Amit Kumar, son of legendary playback singer Kishore Kumar, made a mark with his distinctive voice and went on to establish himself as a singer in his own right. Among his most memorable songs is the romantic classic ‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hain’, which continues to find an audience nearly five decades after its release.Kishore Kumar was one of the most versatile playback singers in Indian cinema, with thousands of songs spanning romance, comedy, emotion and other genres. Amit Kumar followed in his father’s footsteps at a time when the Hindi film music industry was dominated by celebrated voices such as Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Manna Dey and Mukesh. Despite the formidable competition, Amit carved out a distinct space for himself.
‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hain’ became a timeless romantic classic
Released in 1976 as part of the film ‘Balika Badhu’, ‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hain’ went on to become one of the most remembered romantic songs of its era. Its gentle melody, evocative lyrics and Amit Kumar’s vocals gave the track a lasting appeal. Even decades later, the song continues to be played on radio and FM stations, introducing its melody to newer generations of listeners. Its popularity also extended beyond the original film, with the title later being used for a television serial and the song itself being revisited for newer audiences.
The song’s connection with television
The song gained another layer of cultural relevance when the 2011 television series ‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hain’ adopted the same title. The show also incorporated lines from the iconic song, including, “Bade achhe lagte hain, bade achhe lagte hain… kya, ye dharti, ye nadiya, ye raina aur aur tum.” (They are so lovely, they are so lovely… what, this earth, these rivers, this night, and you)The continued presence of the song in popular television culture reflected just how deeply its melody and words had entered the collective memory of Hindi-speaking audiences.
R.D. Burman composed the memorable melody
‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hain’ was picturised on Sachin Pilgaonkar and Rajni Sharma in ‘Balika Badhu’. The song’s soothing arrangement and romantic mood complemented its imagery of love and nature. The melody was composed by legendary music director R.D. Burman, popularly known as Pancham Da, while the lyrics were penned by celebrated songwriter Anand Bakshi. The combination of Bakshi’s evocative writing, Burman’s composition and Amit Kumar’s vocals helped turn the track into an enduring favourite.
Amit Kumar calls ‘Bade Achche Lagte Hain’ a ‘Wipe song’
Earlier in 2023, Amit Kumar was performing in lucknow and during his speech, he called the evergreen song ‘Bade Achche Lagte Hain, a “wiper song as it couldn’t be wiped off from the heart!”. As quoted by HT, he said, “It was in 1973 when baba (his legendary singer father Kishore Kumar) told me that you have a song. When we were driving down, it started raining and the wiper got damaged! Somehow, we reached with a broken wiser. Had RD Burman (composer) not given me that song, I would not have come out of my father’s shadow.”
Amit Kumar’s song remains a radio favourite
The song also earned recognition on the popular radio programme Binaca Geetmala, where ‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hain’ was ranked as the 26th most popular Hindi film song of 1977. Its journey over the decades has been remarkable. While musical tastes and trends have changed considerably since the 1970s, the song has continued to resonate with listeners and retain its nostalgic charm.
