Birthday Love: Five most popular songs of Richa Sharma
A voice that effortlessly touches your heart and transcends boundaries of musical ability, Richa Sharma is every bit the composer’s delight. Having worked with some of the biggest contemporary music directors in the industry including AR Rahman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar and Salim-Sulaiman, Sharma has become a firm favourite of the critics and the fans alike.
As she celebrates her 46th birthday, BizAsiaLive.com looks back at some of the biggest hits from the versatile singer.
Maahi Ve – ‘Kaante’ (2003)
The song that got Sharma her first award as best playback singer, Maahi Ve is still a cult classic nearly two decades on. The song despite having a melancholic feel to it, allowed Sharma to showcase her incredible vocal range and cement her place in Bollywood.
Ni Main Samajh Gaye – ‘Taal’ (1999)
This Punjabi track, composed by the musical maestro AR Rahman, used just a single beat throughout the song. Throughout the 90s, Jaspinder Narula had been the default singer in the industry for powerful Punjabi vocals. But not only did Sharma’s formidable voice carry the extra load required in this song very easily, but she also became the new Punjabi powerhouse in Bollywood.
Sajdaa – ‘My Name is Khan’ (2010)
It takes something special to sing alongside the king of qawali, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, and to hold your own. This stirring and uplifting sufi rendition was critically acclaimed for transcending the boundaries set by Bollywood and helped Sharma gain her second best playback singer award.
Jag Soona Soona Lage – ‘Om Shanti Om’ (2007)
A painful yet mellow track with soulful lyrics, you would be forgiven for believing no other female singer than Sharma could do it justice. The seductive rhythm paves the perfect path for Sharma’s gut-wrenching vocals and superbly compliments the exquisite voice of her co-singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
Rabb Hai Baghban – ‘Baghban’ (2003)
An incredible poignant song, Sharma’s voice does not only hit you in the feels, but leaves the listener with moist eyes as well as a sense of awe. It is as if you could feel the pain being relayed, albeit in a melodious and heartfelt manner. Arguably the most memorable song of Sharma’s career till date, this track helped the film’s soundtrack album to sell over three million units – making it one of the highest selling of that year.
– written by Kirat Raj Singh
