The song “Rang Barse” from the movie “Silsila” (1981) is considered one of the most iconic Holi songs in Bollywood history. Interestingly, the song was almost not included in the movie!

The movie’s director, Yash Chopra, was hesitant to include the song as he felt that it did not fit with the serious and mature tone of the film. However, his wife and the movie’s producer, Pamela Chopra, convinced him to keep the song in the film.

The song was written by Harivansh Rai Bachchan, a renowned Hindi poet and father of Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, who also starred in the movie. The lyrics of the song are playful and flirtatious, and it became an instant hit with audiences when the movie was released.

Interestingly, the song was initially supposed to be sung by Kishore Kumar. However, due to a misunderstanding between Kishore Kumar and Yash Chopra, Kumar declined to sing the song. The song was eventually sung by Amitabh Bachchan himself, marking his debut as a playback singer.

“Rang Barse” went on to become a timeless Holi classic, and is still played at Holi celebrations across India.