Popular Bollywood Songs on Holi That Glorifies Harassment In The Name Of Fun

Aaj Na Chhodenge, Kati Patang (1971)

"Aaj Na Chhodenge", sung by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar, is one of the most popular Holi songs. You'll notice that the term "choli," which is the Hindi word for "blouse," is repeated throughout the song since it rhymes with "holi." And the protagonist has just decided that whether it wets the woman's clothes, specifically her blouse, there is no need to ask her permission, which is what the song aims to achieve.

Here are the lyrics,

Hey..., Aaj Naa Chodenge...
Han Aaj Naa Chodenge Bas Humjoli, Khelenge Ham Holi
Chahe Bhig Re Teree Chunariya, Chahe Bhige Re Choli
Khelenge Ham Holi

Suggested Reading: Sisterhood With Shaili: Navya Naveli Nanda, Dr Yuvi and Swati Jagdish Talk Consent

Rang Barse, Silsila (1981)

This song was sung by superstar Amitabh Bachchan. The words of the song basically include all the things the protagonist wants to do during Holi.

Here are the lyrics,

Rang barse bheege chunar wali,

rang barse are kaine maari pichkaari tori bheegi angiya O rangrasia rangrasia,

ho Rang barse bheege chunar wali, rang barse...

Amitabh Bachchan's character is seen in the song compelling Rekha's character to play Holi or dance. She's shown standing in the middle of a bunch of men who are throwing colours at her in one scene. In another scene, Bachchan snatches Rekha's scarf (Chunnari).

Soni Soni, Mohabbatein (2000)

Udit Narayan lent his voice for the song, and the male potraganist boldly sings, "Do whatever you want; I've now tinted your fair-toned body." In Mohabbatein, Uday Chopra's character sings this song for Shamita Shetty by forcibly applying colour to her.

Here are the lyrics,

Jaa Kudiye, Jo Kar Le.
Gora Badan Tera Rang Diya.

Do me a favour.. let's play Holi, Waqt (2005)

The song, by Sunidhi Chauhan and Anu Malik, is undeniably one of the most upbeat Holi songs, but the lyrics are problematic in that they oversexualize a woman (Mast mast hai teri chaal, Bheegi chunari yeh laal, Uspe tere gore gaal, Kaali kaali aankhon wali, Mast mast hai teri chaal).

However, we again hear the word "choli," which rhymes with "holi," and she denies it when a man tries to touch her choli or blouse without her consent. If you watch the video, you'll notice Akshay Kumar hurling Priyanka Chopra around, appearing smug at the idea of colouring her, and continually touching her choli, despite her protests that "ja re ja, don't touch my choli."

Here are the lyrics,

Do me a favour lets play holi
Rangon mein hai pyar ki boli
Jaa re jaa dont touch my choli

Balam Pichkari, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013)

After its release, the song, sung by Vishal Dadlani and Shalmali Kholgade, became one of the most popular songs for Holi. There's a line in the song where Ranbir Kapoor as Bunny complains about Naina's (Deepika Padukone's) heart having "No vacancy" while gazing down her cleavage. Of course, we'll talk about the choreography, but first, let's talk about the lyrics. Why can't a man comprehend that "no" means "no" and nothing else?

Here are the lyrics,

Kyun ‘no-vacancy' ki, hothon pe gaali hai
Jabki tere dil ka kamra toh khaali hai(kamra toh khaali hai...)

Badri Ki Dulhania, Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017)

The singers, Neha Kakkar and Monali Thakur, have sung the song, which stars Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. It is the title track and is also a Holi song. In the song's opening lines, Dhawan's character sings about how he will colour Bhatt's character without her agreement; however, he does ask her which colour she wants to be coloured. When the hook lines approach, he vows he will make him his bride, but no consent or permission is obtained.

Here are the lyrics,

Kurti pe teri malun gulaal
Rang bata blue ya laal
Air mein tere udte baal
Aaja rang doon dono gaal

Tujhko bana kar ke le jayenge, Badri ki dulhania

Suggested Reading: Super Hit Punjabi Songs That Are Deeply Sexist But Didn’t Get Called Out for It

Let's reimagine the festival and put a premium on consent.