One minute, Rahul is standing before a tough crowd of his peers holding a guitar like he’s never seen one before and the next he’s jamming out on it and singing as part of a trio and his–electric–guitar is no longer even plugged in. The song is “Koi Mil Gaya” from “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” and if Rahul’s oh-so-stylish fanny pack doesn’t clue you in that the film’s from the nineties, then nothing will. Last week, I briefly mentioned the importance of music in Bollywood; this week, I’m here to tell you more.

Bollywood films average seven songs per film, although there’s a legend that one film near the beginning of the creation of talkies contained seventy-one. Songs in Bollywood are not only embellishment of the story nor are they typically the focus of the story such as in the case of High School Musical (although they can be). The songs are used as a narrative technique. Skip a song while you’re watching a Bollywood movie and nine times out of ten, you’ll have missed an essential plot point. Additionally, songs often harken back to classical dance, of which India has a long and diverse tradition. In that way, they become a way to tie tradition to the contemporary and keep a century’s old culture alive and well.

The Bollywood film industry has historically dealt with censorship issues. For example, kissing wasn’t allowed onscreen and has only very recently started to become more acceptable, so songs would take the place of acts of physical intimacy. However, songs can often be very racy themselves, especially imaginary songs–songs that takes place in one or both of the protagonists’ imaginations. Imaginary songs are, as you might guess, typically romantic in nature. “Suraj Hua Maddham” from “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham” is an example of an imaginary song, which you should definitely check out on YouTube as it also happens to double as my favourite Bollywood duet.

There is a great deal of variety in Bollywood music–I used to host a weekly Bollywood radio show and never had any trouble gathering music or picking a theme. That said love songs are probably the most common. “Tuhj Mein Rab Dikta Hai” from “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi” (another film available on Netflix) and “Ajab Si” from “Om Shanti Om” are two of my favorites.

If you’re in the mood for dancing, try “Chokra Jawaan” from “Ishaqzaade” or “Dola Re Dola” from “Devdas”. The latter is also well worth a watch as it highlights the two best female dancers in Bollywood and classical choreography. Other songs you should watch include “Chaiyya Chaiyya” from “Dil Se” which takes place on a moving train and “Chane Ke Khet Mein” from “Anjaam” which Madhuri Dixit–one of the best female dancers in Bollywood I just mentioned–dances in. Her facial expressions in that song are incredible.

“Jaane Kyun” from “Dostana” is my favorite friendship song of any genre and “Main Hoon Na” from the film of the same name is a great one, too. If maybe you’re into older tunes, in which case “Yeh Ladki Hai Yah Shola” from “Silsila” is fantastic and “My Name is Anthony Gonsalves” from “Amar Akbar Anthony” is really funny.

For your bopping Friday night, try “Chalak Chalak” from “Devdas,” a drinking song. (Just remember to drink responsibly, kids.) If you’re travelling this weekend, put on “Yun Hi Chala Chal Rahi” from “Swades”–nothing beats a good travelling song. Perhaps you’ve heard and enjoyed “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (which, by the way, is NOT a Bollywood film). A.R. Rahman composed that as he’s composed many, many a Bollywood score, including “Dil Se” and the more recent “Rockstar.” Both films have phenomenal soundtracks. Speaking of soundtracks, the entire soundtrack to “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”–the film with the fanny pack and unplugged guitar–is good as well, diverse in sound with an especially catchy title song.

Get on YouTube, Millikids, and I’ll bet you get stuck chasing Bollywood videos for hours. Enjoy!