulzar’s wit, Aishwarya Rai’s swagger, and a beat you can’t resist. Add Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan to the frame and Kajra Re became a dance-floor staple that still gets the room on its feet.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, 2001)
Artists: Lata Mangeshkar, Sonu Nigam
Music: Jatin–Lalit
When Lata Mangeshkar’s voice enters, the film becomes something more than a blockbuster. It feels like a prayer for every family that has ever fought, forgiven and found its way home.
Tum Se Hi (Jab We Met, 2007)
Artists: Mohit Chauhan
Music: Pritam
Irshad Kamil’s words arrive when Geet and Aditya need them most, and Chauhan sings them as if he’s been in love, been lost and found his way back. It captures the decade’s tenderest truth: sometimes love is simply who you want beside you.
The films have aged, the fashions have shifted, and the cassettes have long given way to streaming. But play the first few notes of any of these tunes and you’re back: a little younger, a little softer, humming a lyric you never knew you remembered. That, perhaps, is the real magic of a memorable melody. It doesn’t just soundtrack a moment. It keeps the moment alive.
This International Music Day, press play, let the nostalgia in, and let the music do what Bollywood has always done best: make us feel.
Also Read: World Bollywood Day: 14 Memorable Bollywood Dialogues That We Still Quote
