After an extensive nomination process, London’s popular key Asian radio stations, Lyca Radio and Lyca Gold have declared their 100 Greatest Bollywood Love Songs, one of the biggest ever polls on UK Asian radio. With a landslide victory, occupying the number one spot was the compelling ‘Kabhi Kabhie’, in the poignant vocals of Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh.
All entries were taken into account having been nothing short of majestic, not only in terms of artist selection, but also era and musicality. Given the recent, immense loss of globally iconic singer Lata Mangeshkar, her highly distinguishable work monopolised the top five song choices, clearly conveying the mood of the nation. The title song from ‘Kabhi Kabhie’ led the poll, followed by ‘Jo Wada Kiya’ from Taj Mahal, the song ‘Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha’ from ‘Anpadh’ occupied the No.3 spot. At No.4, Mangeshkar’s vocals were on full display in the beautiful ‘Lag Ja Gale’ from ‘Woh Kaun Thi’ and the timeless classic ‘Dekha Ek Khwab’ from ‘Silsila’ rounded off the Top 5.
Additionally, a selection from the widely acclaimed and inimitable catalogue of musical maestro Bappi Lahiri were also reflected within our submissions following his recent demise. The public nominations evidently and abundantly denoted the irrepressible, symbiotic bond shared between the theme of love and Bollywood.
This special, twelve-hour epic live show was broadcast simultaneously on Lyca Radio 1458 and Lyca Gold 1035 on Sunday 27th February, from 10am until 10pm. The musical extravaganza was presented by by Utsav Plus and Bigen, in association with Royal Sweets.
Lyca Media CEO Raj Baddhan was thrilled with the overall response, “We were overwhelmed by the number of public nominations recorded, culminating in a very exciting conclusion to such an extraordinary poll. We couldn’t wait to reveal your greatest Bollywood love song on Sunday night. May I take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to all of the listeners who participated, and have assisted us in bringing this exceptional event to fruition. I would also like to thank sponsors Utsav Plus, Royal Sweets and Bigen for being part of this journey. Their consistent support is always highly appreciated.”
Sarika Shankarnarayan, Business Head of Star TV UK, Europe and South Africa, “Star is the home of entertainment. Our compelling stories have firmly etched us as the top rated Asian channel in the UK. In an exciting tribute to Bollywood, Lyca Radio has put together a listener’s choice list of 100 Greatest Bollywood Love Songs. We are so glad to join hands with Lyca Radio as we celebrate the legends and melodies of Bollywood.”
Paresh Kotecha, Managing Director, Acering (Bigen) Ltd said, “It gives me great pleasure to partner up with Lyca Radio & Lyca Gold for the 100 Greatest Bollywood Love Songs poll. We’re excited just like the listeners to find out what fans have voted as their Bollywood favourite songs.”
Lyca Radio and Lyca Gold are available on 1458AM and 1035AM in London, respectively. They also are available on DAB and online via LycaRadio.com and LycaGold.com.
