Raagas In Bollywood
There’s something about a song that breaks you. Not because of the lyrics. Not even the voice. But because the melody touches a part of you you didn’t know existed. That melody? It often comes from a raga.
The Music You Grew Up With… Was Ancient
We’ve all had that one moment: driving late at night, headphones on, and suddenly a song hits like a memory you never had. You pause. You replay it. Not because it’s catchy, but because it feels true.
What you’re feeling is centuries old.
Indian classical ragas—delicate, emotional frameworks from the deepest roots of this land—still breathe quietly inside the most iconic songs in Bollywood. They're the unseen architecture beneath the melody. And once you learn to hear them, you’ll never listen the same way again.
So… What’s a Raga, Really?
A raga is not a tune.
It’s not a scale. It’s not a formula. It’s a mood, a moment, a world.
A raga tells you which notes to touch gently, which to avoid, when to rise, when to fall. It’s like someone handing you a palette and whispering, “Paint longing. But only with these five colors. And only during twilight.”
Every raga carries time, space, emotion within it. Some are meant to be sung only at sunrise. Some bloom during the monsoon. Some—like Darbari Kanada—belong to midnight and heartbreak.
Ragas Hiding in Plain Sight
You don’t have to be a classical connoisseur to feel them. You’ve already heard them. You just didn’t know their names.
Ragas in Bollywood: The Ancient Pulse Behind the Songs We Love
Raag Yaman – The Grace of Dusk
The raga of new beginnings. Yaman is the feeling of waiting—quiet, expectant, bathed in twilight. It doesn’t rush love. It lets it breathe.
🎵 Songs:
- Jashn-e-Bahaara – Jodhaa Akbar
- Chandni Raat Hai – Jahan Ara
- Aadha Ishq – Band Baaja Baaraat
Details:
- थाट (Thaat): कल्याण
- समय: संध्या के बाद (After sunset)
- आरोह: नि रे गा (तीव्र) मा प ध नि सां
- अवरोह: सां नि ध प मा (तीव्र) गा रे नि
- पकड़: नि रे गा (तीव्र) मा, पा मा गा (तीव्र) रे नि
Meaning:
- Aaroh (ascending) and Avaroh (descending) define the way notes rise and fall.
- Pakad is like a fingerprint—it’s the musical phrase that instantly gives away the raga.
Yaman uses the sharp or teevra Ma, giving it a bright, glowing character. It feels devotional, romantic, serene—all at once.
Raag Darbari Kanada – The Sound of Midnight Longing
A raga that feels like velvet soaked in sorrow. Used to melt royal hearts. When composers need darkness, grandeur, and grief—this is where they go.
Songs:
- Binte Dil – Padmaavat
- Aayat – Bajirao Mastani
- Poocho Na Kaise Maine Rain Bitayi – Meri Surat Teri Ankhen
Details
- थाट: अषावरी
- समय: मध्य रात्रि
- आरोह: सा रे (कोमल) गा (कोमल) मा प ध (कोमल) नि (कोमल) सां
- अवरोह: सां नि (कोमल) ध (कोमल) प मा गा (कोमल) रे (कोमल) सा
- पकड़: गा (कोमल) रे (कोमल) सा, रे (कोमल) गा (कोमल) मा प
Meaning: Darbari uses multiple komal (flat) notes, which creates a deep, heavy atmosphere. Every glide (meend) is deliberate, soaked in pain. Perfect for slow-burning obsession or hidden anguish.
Raag Des – Rain on the Skin
This is the sound of the monsoon. Not the thunder. The smell. The sudden wind, the soaked soil, the bittersweet memory it brings back.
🎵 Songs:
- Mohe Rang Do Laal – Bajirao Mastani
- Bharat Humko Jaan Se Pyara Hai – Roja
Details:
- थाट: खमाज
- समय: रात्रि का पहला प्रहर
- आरोह: सा रे मा प नि सां
- अवरोह: सां नि ध प मा ग रे सा
- पकड़: ग रे मा प, नि प, ग रे सा
📖 Meaning: Des is playful yet emotional. It blends shuddha (natural) and komal notes with a swing-like feel. Often used to depict rain, devotion, or soft patriotism.
Raag Bhairavi – The Raga of Parting
Always played last in a concert. It’s a goodbye—but a graceful one. Bhairavi carries longing, bhakti, and memory in every note.
Songs:
- Chalte Chalte Yunhi Koi – Pakeezah
- Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Hi Jaaye – Baiju Bawra
- O Rangrez – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Details:
- थाट: भैरवी
- समय: सुबह या समापन
- आरोह: सा रे (कोमल) गा (कोमल) मा प ध (कोमल) नि (कोमल) सां
- अवरोह: सां नि (कोमल) ध (कोमल) प मा गा (कोमल) रे (कोमल) सा
- पकड़: सा गा (कोमल) मा प, ध (कोमल) नि (कोमल) सा
Meaning: All three komal swaras give Bhairavi its distinct melancholic flavor. It’s versatile—used in bhajans, thumris, and Bollywood—but always with grace.
Raag Pahadi – The Simplicity of the Hills
This raga feels like a whisper in the mountains. It doesn’t demand attention—it draws it gently. Think of a walk through pine trees, soft sunlight, and distant memory.
Songs:
- Phir Le Aaya Dil – Barfi!
- Kuhu Kuhu Bole Koyaliya – Suvarna Sundari
- Ghar Aaja Pardesi – DDLJ
Details
- थाट: कोई विशेष नहीं (Folk base)
- समय: कभी भी (All-day raga)
- आरोह: सा रे ग प ध नि सां
- अवरोह: सां नि ध प ग रे सा
- पकड़: रे ग प, ध नि प, ग रे सा
Meaning: Pahadi often blends in with folk tunes from Himachal or Uttarakhand. It’s a light raga, not rigid, allowing emotional flow and romantic or nostalgic expression. It’s often used in semi-classical and film music for this reason.
Raag Bihag – The Raga of Shringar (Romantic Splendor)
Bihag is candlelight. The kind that glows on silk sarees, late-night gazes, and unsaid feelings. It’s elegance and yearning, stitched together.
Songs:
- Laal Ishq – Ram-Leela
- Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein (Interludes) – Kabhi Kabhi
- Sajda – My Name Is Khan
Details:
- थाट: कल्याण
- समय: रात्रि (8 PM–12 AM)
- आरोह: सा ग मा (तीव्र) पा नि सां
- अवरोह: सां नि ध प, मा (तीव्र) ग, रे सा
- पकड़: ग मा (तीव्र) पा, ग, रे सा
Meaning: What makes Bihag unique is the use of both shuddha and teevra Ma, but sparingly. It creates a romantic, slightly ornamental feel. When a composer wants to depict dignified, deep, romantic surrender—Bihag is often their palette.
Raag Ahir Bhairav – The Raga of Dawn
Ahir Bhairav is what the sky sounds like just before sunrise. A little sleepy. A little sacred. And full of quiet power.
Songs:
- Albela Sajan – Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
- Man Mohana – Jodhaa Akbar
- Jaag Ke Kaatin – Bhairavi
Details
- थाट: भैरव
- समय: प्रातःकाल (early morning)
- आरोह: सा रे (कोमल) ग मा प ध नि सां
- अवरोह: सां नि ध प मा ग रे (कोमल) सा
- पकड़: रे (कोमल) ग मा, ग रे (कोमल) सा
Meaning: A blend of Bhairav’s seriousness and Ahir’s sweetness, this raga has komal Re but shuddha Ga—creating a gentle push and pull. It’s devotional, peaceful, and slightly haunting, making it perfect for both bhakti and romantic submission.
Raag Miya Malhar / Malhar Family – The Raga that Brings Rain
Malhar doesn’t suggest rain—it invokes it. Myth says Tansen could make it pour by singing this raga. The Malhar family carries thunder, yearning, and surrender to nature.
Songs:
- Aayat – Bajirao Mastani
- Boondon Se Baatein – Takshak
- Bole Re Papihara – Guddi
Details:
- थाट: कल्याण
- समय: वर्षा ऋतु, रात का समय
- आरोह: सा रे मा प नि सां
- अवरोह: सां नि ध प, मा ग रे सा
- पकड़: ग म रे सा, रे मा रे नि सा
Meaning: Miya Malhar and its siblings (Gaud Malhar, Des Malhar) blend romantic turmoil with nature’s vastness. It often uses strong oscillations (andolan) and forceful gamaks, making it dramatic yet emotional. Perfect for cinema’s rain-soaked longing.
These Aren’t “Old Songs.” They’re Your Songs.
Still think ragas are for sitars and sabhas?
Phir Le Aaya Dil (Barfi!) Laal Ishq (Ram-Leela) Raabta (Agent Vinod) Tabaah Ho Gaye (Kalank)
These are all ragas in disguise. They come dressed in strings and synths, but at their core, they follow the same emotional grammar written by our ancestors.
And even Pasoori? Try listening to it again. That yearning you feel? That’s straight out of a raag.
So Why Does This Matter Now?
Because we’re drowning in noise. Because every week, a thousand new songs drop. And most vanish.
But raga-based songs… stay.
They sit with you. They age with you. They grow quieter, deeper, more truthful the more you listen. They’re not trendy. They’re timeless.
🎧 A Playlist to Begin With
| Song | Film/Artist | Raga Base |
|---|---|---|
| Jashn-e-Bahaara | Jodhaa Akbar | Yaman |
| Binte Dil | Padmaavat | Darbari Kanada |
| Phir Le Aaya Dil | Barfi! | Pahadi |
| Laal Ishq | Ram-Leela | Bihag |
| Mohe Rang Do Laal | Bajirao Mastani | Des |
| Aayat | Bajirao Mastani | Malhar family |
| Albela Sajan | Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam | Ahir Bhairav |
| O Rangrez | Bhaag Milkha Bhaag | Bhairavi |
So..?
If you’ve ever felt a song speak to you like a memory you didn’t live— If you've ever paused during a tune, tears in your throat for no reason— Then somewhere, a raga has already found you.
And it won’t let go.
Here's a quick listen to start your journey. Let's Go