This isn’t “best” songs, these are the ones that if you had to show somebody an example of what Shahrukh’s persona/personality is boiled all the way down to the basics, these are the ones you would pick.
For his youthful charm, I would pick this “Tujhe Dekha Toh”, all dimply and half-smiles and over-whelmed by love:
For cocky and joyful and confident, not to mention a little insane in his willingness to do anything for a movie, I would pick “Chaiyya Chaiyya”:
For sexy and confident, I would pick “Main Yahan Hoon”:
And for representing the whole concept of romance, of NRI life, of the early 2000s oeuvre, I would pick “Kal Ho Na Ho”:
Huh. Interesting that I didn’t want to pick anything from more recent times. It feels like in recent years he has lost himself in his characters a little more, is playing less “Shahrukh” than the person. Or it could simply be that distance gives clarity and ten years from now I will be able to pick out the songs that best represented Shahrukh in this era.
Anyway, what are your picks? What would you chose to best represent who he is and what he means to you?
dontcallitbollywood 
Tujhe Dekha Toh of course – there is no Shahrukh without this song and this song wouldn’t be the same without him.
Suraj Hua Madham – is my second thought when I think about Sharukh. The quintessence of his romantic persona, and everything people can think about Bollywood
Mitwa – I’m not sure if it’s a good choice. It’s very “Shahrukh-y” but I rewatched it now and noticed all bad things in this video, and in the movie. I started thinking about Karan’s book, about the problems he faced durning filming, and how confused the final effect is and I don’t think it’s right thing to show people who are new to SRK.
I wanted to include Aaya Tere Dar Par, but I think it’s iconic only for me, and your choice – Main Yahan Hoon is better.
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I love Mitwa, just because it is such a great fantasy song, showing how they feel inside versus how they are behaving outside. I don’t know if I would show it as my intro to Shahrukh, but I might show it as my “this is what a fantasy song is, see how you can tell the difference when it shifts between reality and their dreams?”
I like your Suraj Hua Madham suggestion! I might even swap it with my Main Yahaan to show his sexiness.
On Mon, Oct 15, 2018 at 3:57 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Oh yes, Mitwa is perfect as fantasy song example.
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Yes Mitwa; being as you say a great introduction to fantasy song it is also a great introduction to the logic of hindi films, where, just like in Opera, the characters reveal their innermost self singing.
As for Srk; from the limping bitter man to the ecstatic lover jumping in the air it’s also a very very good approach.
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Good point about showing the two sides of SRK! And it also neatly straddles SRK as a young man and SRK as an old man, it was that perfect period when he could manage to play both.
On Mon, Oct 15, 2018 at 9:03 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I like Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna because of his audacity in singing and dancing for his beloved right in front of her fiance and both families. Quintessentially Shahrukh.
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Oh that is an excellent choice! It is also the peak of the complicated Shahrukh expression that I think of as “I am so cool because you are so cool and you love me”. cocky and humble simultaneously.
On Mon, Oct 15, 2018 at 5:57 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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My choice would largely depend on those I would like to show ShahRukh-movie-songs to 🙂
The kids to whom I have nothing to explain about the movie, they love songs like the rain-song in DTPH, the apology-song and the birthday song in One2Ka4, the “shut-uuuup”-song from KKHH, the “meet-the-police”-song in Baadshah, the cooking-song in Duplicate and the “look-at-the-stars”-song in Swades, the “scorpion”-song in Chamatkar, the “Daddy-Cool” from Chahaat, etc….
Those who are interested in the actor, I would take the “piano-song” from DDLJ, ChamakChalo, Chaiyya, too, but also DilSe, the “after-the McD-fight”-song from ChakDe, Roshni from Asoka, Gerua, BeechBeechMain, the Swades-song (YehJoDesHaiTera), etc.
Those I want to introduce to Hindi Cinema through ShahRukh movies would get another choice of songs like the DDLJ-song Alisa mentioned or something from MainHoonNa and OmShantiOm or Billu or the ShavaShava or the item song in Asoka and also Zaalima and Laila from Raees.
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Beautiful choice Claudia!
Allow me to add one more; if I would show someone what is the SRK Fantastic Factory of Dreams then make it Dheere Jalna from Paheli. He doesn’t even “sing”, he just give his face to a ghost slowly and cautiously becoming a man for love.
Dheere Jalna: “Burn slowly in the flame of life” while having his first bath as a human, is a compendium of SRK mysterious and undefinable cinematic magic.
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Ooo, that’s a good one! And it is so entirely focused on him, not a duet, there is no one else who remains on screen as long as he, it’s just one person moving through space.
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Not one word, just his eyes changing slowly from one emotion to the other; cautious, curious, surprised, charmed, bewildered and finally lost in awe at the sight of his beloved.
A Master Class in interpretation.
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Yep, would definitely be among those of my 2nd group. Aaaahhh, there are so many, many ShahRukh-movie-songs I would like to show!!!
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Excellent choices all around! I have also heard good things about the rain song in DTPH from the children I know 🙂
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I love everyone’s choices! In real life I have often started with wedding or other festival songs, so Mehndi… from DDLJ, Yeh Ladka Hai Allah from KKGG, Maahi Ve from KHNH, and Lodi from Veer Zaara. Then, love/sexy songs: Suraj Hua Madham, Tauba Tumhare Ishare, and Chalte Chalte (the songs are a big part of why I love that movie); Dheere Jhalna (great choice Newcomer!); Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam; Titli; Zaalima; and Hawayein. Happy/Mood/Swag songs would be: Suno Na Suno Na, Challak Challak, Ishq Kamina, Chaiyya Chaiyya, Main Hoon Don, Mourya Re (those two also good to show him double-rolling), Pretty Woman, Dhoom Tana, Udi Udi Jaye, Beech Beech Main, and the first theme for KKR video.
Other songs I really love, like AR Rahman’s love songs from One 2 Ka 4 and Dil Se, I don’t show to people who don’t know Hindi movies at all because they are wonderful, but not really typical either of Shah Rukh or of Hindi songs. Which just reminded me of a wonderful memory. Ae Ajnabi from Dil Se is one of my all time favorite songs, and joyomama and I got to see/hear Udit sing it in concert over the summer. Sigh.
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I love your description of “swag” songs! He definitely has a large group of those.
I’m trying to think of the songs I usually start people with. I think Dard-E-Disco, Preity Woman, and Chaiyya Chaiyya are my go-tos right from the start. And then if I want to show them sexiness, I do the gazebo scene from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. But that’s for the subset of humanity that are my usual film watching companions.
Come to think of it, none of those are exactly “typical” either, but they are more typical than something like “Dil Se Re”.
On Wed, Oct 17, 2018 at 2:32 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Just to show his funny, goofy side, I like to go with Woh Ladki Jo from Baadshah. https://youtu.be/_ChywBU14yE
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I love Woh LAdki Jo! It’s also a really cleverly choreographed and filmed song, the way the camera keeps lining them up until the last minute when Shahrukh is just barely out of line.
On Wed, Oct 17, 2018 at 3:36 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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