UK voters crown this 'DDLJ' song as top ’90s Bollywood track

As the BBC Asian Network ran a poll for listeners on which Bollywood ’90s track was the UK’s favourite, it became clear that there could only be one winner that towered above them all: Tujhe Dekha To from the Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol 1995 blockbuster Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

A panel made up of the station’s presenters Haroon Rashid, Nikita Kanda, Gagan Grewal and Nadia Ali, plus industry experts Asim Burney, Amrita Tanna, and Karan Pangali cultivated a shortlist consisting of 50 songs. The list included dance number Ole Ole from Yeh Dillagi and ballad Bahon Ke Darmiyan from Khamoshi: The Musical, but with Tujhe Dekha To declared the unanimous winner, there remained no doubt that the track, as well as its accompanying film, has evolved into a cultural force. 

Directed by film mogul Aditya Chopra and starring Shah Rukh and Kajol, both of whom skyrocketed to stardom in the ’90s Bollywood landscape, it is little surprise that any nation’s favourite Bollywood track would feature the magical duo. Featuring the two leads dancing in a vibrant field of mustard plants, Tujhe Dekha To has become synonymous with classic ’90s Indian pop culture. 

Composed by the musical duo Jatin-Lalit, Tujhe Dekha To was sung by the legendary Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away in 2022, and Kumar Sanu. According to India Today, the track remains one of the most-played songs across music streaming platforms, proving the power of nostalgia. 

The iconic film, known simply as DDLJ to its fans, tells the story of Raj and Simran, who meet in Europe when on vacation and fall in love against the wishes of Simran’s father. Although it was released nearly thirty years ago in 1995, DDLJ continues to run in Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir theatre to this day.

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