Birthday love: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s most loved solo dance songs

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, ever since she made her debut, has always been graceful in her dancing. When there’s a dance song of hers on the screen, it’s often quite difficult to take your eyes off her. Her expressions are always there to match and her beauty is just mesmerising.

As the actress marks her birthday on 1st November, BizAsiaLive.com looks back at some of the songs where she’s performed solo in films and wowed with her dancing prowess.

Thodasa Pagla – ‘Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya’ (1997)
With a group full of colourfully dressed background dancers, Rai Bachchan was seen in ‘Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya’ song Thodasa Pagla and she drew in the audiences to her dancing. It’s a song that introduced her in this kind of dance and, for her first Hindi movie, she did not disappoint. She was elegant and, quite frankly, beautiful and there was no doubt that she would be seen again in such songs.

Nimbooda – ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ (1999)
Who can forget Rai Bachchan in Nimbooda, in her maiden venture with Sanjay Leela Bhansali? With a traditional look in a blue, midi-length skirt lehenga, hair in a bun with a long plait and the dupatta falling onto her shoulders, this song was her character Nandini’s tease and joy. The song was traditional and she was just so alluring in it that you could watch her dancing over and over.

Silsila Yeh Chaahat Ka – ‘Devdas’ (2002)
In another collaboration with Bhansali, Rai Bachchan went totally traditional once again as Paro in ‘Devdas’. In this song, she’s dancing to show how she’s yearned for her love and he’s coming home after years away. She’s kept the candle glowing in his absence, as a depiction of her love in all the time he’s not been there. Her passion when dancing is there for all to see in this character but what makes it even more special is Bhansali’s extravagance which is unmatchable.

Daiya Daiya Daiya Re – ‘Dil Ka Rishta’ (2003)
In this song, sung beautifully by Alka Yagnik, Rai Bachchan is seen doing a stage performance with Arjun Rampal in the audience who becomes absolutely besotted with her. She’s seen dancing to this item song like track in both a western and traditional look, in a desert and rainy setting as well as a tap-dancing slick look. She aces all the looks for one but as seen jumping between different styles of dancing, she shows off her talent to the max.

Salaam – ‘Umrao Jaan’ (2006)
In the same year as a very peppy ‘Dhoom 2’, Rai Bachchan was seen in ‘Umrao Jaan’ and, as protagonist, she performed her first mujra song. In Salaam, she shows off her beauty with her facial expressions and seductive body language. However, what she brings to this character which was required was the classic style that was needed. In this song, she particularly shows why she was the perfect actress to fit into the role of a courtesan.

Chhan Ke Mohalla – ‘Action Replayy’ (2010)
The film didn’t fare greatly with the audiences as such but Chan Ke Mohalla is one of those songs which puts Rai Bachchan centre-stage again and is memorable for that reason. It’s an upbeat track with many background dancers, all dressed in white. She’s joined by Neha Dhupia in part of the song but she still manages to make the moves look easy in the Holi setting, looking tasteful and stylish throughout.

Udi – ‘Guzaarish’ (2010)
The cabaret dancer in Rai Bachchan’s character Sofia took over in Udi, from ‘Guzaarish’. She is unable to stop herself joining the dancer performing when her, Ethan and Omar visit a club. And the way Rai Bachchan is seen bringing this scene and song alive is truly applauseworthy. Her dancing in this song is not in a style she’s been seen in much before in her films but she achieved something magical. It’s a song that many will go on to remember as one of her best.

BizAsiaLive.com would like to wish Aishwarya Rai Bachchan a very happy birthday.