Holi songs have today become an integral part of Bollywood cinema, adding colours and celebrations to a large number of films. However, the history of Holi songs is quite interesting and dates back to the pre-Independence era. The first Holi song was released in the history of Hindi cinema even before 1947. What is interesting is the fact that a renowned filmmaker played a significant role in promoting Holi scenes on the silver screen. Let’s take a look at the film, the song and the filmmaker who started it all.
The first Holi song was released in 1940
The first Holi song was filmed in the 1940 film Aurat. The director of this film was Mehboob Khan. Yes! He started the trend of Holi songs in his black and white film Aurat. The first song from this film is Aaj Holi Khelenge Sajan Ke Sang. Mehboob Khan also started the trend of colourful songs in films.
Watch the song here:
Two Holi songs in a single movie
The film Aurat featured two songs dedicated to Holi for the first time. The first song is Aaj Holi Khelenge Sajan Ke Sang and the second is Jamuna Tat Par Holi Khelat Shyam from the same film.
The first Holi song was sung by Anil Biswas. He also composed the music. The lyrics were written by Safdar Aah.
The second Holi song, Jamuna Tat Par Holi Khelat Shyam, from the same film, was written by Vinay Bihari. Both songs were huge hits at the time. Films were black and white at that time, but Mehboob Khan started the trend of bringing the colourful festival of Holi to films.
Famous Holi songs
Holi songs began appearing in Bollywood films after Aaj Holi Khelenge Sajan Ke Sang and Jamuna Tat Par Holi Khelat Shyam from the film Aurat. These include many famous songs like Balam Pichkari, Do Me a Favor, Let’s Play Holi, Rang Barse, Holi Khele Raghuveera, Holi Ke Din, Are Ja Re Hat Natkhat and Maro Bharke Pichkari.
Aurat was released before independence
Aurat was made before independence. Released in 1940, it was directed by Mehboob Khan and starred Sardar Akhtar, Surendra, Yakub, Kanhaiyalal, and Arun Kumar Ahuja. The film’s music was composed by Anil Biswas, and the dialogues were written by Wajahat Mirza.
Also Read: Bollywood Holi Playlist 2026: From timeless classics to party anthems
