Film has its genres. As does music. Before you decide on seeing a film, you generally like to know the cast, the director, the genre—social, suspense, comedy, thriller, historical, crime, action, etc.
In times not that ancient, the music director's name mattered too, often equally. Music has always been a vital ingredient of the overwhelming majority of Bollywood films. Songs that have gained popularity help in pulling audiences to cinema halls. And long after the film has had its run, its music, if it was indeed tuneful and popular, lives on. Some films have trade mark tunes and standard rhythm patterns, usually associated with the composer(s). In other cases, the composer(s) take(s) pains to provide variety, provided, of course, that the script offers suitable song situations. So, on the one hand, you could have 12 songs of one particular flavour in a single film, or, stretching the imagination to the ultimate probability, 12 different songs, each having its own distinctive flavour, in a single film!

Film music is group effort. Situation, tune, lyrics, arrangement, orchestration, singing, mixing and blending, technical enhancements and effects, and finally, the song, known in industry circles as the ‘track’. A music director is in charge here, and the final product is largely credited to him; the lyricist, musicians, singers and engineers being his/her ‘cast and crew’. Music directors may or may not be musically trained, but must possess the requisite talent for composing suitable tunes, and the ability to get apt lyrics written for the situation in the film. If the resulting product is a chart-buster, bulls-eye!

A film-song can be the result of a single or multiple sources of inspiration. But many songs are easily recognised as thoroughbred examples of a particular genre or a style, a specific root or lineage. Such songs may be decked-up in musical finery or fine-tuned to match the ambience of the film, which might necessitate compromising on duration, instrumentation, language and other variables. Nevertheless, they bear some distinctive marks, and are identifiable as such.
This compilation presents a 12-course meal, full of delicious dishes and full-bodied flavours:
• Classical
• Ghazal
• Bhajan
• Qawwali
• Folk
• Bhangda
• Wedding
• Patriotism
• Fun
• Childhood
• Cabaret
• Disco less