We celebrate Rajesh Khanna with 20 of his most memorable songs that sum up his charisma, his magic, his unsung range and his indelible impact on the vocabulary of cinematic romance. This is by no means a definitive list (and is in no particular order) or the most comprehensive but tries to capture some  moments of an extraordinary career. Here is singing with you..Mr Khanna.

1. Jai Jai Shiv Shankar from Aap Ki Kasam-Because that is how we would like to remember Rajesh Khanna. Drunk with joy, adorably clumsy, lost with an equally tipsy Mumtaz in a Kashmiri dale, living the intoxicating moment when sar pe zameen, paon ke neeche hai aasman, singing a song that means nothing except that we can dance anywhere, anyhow, like no one’s watching if we so want, saun rab di.

2:Tujhko Chalna Hoga from Safar-Because in a film glistening with tears and ‘Oh, my God,’ Rajesh Khanna moments, this was one song where we remembered just how poised, quietly optimistic his character was as he sat on a shore, sharing a long moment with Sharmila Tagore, as a boatman sang of life and the need to flow like a river and then there came that moment when he says, “Aise lagta hai jaise mujhe bhi kahin aur jaana hai..jaise kisi naav ka intezaar hai..kisi majhi ki zaroorat hai.”

3.O Mere Dil Ke Chain from Mere Jeevan Saathi-Because this was one of those atrocious films with sublime music that worked only because of Rajesh Khanna when he was gold, magic dust and dripped golden seduction as he eyelocked a helpless heroine or Tanuja in this case and sang an RD Burman ditty into immortality.

4.Mere Dil Mein from Daag-Because despite the fake moustache, he was the real deal, adding flesh and blood passion to the Sahir song resonating  in a sunlit forest..in a scene that was shot as intimately as the unbroken embrace between two lovers meeting after a lifetime.

5.Ye Jo Mohabbat Hai from Kati Patang-Because when he got drenched in that delicious chocolate suede jacket and sang out heartbreak as if it was a thing to be laughed at rather than to cry over, we smiled. And hummed.

6.Roop Tera Mastana from Aradhana-Because in a film glittering with musical gems, this was a long, languid one shot scene that became an eternal reference point for slow-burning passion with an attendant bonfire and rain battered window panes.

7. Mere Sapnon Ki Rani from Aradhana-Because no Rajesh Khanna tribute can be complete without this joy ride in a jeep with Khanna in a Gurkha cap, serenading a toy train  that is carrying a dimpled dream girl who reads Alistair Maclean books and looks like Sharmila Tagore.

8.Zindagi Ek Safar from Andaaz-Because this one scene where a yodelling Khanna took Hema Malini for a bike ride on Mumbai’s roads and infused life into a plot weighed down by the fading Shammi Kapoor was the cameo audiences thronged the theatres for.

9.Chingari Koi Bhadke from Amar Prem-“Pushpa, I hate tears,” “Tu kaun hai..tera naam hai kya..Sita bhi yahaan badnaam hui,” “Sheeshe ka khilona tha..kuch na kuch toh hona tha..hua..,” unforgettable lines in a film that peaked with the sublime Chingari Koi Bhadke. A song that was supposed to be shot in the Hooghly river but was not because there would have been a riot. So was shot in a make-shift tank with unit hands moving the boat where Khanna got convincingly drunk with the adoring Sharmila Tagore by his side. The killer line? “Manmeet jo ghav lagaye..usse kaun mitaye.”

10.Duniya Mein from Apna Desh- “Swwwweeetheart..tara tara tara,” Khanna overdressed in a red velvet coat and gasping for breath..do we need to say more? Epic.
11. Accha Toh Hum Chalte Hain from Aan Milo Sajna-Because this is one of those classic songs, you can refer to in conversations or hum and remember forever as the lovers turn to go and then turn back once more to say, “Accha Toh Hum..Chalte Hain.”
12.Ye Jo Chilman Hai from Mehboob Ki Mehendi-Because whether it was a belted shirt, a Guru kurta or a sherwani in Mehboob Ki Mehndi, there was a time when Rajesh Khanna could wear anything and still stop traffic. And when the tabla begins to breathe like a heartbeat and Rafi sings the opening line as if drunk, even though Leena Chandavarkar is supposedly the  glimpse of heaven, it is Khanna you watch, doing his thing. The nods, the meaningful smiles and the fleeting moments when the chilman parts to reveal him at his absolute prime.
13.Vaada Tera Vaada from Dushman: Let us admit, Khanna was no Rishi Kapoor when it came to qawalis but for a drunk truck driver that he played in the movie, he did pretty well, keeping up with this cheeky LP composition and Bindu who danced around him.

14. Woh Shaam Kuch Ajeeb Thi from Khamoshi: One of the quietest and most effective Rajesh Khanna moments with a broken, shell of a woman beside him whom he wants to bring to life with a touch and a Gulzar song. Utterly beautiful.
15.Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaye from Anand- Because this is one of the few moments in Anand where Khanna’s cancer stricken hero actually confronts his demons, his fear and pain in a lonely moment by himself.

16.Hamein Tum Se Pyar Kitna from Kudrat-Because this is one song that is as eternal as love even though Khanna in Kudrat was no longer the superstar he had been.
17. Hum Dono Do Premi from Ajnabi- A train, two lovers, an RD track and a never ending journey. Who can ask for more?
18.Diye Jalte Hain from Namak Haraam– Two superstars, one rising, one fading, still oblivous to what fate had in store for them both. Unforgettable.
19.Ye Reshmi Zulfein from Do Raaste- In a weepy family social, this was one of the few moments when Khanna got to romance Mumtaz unapologetically. And what an absolutely ravishing song.
20..Zindagi Ke Safar Mein from Aap Ki Kasam-The cycle of life. Changing weathers. Guilt. Memories. Loss. Grief. “Ik baar chale jaate hain jo din raat, subah shaam, woh phir nahin aate..woh phir nahin aate.” Enough said.

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