Rang Barse to Jai Jai Shivshankar... Holi’s forever anthems

Mumbai celebrated Holi with colour, foot-tapping music and revelry. From sprawling club lawns to high-energy society bashes, one thing was clear: when the gulaal flew, it was the music that truly set the tone.

We spoke to some DJs to find out the Holi tracks they swear by. The verdict? Some songs simply refuse to fade.THE UNDISPUTED KING OF HOLI For DJ Suketu, there is one clear winner: Rang Barse. “My all-time fav is Silsila’s Rang Barse. It’s like a timeless track and when you drop it, it just gets everyone together. When you want to get the dance floor on Holi started, this is the song that gets everyone dancing. It is absolutely and undoubtedly my favourite Holi track.” Along with this evergreen anthem, he regularly spins Balam Pichkari, Do Me a Favour Let's Play Holi, Rangeelo Maro Dholna, Badri Ki Dulhania and Holi Khele Raghuveera at his Holi gigs. Interestingly, he feels Go Pagal is slightly overrated. “I drop it sometimes but it’s not one of my favourites at a Holi gig,” he says. CLASSICS WITH A CONTEMPORARY KICK DJ Aqeel’s playlist echoes a similar sentiment. His go-to Holi numbers include Rang Barse, Balam Pichkari, Do Me a Favour Let's Play Holi and Badri Ki Dulhania.

Apart from the classics like Rang Barse and Sholay’s Holi Ke Din, he loves adding high-energy tracks like Jai Jai Shivshankar and upbeat remixes that blend Bollywood with house and tech beats. A good Holi set for me is all about nostalgia mixed with dance-floor energy,” he says. “Rang Barse, of course is a timeless classic, it instantly brings people together across generations. I feel Balam Pichkari has that infectious youthful vibe; the minute it drops, the dance floor explodes.

” He adds that while most songs work in the right setting, certain remixed versions of classics can feel overplayed. “Nothing beats the charm of the originals,” adds DJ Aqeel. READING THE CROWD, PLAYING THE CROWD For DJ Puru, being a good DJ is about understanding what people want. His regular Holi set features Rang Barse, Do Me a Favour Let's Play Holi, Holi Khele Raghuveera, Balam Pichkari and Badri Ki Dulhania. “These are the tracks that actually make the crowd dance.

We don’t have too many Holi numbers in Bollywood, and after so many years people still ask for these old songs. We play what the crowd asks for; that’s what makes a good DJ,” he says, again singling out Rang Barse as his most energetic pick.

SIGNATURE SONGS THAT NEVER DIE Veteran DJ Akbar Sami calls his playlist the “authentic” Holi soundtrack. His list includes Holi Khele Raghuveera, Jai Jai Shivshankar, Badri Ki Dulhania, Balam Pichkari, Aaj Na Chhodenge, Go Pagal, and Aai Aai Re Holi. “All these songs are signature songs for this festival of colours and without these Holi celebrations are incomplete. Aaj Na Chhodenge from Kati Patang is a retro Holi song that was beautifully written! These songs are once-in-a-lifetime kind of songs and they are never going to die,” says DJ Akbar. Talking about songs that are overrated, he says, “I feel, one of the most overrated Holi tracks is Do Me a Favour Let’s Play Holi from Waqt.

” THE COMMON THREAD: COLOUR, COMMUNITY, CELEBRATION Across generations of DJs and partygoers, certain tracks remain non-negotiable. Whether retro or relatively new, these songs have become cultural markers of the festival. They spark nostalgia, ignite dance floors and bring strangers together in a swirl of colour. This Holi, as Mumbai dances under open skies and cloudbursts of gulaal, chances are high that somewhere between a bass drop and a nostalgic chorus, you’ll watch the entire crowd sing along. TOP HOLI PARTY ANTHEMS