Once cinema found its voice, this tradition got incorporated into the format of visual storytelling. It was common enough for entertainers to come on stage during the interval and perform song and dance routines for the audience in the theatre. From the black and white era when all songs were set in…well, a set things have come a long way. So much so that a single song can run up a bill which amount could equate to the budget of many an independent movie.
Here are 7 songs the cost of which is no light tune- the most expensive Bollywood songs.
1.Party All Night – Rs. 6 Cr.
The most expensive Bollywood song till date, Party All Night had Yo Yo Honey Singh, Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha giving us an idea of how they party if they’re in a Bangkok pub with 600 dancers around them. The song appears in the film, Boss.
2.Malang – Rs. 5 Cr.
Considering the song was featured in a movie in the highly successful Dhoom franchise, the staggering sum spent on it may not come as a complete surprise. But as an aside, we would like to add that had they spent more effort on coming up with a plausible story than creating mind-boggling dance sequences, we could have enjoyed Dhoom 3 a lot more.
3. Tha Karke – Rs. 3.5 Cr.
For a song that took INR 3.5 Crore and 12 days to finish, Tha Karke certainly could have benefited from better visual effects. However, the 180 stuntmen and about 1,000 dancers who made the song happen did do a good job. Featured in Golmaal Returns.
4. Saturday Saturday – Rs. 3 Cr.
Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan danced their way through a sci-fi set and into the audience’s heart with this party track. The film, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania didn’t go down well with the critics but the audience did get a kick out of this one.
5. Radha Nachegi – Rs. 2.5 Cr.
Of the entire money spent on the song, the lehenga that adorned the curves of Sonakshi Sinha alone cost a whopping Rs. 75 Lakhs. Featured in the film, Tevar this one is indeed a dance worthy of the mythical Radha.
6. Piya Ke Bazaar – Rs. 2 Cr.
With 500 dancers in the backdrop, a set that’s mind-blowing and a star cast to make your eyes pop out, the song, Piya Ke Bazaar was indeed a feast for the eyes. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about Hamshakals- the movie in which the song was a part.
7. Jalebi Bai – Rs. 1.5 Cr.
Double Dhamaal is one movie you don’t have to think twice not to watch. The Indra Kumar directed film was not exactly the best film to have come out in 2011. In fact, it’s firmly perched on the lowest of the lower rungs of films of that year in terms of ratings. But there was one saving grace in the entire film (applicable mostly to the male audience) and that was Mallika Shrawat making some groovy dance moves and more on the song ‘Jalebi Bai.’ A song the glitz of which more than justified the amount spent on its production.
