1997-2007 – 10 years of Bollywood – 10 years of RadioSargam

Top 10 Music Directors 1997-2007

Radiosargam collects the best music composers rhyming the tunes of Hindi Film Industry from the past ten years.

Year 1997: Uttam Singh (Dil To Pagal Hai)
The music of Dil To Pagal Hai is splendid, with a mixture of Indian instruments and no electronically generated music. Uttam Singh does a commendable job in DTPH.

Year 1998: A.R Rehman (Dil Se)
Dil Se is one of the best albums of Hindi Film Industry. A.R.Rehman made another landmark with the success of Dil Se. The tracks give you the Rehman feel and innovation at its best.

Year 1999: A.R Rehman (Taal)
Taal was the first time A. R. Rahman set tunes to Anand Bakshi’s lyrics. With Taal
Rehman once again proved that he’s the most creative music director of today’s times.

Year 2000: Rajesh Roshan (Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai)
Rajesh Roshan’s much anticipated Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai made record sales in music. Rajesh Roshan also introduced Lucky Ali as a mainstream commercial films singer. The album had it all for every music lover.

Year 2001: A.R Rehman (Lagaan)
A.R. Rahman’s 3rd period album in Hindi after “Earth” and “Zubeidaa” and this is arguably the best of the lot. Mixing sounds from Indian classical, folk, and Western classical music – Rahman succeeds in creating a mood for the world of the film

Year 2002: A.R Rehman (Saathiya)
Though, A.R Rehman in Saathiya was not at his best but still managed to become the best soundtrack of the year. Probably, I am expecting a little bit more from the music king. His pair with Gulzar saab gave out a track which had something to look out for.

Year 2003: Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy (Kal Ho Naa Ho)
It is probably not a classic and will be forgotten completely in the coming years but still Kal Ho Naa Ho has something for every music lover. From the soft melody title track to the disco number, from western-punjabi folk to techno beats, the album stands out as the best album of the year by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

Year 2004: Late Madan Mohan (Veer Zaara)
Yesteryear’s maestro Late Madan Mohan’s tunes are conceived by his son Sanjeev Kohli and presented in a new avtaar in Yash Chopra’s Veer Zaara. The music of Veer Zaara is likeable and it grows on you as you hear it a couple of times. The soundtrack is a break from the new generation world of loud and techno music with unwanted remixes.

Year 2005: Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy (Bunty Aur Babli)
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have created history through this album. The album is fresh and has no Rehman feel for a change. The music trio try to infuse different beats together and rope in different singers for different tracks, which makes it a must buy album.

Year 2006: A.R Rehman (Rang De Basanti)
Rang De Basanti fits the bill for the kind of music that will be liked by today’s generation. A.R. Rehman fires out top quality songs which catch your attention instantly. I would suggest you to get a headphone and hear the sound close to your ears, you’ll just love it.

Rank 1: A.R Rehman
Rank 2: Late Madan Mohan
Rank 3: Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy
Rank 4: Pritam Chakraborty
Rank 5: Anu Malik
Rank 6: Ismail Darbar
Rank 7: Himesh Reshammiya
Rank 8: Uttam Singh
Rank 9: Rajesh Roshan
Rank 10: Vishal Bhardwaj

Hanumant Bhansali