I’m not messing around, I went to his full filmography and pulled out every song that evokes that “I desire you like oxygen but do not feel worthy to do more than gaze at you” feeling.
Gonna start with my favorite! Not saying it’s the best, but it is my favorite. “Hawayein”
And his very first gazing song! Back when he was a little baby in love with Divya “Rangeen Haseen Raat Ho”
And another little baby one! Poor unrequited love Shahrukh. “Ae Kash Ke Hum”
And my favorite baby Shahrukh movie, with a really great “falling in love with their eyes” song, “O Rabba”
There are so many great options in DDLJ, but really it’s all about how he looks at Kajol in this song. “Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna”
This is technically a fantasy Shahrukh, but Madhuri is having a really lovely fantasy. “Dekha Tujhe To”
Love this song, it’s all fun with the crazy costumes and stuff, but at the center of it is just Shahrukh watching Juhi. “Jaata Hai Tu Kahan”
This time Shahrukh is the one fantasizing part of the time. “Meri Mehbooba”
Shahrukh and Juhi again! “Aur Kya”
But this is probably my favorite Shahrukh and Juhi, with the sweet wedding ceremony and all of that. “Sona Nahi Na Sahi”
Ready for two Shahrukh’s to gaze at a woman? “Dildara”
Yes yes, I am including this song even though I don’t like it, for completeness “Roshni Se”
Now this one, I like! “Yeh Ladka Hai Allah”
I really hate this movie, but I have to admit this song is seductive. “Woh Chand Jaisi Ladki”
I don’t love this movie, but I like it more than Devdas. “Main Yahaan Hoon”
Aaah, back to stuff I like! And Juhi. “Kehti Hai Dil Ki Lagi”
Oooo, Swades is so good. “Dekho Na Zara Dekho Na”
I have to say, after going through all of these, I think this might be the best of them all? “Dil Se Re”
Yes yes, I included the full video. “Dheere Jalna”
Interesting, his fantasy is to make eye contact? “Mitwa”
Okay, now THIS is a fantasy!!!! Eye contact to the point of orgasm. “Ab Hain Neend”
This is like the definition of “longing gazes” “Aankhon Mein Teri”
This song is okay, but somehow it feels like it is trying too hard. “Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai”
This one he is trying just the right amount, and so totally in character which makes it so much better. “Tere Naina”
Another woman fantasizing about Shahrukh looking at her a lot. “Heer”
The film version is better, but the music video version is okay too. “Tera Rastaa Chhodoon Na”
Ooo, this one is nice! Half a woman fantasizing about him gazing at her, and half him really gazing at her. “Manwa Laage”
Another half and half, only this time he is fantasizing about gazing at her even more than he is already gazing at her. “Janam Janam”
Oh wow, this movie is so dark I forgot how light and happy this love song is. “Udi Udi Jaye”
And finally, another strong contender for best ever. “Yaadon Mein”
Hmm. After going through this whole list and considering all the options, I think my top choices for sincere intense steady gazing are:
“Hawayein”
“Yaadon Mein”
“Dil Se Re”
“Tere Naina”
How about you? Favorites/best?
dontcallitbollywood 
Wow that’s a long list but I think the sheer volume speaks to how characters are written for him/he plays them to make him desirable but letting the woman lead as you’ve written about before.
Hawayein (no contest…)
Yaadon Mein
Udi Udi Jaye (a breath of love in a tough story, I agree…)
Maanva Laage (omg when he is walking up the stairs, I really do gasp. His eyes are burning a hole through her)
Then it gets tough…
Janam janam
Heer
Dil Se are
Mitwa
And now I’m exhausted. Good question!
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You know what’s interesting about your choices? Everything but Dil Se Re and Mitwa are from the last 5 years. I think the “gaze” is one of those things he does which has gotten stronger with age and increased acting ability. In the early years, he was almost trying too hard with it, instead of letting his eyes speak he would wobble his eyebrows and purse his lips. But now, he just keeps his face still and the eyes do all the talking.
On Wed, Aug 28, 2019 at 8:18 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Totally agree. The gaze is something that has improved with time and acting ability and I’m gonna say life experience too. Over the years he went from young stud to mid career “I’m the man” to I think a much more subtle and measured kind of performance. He’s also at ease now (I think) being admired and also sometimes not appreciated for his work. I’ve loved the way in recent years that he’s kind of made fun of himself that award shows, in interviews about whether his choices of films are the right ones are not. I think he’s really going for quality over quantity and the quality of the mature gaze is so intense that it speaks directly to my heart. It’s like when you fall in love when you’re a preteen or teenager versus the quality of adult love with life experience added to it. It’s richer and deeper and it may not have the same kind of immediate over the top excitement but it has a different even more powerful passion to it later on.
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You’re sure you have them all??? (just kidding) Like Rachel, I think that the directors (and the audience) from early on knew to value ShahRukh’s gaze. I think he has a deeply telling one with – nevertheless – a lot of respect for the woman he loves/desires (agree to some exceptions 😉 )
As you know that I lack distance to make choices (when it comes to ShahRukh), I’m just happy to smile at you for this work 🙂
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Glad you liked it! And now you have a nice reference post with every song ever.
On Thu, Aug 29, 2019 at 1:50 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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What a fabulous list you’ve put together. 🙂
No, not even going to try……
There are so many gaze songs they even have subsets.
( have you done something on crying scenes?, can’t remember)
This is the essence of why he’s king of romance – that look,as a youngster, as an older man, either shy or bold, happy or tragic, they are all full of longing, awe, respect, love, desire. I also love San Sanana in Asoka. He’s spying on Kaurwaki bathing in a rockpool, imagines himself in the water staring at her. Instead of it being weird and pervy, it’s just intense, full of fascination and awe. Is it the eyes? the eyebrows? How does he do it?
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Love the idea of sub-categories! The ones that say “I can’t believe she loves me”. The ones that say “I desire and will claim her”. The ones that say “I am happy to love from afar”.
On Thu, Aug 29, 2019 at 9:15 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Oh my… I don’t even know on third of these songs yet. Lots and lots of catching up to do but from the ones I do already know, I must say it has to be Hawayein for me. Or maybe Udi Udi Jaye… Or maybe Janam, Janam? Aankhon Mein Teri it could be, too. Hmmm…, we are, after all, just picking based on the gaze, right? Yeah, I think I’m going to stick with my first idea, Hawayein, based on my very, very incomplete knowledge. I will watch all of them several times and then come back to this post, but right now I have to go with that one because, to my mind, the train sequence alone showcases one of the most intense gazes I’ve seen from him so far. I like how he transitions from a slightly unnerved / reluctant, “okay, Anushka, let me play your game and pretend you’re my girlfriend kind of gaze to a more intense, “okay, I think I really do like you a lot”, getting lost in her face kind of stare. It’s sublime. The whole song is sublime to me. All of it.
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I love your description of the shift in Hawayein!!!! And even with your incomplete knowledge, I still think you are correct, it was my pick too and I’ve seen allllllllll of these multiple times.
Go, enjoy, watch more, and come back with updates if you have them!
On Thu, Aug 29, 2019 at 11:30 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I think of all these, ‘Janam janam’ is my fave (though I hate the weird fantasy dance sequences),Simply b’cos he looks just so overwhelmingly perfect in the ‘real’ scenes
That whole film is such a wasted opportunity, but dear god above, SRKs look as the older Kaali is just *ummmmmmphhhhh*
His eyes are just unbelievable throughout that whole movie
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Oh yeah. 90% of the acting in the older section is from his eyes. It was kind of brilliant to have him and Kajol as angry exes, so they never get to talk, it’s all just in the eyes.
On Thu, Aug 29, 2019 at 5:00 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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The only reason to watch Dilwale is to stare at the older Kaali.
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Oh my god.. I love each of these songs.. I was probably too young for some of these when they came out.. but even now.. they are unique in them just because SRK’s gaze in each of these has such a beautiful honesty. My favorites are: Dil Se Re, Swades, Mehndi Laga Ke (the playfulness.. the youth is sooo infectious!), Main Yahan Hoon and Hawaeein.
I know you like Hawaeein more.. and I really love the song (AND the movie).. but I miss the playfulness in his romance in the earlier movies.
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You’re right, the playfulness isn’t there as much. He had it a little in Raees, but it went away pretty fast and it didn’t feel the same.
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SRK is the only actor I’ve encountered who can do a deep stare without it looking perverted or scary. There is something innocent about him that shines through his eyes. I honestly think it’s the only reason he’s able to pull off romancing women so much younger than him. He never makes it look dirty or disgusting. For the exact opposite, see someone like Akshay – I cringe watching some of his song sequences with women especially now that he’s older. It seriously makes me feel uncomfortable. Salman is smart and avoids intimate or too close scenes or else I think he might have the same problem.
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What a lovely way to describe it! I agree, there is a kind of innate respect in how he looks at woman that has been there all along. I would say that I think Akshaye Khanna, of all people, has a similar way of looking at women.
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I totally agree. There is an honesty and innocence in his gaze. And its the only reason he commends soooo much love from all the women in the world who love him.
I was looking at some of the videos from Melbourne and you can see the same honesty in the way he looks at so many women who tell him ‘I love you’… :))
The man is all heart ❤
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