Top 30 Lollywood Club Dance Classics: Sensual, Sultry, and Sinful
by Saad Khan
·
Written by Omar Ali Khan Lollywood
The Club also knows as Killup, Klab, Kullup and so on.
The Club (short for Night Club) was a western evil imported into Pakistani Cinema primarily in the 1960s and the 1970s when it died a natural death with the advent of the Disco. However, in its pomp, it was the primary reason to watch Pakistani cinema as it provided an array of stunning dance numbers and songs, which inevitably told a tale of how terrible freedom was and how good girls belong at home, cooking, cleaning, sewing, and caring for their husbands. The club smacked of delinquency and revolt and a kick in the arse for convention. It celebrated everything that was evil and sinful, and joyously so. The bad girls were always so much more fascinating than the docile, dutiful ones - kicking up a storm of immoral debauchery and lust. The shitkicker so much more attractive than the dowdy goody two shoes, even if she always ended up in a woeful condition for her wanton ways.
Still, for some of us the Club Dance was the highlight of any film, and if a film had several of them, it was a film to be watched over and over again. Hippies were to be celebrated, drugs to be admired, and slutty, loose women who swiveled their hips and bounced their assets dressed in fascinating ill-fitting wigs were to be worshiped. Convention be damned, the club is where I always yearned to be, and even now, decades after they have become extinct, it is where the heart still lies - subversive and heathen. And so, on this very personal compilation of Club Dance classics, all of which make me want to be at the center of each and every one of them.
Sniff the body odour, the sweat...feel the heat and enjoy the rebelliousness, lurking evil, and sinful debauchery. With Stylish Batch, the greatest band of all time belting out the tunes and the various tarts belting out numbers about living life for the moment and not giving a damn about consequences (life after death), the Club will forever be my inspiration, my home and my destiny. This is an ode to the Club as it was depicted in Pakistani Cinema. My Kinda Heaven.
The Rise & Fall of the Club Song
From my experience, I gauge that the rise of the Night Club in Pakistani films coincided with the arrival of a certain Mr. James Bond on the international scene. The Bond films were popular worldwide, with a far-reaching influence felt strongly in the former colonies, India and Pakistan. With Dr. No being a worldwide success and introducing glamour, glitz, and the obligatory Bond girls and their less savory sidekicks, Indian and Pakistani cinema noted and adapted the style to suit their audiences.
The nightclub or cabaret dance number became a regular in Indian and Pakistani cinema. Helen became the primary exponent in India, with Bindu, Laxmi Chaaya, Jayshree T, Faryal, Padma Khanna, and others trying to keep in step. In Pakistan, Tarana, Panna, Niggo, and Amy Minwalla stepped out and paved the way as girls who lit up the modern Night Club as inspired by the 007 genre. By the mid-’60s, a cabaret number or, in Pakistan, a Club Dance was taken for granted in any film with an urban setting, and this became a staple for the next decade or so when a shift in style was forced by the arrival of the Discotheque, which started to erode the grip of the Night Club number and smother it to death with its new style of rhythms and electronic beats, as opposed to the rock and roll style dance hits belted out by The Stylish Batch.
In India, the rock and roll sound that propelled Shankar Jaikishen and Shammi Kapoor to dizzying heights gradually started to wane, with syndrums and drum machines taking sway. The young blood, represented by Bappi Lahiri, followed the lead of music producers like Giorgio Moroder with a different style of music. Numbers like the classic Jaan Pehchan Ho, one of the most sensational dance classics Bollywood has ever produced, turned into nostalgic gold rather than the current sound dominated by Bappi Beats, a different kind of beast driven by screeching strings, synthesizers, drum machines, and pounding rhythms.
The Night Club grew redundant, and by the late 1970s, the party had relocated to the flashing lights and floors and the sparkle of the modern Discotheque. The scene and, indeed, the sounds had shifted, with Pakistani Disco songs being dominated by screechy numbers with lots of chorus girls and Madam Noor Jehan taking center stage with mind-numbing hits such as Disco Dildar Mera Main Hui Disco Deewani followed by Hello Madam Disco. Disco became a way of life in the movies of India and Pakistan, and the old school of brilliant music directors such as R.D. Burman and M. Arshad went into decline, unable to keep up with the sounds of the new generation led by The King of Pap, Bappi Lahiri. The Bappi Beat was everywhere and later modified from urban dance numbers to include traditional settings with songs like the monster hit from Himmatwala, which wasn’t overtly a Disco song but cleverly modified by Bappi Da to spread his beats to a broader appeal.
By the 80s, the cabaret and Nightclub songs were obsolete, and even the greatest band ever to grace Pakistani cinema, The Stylish Batch, was sent tumbling into oblivion, never to return. The Club dance number was dead, snuffed to death by deadly disco beats.
1. I Promise You
(Shama e Mohabbat 1977)
One of the greatest bangers of Lollywood Club Dance history, without the slightest hint of pilfering, was composed by M. Ashraf, with his muse Naheed Akhtar providing her sizzling voice aided and abetted by a dazzling array of studio gimmickry that enhances this song to the realms of the sublime.
The visuals match the audio brilliance, with Amrozia delivering one of the finest club dances kitted out in the perfect bell bottoms tailored to figure her majestic assets to the hilt. Equally alluring is her dusty brunette wig that typically doesn't quite fit right, giving it that extra oomph. Then there is the cameraman turning on the glitz by inserting all sorts of shiny, tinsely objects in the frame which renders the entire experience a little Barbarellaesque and outworldly. The screen split into a dozen glittering slices with Amrozia's seductive slithering at jaw-dropping, eye-popping majesty. As if that wasn't enough, there are those tweety bird sounds and the voice that fades away tantalizingly only to come thundering back like some magnificent drug that knocks drooling admirers like myself dead transported into hoorland of sheer ecstasy. I promise jhou!
Amrozia excels in all her dazzling moves. The hair toss is pure excellence, and the swiveling hips and spider walk are breathtaking. She executes the perfect 10 when it comes to all the prerequisite moves and does so with attitude and aplomb. Any doubters of Amrozia's qualifications as a dancer par excellence, as well as those who thought she was below the standards set by Parveen Bobby, Ishrat Chaudhary, or Nazli, stand silenced by this slice of utter brilliance.
Huge credit is due to Naheed Akhtar, who executes this saucy, sultry number to perfection, as well as the M. Ashraf, who casts a musical web as intoxicating as any with his riddims and his stop-start to fade in and out dynamic of this masterpiece. Great music never goes out of style, and this number sounds as invigorating and bewitching as it did all those decades ago. I first recall watching it at a pre-release screening arranged by the lovely Sadia Pirzada when she headed the Censor Board brilliantly before everything came tumbling down with the draconian and repulsive period of dictatorship which set the nation on the road to the Dark Ages, sewing the seeds of discord, hate and intolerance that we may never recover from.
A more intoxicating and sublime club dance has never graced Pakistani cinema screens before or after. Pure majestic brilliance.
The film opened less than ten days following General Zia ul Haq's military coup in 1977. In the coming weeks, all films released prior to that date were stripped of their certification and had to re-apply for new certificates in accordance with the new regime's moral code.
2. Dil Hai Dil
Mali 1971
Old School Sizzler with Aalia displaying all those tantalising moves she was known for. The song by Mala smoulders with The Stylish Batch doing their thing magnificently. The Dancers are all snazzily fitted out, and the head bobbing and hair tossing is breathtaking. Everything about this dance number is electrifying and Aalia's command over the hair toss and the hip sway is second to none. Unadulterated magnificence.
3. Kadh Le
Aj Da Badmash 1976
Gritty, sweaty, dripping with eroticism and sleaze - a quite magnificently startling dance number oozing oomph to levels unseen. The gorgeous, tight fitting bell bottoms accentuate the dancers stunning assets and her facial expressions take this fabulous little number over the edge of sheer brilliance. A flawless masterpiece. The club itself is the stuff of dreams with a collection of the shadiest dudes in designer bell bottoms, endowed with splendid facial hair with an incredible "Badman" vibe. Note, The Stylish Batch Band plying their trade quite brilliantly. This club would be the place of choice to hang out in, with the sauciest dancers and the trendiest, most badass dudes in town. Breathtaking, sexually charged with high voltage excellence. Sultry, slutty and sublime.
Sexcitement off the charts
4. Koi Asli Chor
Ghairat 1976
Dangerous Dudes, saucy dames brilliant choreography and frenetic camera work combining to give this number a kinetic power that is off the wall. Then there is the allure of Naheed Akhtar at her best and Najma and Parveen Boby swirling and twirling delectably. The scene is drenched with atmosphere with the dutch camera angles, the crazy close ups and the diabolical dudes lending this club number with an edgy, crazy energy that crackles and fizzes to a deranged maximum. Electrifying stuff.
Fierce kinetic energy – dangerous dudes and hot babes
5. Pa Pa Pa Kariye Pyar We
Aj Da Badmash 1976
More shady "danger" hoods at the New Star Club, where they're pulling out all the stops tonight. Stylish Batch are there, some pretty intimidating natives and three hot babes in fancy dress to twitch and twirl and thrill a drooling audience. Tantalising and bewitching in unimaginable ways. The cream of the crop with the sombreros and parasols just the icing on top of a delectable cake. A Feast.
Mexican Magnificence, Lahori Style
6. Dance Freak Out Madness
Pindi Wal 1976
This is the climactic scene of one of the great Punjabi beyond belief.
Jaw-dropping Sexcitement
7. Dil Beqarar Mangda e Pyar
Nawabzada 1975
Twirling beauties light up the club with their saucy moves and their gorgeous curves while Music Director Tafo does his finest RD Burman thing to achieve an intoxicating concoction of Club excellence. Madam Noor Jehan providing the vocals only adds to the delirium.
The Club - Pay to Get in, Pray to Get Out!
8. Shola Sa Bharka
Jasoos 1977
Chakori was a force to be reckoned with in the late 70s until the arrival of Disco killed The Club. Even then, she romped on doing her thing enchantingly at Birthday celebrations and mixed-sex "get-togethers" that grew increasingly popular once the mighty club became increasingly extinct. Here is Chakori displaying all her amazing talent in a dance number that is a show-stopper that put her at the pinnacle of the dancing queens of the era. Once again, Tafo provides the entrancing score and the camera man knows exactly where to focus in on. Undeniably one of the great club dances that wasn't actually at the club but had all the qualities of a club dance and more. Bewitching is just one word that springs to mind.
Chakori with an outfit to kill and die for
9. Ajj Mere Dil Di Dharkan
Pindi Wal 1976
One of the many delights from a movie is centred around the debauched lifestyle surrounding the Club. But, are girls who dance and shake their rump to the funk all evil and unworthy or are some of them ready to turn a leaf and lead a life of wholesome dullness? Another delightful and mesmerising club romp from the excellent Pindi Wal which ranks as one of the strongest Club oriented films of them all. The cameraman again shows his mastery over the Dutch angle as well as the zoom lens and plenty of deftly edited close ups of various exciting body parts. The joys of the pre Zia era are bountiful and brilliant. Parveen Boby and Naureen feature along with The Stylish Batch.
The glorious Pre-Zia era
10. Tu-Tu-Tara-Tara-Tara-Tara Tu-Tu-Tara-Tara-Ra
Hirasat 1980
The Breathtaking gasp, enspiring moves of Chakori in her prime, along with the Ooh-inspiring dazzle of the camerawork, render thisan instant classic. That and the fact that Madam Noor Jehan is quite obviously thoroughly enjoying lending her talents to a racy, saucy number on screen. Somehow the monochrome always adds extra pizzaz to the club style number and though this one is at a villains lair, it is essentially a quintissential "saxy-taype" number to the hilt. Exquisite in every way.
Chakori in her element
11. Some Love One, Some Love Two
Mehdni Lagay Mere Hath 1980
Madam Sangeeta, then known without the Madam, was prone to casting herself as a voluptuous man magnet ever since she hit success with the highly regarded Society Girl. Her choice of outfit (Mrs Habib Fitwell's creations no doubt) was again in an elevated class that would see her stun on the catwalks of Milan and Paris. The Rainbow wig is a knockout and the matching shimmering jump suit, a stroke of genius. Her dance moves were always spot on but this time the song is a true belter by Naheed Akhtar as well. Intoxicating and surreal, enough to make Barbarella weep with envy.
The Wig might be deemed unlawful in today’s Islamic Republic
12. Life is a Dance
Society Girl 1976
An iconic number from 1976 was finally given its due when released by Finders Keepers as the title track of their album featuring Club oriented songs that had thus far been the domain of the "cheap". Life is a Dance finds Naheed Akthar in joyous form and Madam Sangeeta at her effervescent best as Julianna Wilson the reluctant hardened alcoholic Society Girl by night but a dutiful, supportive daughter by day. Her glittering, shimmering outfit should be preserved for the archives and is designer Ms Fitwell's finest hour. Parveen Boby makes her presence felt jiving quite magnificently as second fiddle to Madam S. Sensational classic club scene from the Pre-Zia glory days.
Glorious outfits designed by Mrs. Habib Fitwell
13. Ghut Bhar Pee Le Laal Gulabi Pani Da
Anjam 1976
The preamble to this fabulous club ditty and dance is the innocent and uncorrupted village belle, naive and virtuous, having her "guth" chopped off and tossed disdainfully in the garbage after which she is adorned with a stylish fringed wig and kitted out in a dress to fit in with the club's modern stylish in crowd. Vultures await their newest conquest as poor Ishrat Chaudhary is forced to sip adulteratd Coca Cola and after some bad girls whisper in her ear she is all set to join the debauched girls, swinging their hips and open hair with gay abandon. Their moral compass decimated by lust filthy thoughts of free love. The Naheed Akhtar gem bursts into action as the party crowd gets down for a night of heavy partying. Epic, vintage 70s club immorality at its finest.
Village simpleton corrupted by City Sleaze
14. Snake Dance in the Villains Lair
Mera Nam Raja 1978
This isn't strictly a club dance but qualifies for the list because of its erotic and exotic execution. It features the then fast rising pin up of Pakistani cinema, Mussarat Shaheen, also known as The Haseena of Atomic proportions. Here she weaves a web of danger with armed with a spitting cobra on her arm threatening to unleash it along with her intoxicating, venemous moves. Her clothes do justice to her muscular and curvaceous physique to perfection and her moves prove that in 1978 she would be a force to be reckoned with in times to come having burst on to the scene majestically with Dulhan Ek Raat Ki before this killer dance inspired by the James Bond flick Live and Let Die.
Killer Cobra Moves
15. Pyar Menoon Kar
Khatarnak 1974
This particular dance had the film banished from screens all over the nation. Still, when the ban was overturned the masses thronged to cinemas to render it one of the biggest box office successes in the history of Pakistani cinema as well as immortality of a dubious kind. Everything about this movie was spoken about in whispers such was its reputation. Anita is and was superstar material and cemented her status as the boldest of the crop of top dancing girls with this film forever her calling card. Deliciously subversive and pushing all the boundaries in this delectable dance. The cameraman doesn't get half the credit he deserves for being the catalyst and executor of prime A grade sleaze. The film was among dozens that were pulled from screens after the rise of hipocrisy in 1977. It never saw the light of day on a cinema screen in Pakistan in its complete glory ever again.
The Most Controversial of all Club Songs?
16. Golden Night
Pindi Wal 1976
Bearing all the hallmarks of a classic club dance. The outfit is perfection, the ill-fitting wig - sublime. The cameraman's wandering eye, brilliant. The saucy little ditty, inspired. The perfect 10.
Golden Night – Club Perfection
17. Pyar Tenoon Karna
Nawabzada 1975
Nazli was one of the great dancing girls of the 70s and 80s, excelling at the saucy, alluring dance, but quite often in a village or mujra setting. When cast as a club dancer she had no problems excelling in that department as well with her timely swishes and sashays and come hither looks. In this delightful number that finds Madam Noor Jehan in full on sultry siren mode, Nazli does complete justice to the tune and more. A quite bewitching slice of Club Dance excellence.
Madam Noor Jehan and Nazli - an intoxicating combination
18. O My Dear
Baghawat 1976
Madam Noor Jehan, in top form and a dancer whose jhatkas are riveting as are her stunning looks, resembles one of the most famous women this country has ever produced - gorgeous. She flits around merrily from the New Years Merrimakers putting more than a smile on each ones face. The outfit is also designed perfectly for the lighting to penetrate and countour her body parts perfectly revealing some fine lace undies. Its a delicious and cheerful little number even if its strictly not a club but at a New Years Party yet undeniably in the style of a Club Dance. Madam steals the show with her moans and groans that are interspersed during the dance. Most impressive and well worth its position in our top 25. One, Two, Three....I'm Free!
One Two Three....I'm Free!
19. Neeli Neeli Aankhen Meri
Machlay Khan 1979
Anita and Madam Noor Jehan deliver a delicious cocktail of excellence, with the cameraman making sure he delivers on the upskirting shots of Anita for maximum impact and according to audience expectations. Anita lives up to her reputation as the bold girl with few qualms about revealing as much flesh as possible. Excellence all around.
Combustible combination of Madam ji and Anita
20. Mohabat Kariye Kabhi Na Dariye
Wafadar 1978
Anita proved yet again that there she had no peer when it came to the provocative club number.
The Bold and Beautiful Anita
21. Kash Pe Kash
Dharkan 1976
It's not strictly a Club Dance at the club but very much a drugged-up club-style dance at a party, which is almost the same thing. Nothing quite as vile hippies in a drugged up stupor fumblind around in a dancing daze. The outfits are staggering with one man kitted out in a jacked emblazoned with profoundly subversive and horribly hedonistic words such as Make Love Not War! The number itself is a stunner by Naheed Akhtar delivered in her finest druggie drawl. A hippy party drenched with debauched, deluded brilliance. One I would love to have been invited to.
Make Love Not War - Perish The Thought!
22. Dil Di Guitar
Cheeta Chalbaaz 1978
Our girl Chakori plying her trade as only she knew how. Spellbinding moves, delicious facial expressions, and Tafo doing his RD thing supremely and providing a stupendous ditty. Checks all the marks with flying colours.
Chakori in Cheeta Chaalbaaz
23. Jawani Meri Bijli
Warrant 1976
Vigorous, energetic and full of all the right moves. The saucy Mizla shows why she was second to none when it came to the sultry club dance and here she is aided and abetted by Madam Ji in superb form. The late 70s had cameramen include various objects like lamp shades and tinsely things to enhance the club dance. Pakistani innovation at its most phenomenal. The results speak for themselves. The wigs on display are brilliant and the outfits made to measure and highlight the body beautiful.
Mizla the Sizzla
24. We Neray Neray Aa
Khatarnak 1974
This song ruffled all sorts of feathers back in the day. The opening of the song simulates the sexual act without much subtlety and then the cameraman gets to work with some serious upskirting with dancer Anita underlining her infamy in Pakistani cinema as the boldest of all club dancing beauties.
The Bold & Beautiful Anita
25. I Am Very Sorry, Saab ji
Warrant 1976
Known as the Sax Kitten for reasons that are self-evident, the bewitching Ishrat Chaudhary does her thing to dizzying perfection, kitted out in the finest Club attire imaginable. Madam Ji in excellent form singing an all time classic Saab Ji, Very Sorry...I am very sorry! No self respecting list of the Best Club dances could exclude this massive classic.
Saab jeeee…..very sorry, I am very sorry!
Honourary mentions...
Dil Woh Bhi Larki Ka
Naukar 1975
Babra Sharif throwing caution to the wind. No Club collection could be without the Bad Babra of her early career, and this gem from Naukar finds her with a zest for life as no girl should dare to dream about! Power to the bad girls, Enjveye!
Aaja Mere Sanam
Khaufnaak (1975)
Anita running circles around Saira Banu's famous towel dance!
Flesh Feast
Iss Jhoomti Mehfil Mein
Pak Daman 1969
Pak Daman was a film that stood out because Sabiha played a juicy double role with one as an drunken, debauched, corruptive criminal Don. Here she is hosting a party for her colleagues barely able to keep from slurring and with Aalia swivelling her hips in a way that caused many a heart to flutter. She went on to enjoy major success in years to come, not only as a dancer but as a leading lady in Punjabi films and a few Urdu films as well.
Drunken Super Criminal Sabiha with sexsational Aalia
Aalia's Superb Club Ditty from 1971
This is a Club Dance of rare brilliance from the early but finest days of the artform. Everything about this dance is flawless and underlines Aalia's mastery of the Club Dance floor. Club Psychedelica at its brilliant best. The organ player and electric guitar simply superb. In years to come this sound was to be eroded then destroyed by Disco beats.
A showstopper by Aalia and the Band
Dilon Ke Khel Ka
Naureen (1970)
Had this club dance been available on video, it would have been the No.1 right at the top of the list. A stunner of a song by Mala and an equally sexsatious dance by Tarana from the film Naureen. Alas, until someone shares this movie and this song in particular, we shall have to make do with faded memories and this fabulous vinyl recording from www.desimovies.biz