Why does Lucky Ali not sing much these days? That's one question that is hounding us, as we wish the sing with a unique voice, Many Many Happy Returns of the Day! Lucky Ali, the erstwhile king of indie pop, is turning 61 on September 19, 2019. The actor-singer-composer is known for his popular indie-pop albums as well as crooning some chartbuster songs in Bollywood, the most famous being the "Ek Pal Ka Jeena" track from Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, that made Hrithik Roshan an overnight sensation. Lucky Ali’s New Look Is Unrecognizable! 90s Singer’s Latest Photos Will Leave You Stunned.

The second son of the legendary late Mehmood, Lucky Ali had actually begun his career as an actor, first acting as a child artiste in a couple of his father's films like Chote Nawab. As a youngster, Lucky, whose real name is Maqsood Ali, had acted in the acclaimed 1985 film Trikal, as well as Shyam Benegal's famous television series, Bharat Ek Khoj. Then there was a long break, after which Lucky Ali smashed into the indie pop scene in 1996 with his album Sunoh. The track "O Sanam" was an instant hit and made him a much sought after singer. His Kaho Naa... Paar Hai stint made him even more popular, though Lucky Ali couldn't elongate that golden phase of his.

He returned to acting with Sanjay Gupta's stylish thriller Kaante. Lucky Ali's performance in Tanuja Chandra's Sur - A Melody of Life, that was like Abhimaan mees A Star is Born, was quite appreciated. However, his acting career took a dip after that. Now it is very rarely that we get to hear Lucky Ali croon in movies, though he is quite busy with his stage appearances. Lucky Ali’s Cryptic Chemotherapy Tweet Leads Twitterati to Believe That the Singer Has Cancer; ‘Luckily’ He’s Alright!

So while expecting Lucky Ali to return back behind the mike soon, let's take a walk down the memory lane and revisit 10 memorable songs that he had gifted us.

"O Sanam"

Album: Sunoh

You can call it the breakout song for Lucky Ali, that made him an overnight sensation. From the hum to those beautiful visuals to the lovely lyrics, there is nothing to dislike in this evergreen track that continues to mesmerise us even after two decades. A little bit of trivia - his former wife, Meaghan Jane McCleary, is featured in the video.

"Gori Teri Aankhen Kahe"

Album: Gori Teri Aankhen

One thing we love so much about the album songs of Lucky Ali is that they have fantastic lyrics. Like this mesmerising track, where Ali is joined by the effervescent Kavita Krishnamurthy. Beautiful might be an understatement here. Lucky Ali later rehashed the tune for his composition in the Dev Anand film, Love At Times Square.

"Aa Bhi Jaa"

Movie: Sur – The Melody of Life

MM Kreem of Baahubali fame has composed some lovely gems for Bollywood in the past in movies like Criminal, Zakhm, Paheli etc. Sur is one such movie soundtrack that has some mellifluous tracks, with "Aa Bhi Jaa" standing out. This is also Lucky Ali's first film as a solo lead. Also, check out another of our favourite here from the same movie.

"Jaane Kya Dhoondta Hai"

Movie: Sur – The Melody of Life

"Jaane Kya Dhoondta Hai Yeh Mera Dil...Tujhko Kya Chahiye Zindagi..." What a way to describe the restless heart that seeks what it doesn't know!

"Ek Pal Ka Jeena"

Movie: Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

Are we wrong in saying that this song was highly instrumental in propelling the then debutante Hrithik Roshan to superstardom? From Rajesh Roshan's peppy beats to Hrithik's cool moves to that signature dance step, everything fell into the right place in making this a chartbuster. Not to mention, Lucky Ali's vocals too, as this song and the next help push his career into Bollywood playback singing.

"Na Tum Jaano Na Hum"

Movie: Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

For his second song on the KNPH album, Lucky Ali goes more in his comfort zone - the soft, romantic ones. "Na Tum Jaano Na Hum" is simply a beautiful composition, and remains one of Hrithik's best love songs, if not the best.

"Sarigame"

Movie: Boys

Now let's go down South where Lucky Ali has sung for a few films. One of his more popular tracks was for AR Rahman in the Tamil film, Boys. Played during the pulsating track, "Sarigame" is a pulsating rock anthem, where Lucky Ali is joined by Clinton Cerejo, Blaaze and Vasundhara Das.

"Hairat"

Movie: Anjaana Anjaani

Anjaana Anjaani is a forgettable romantic drama, featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. But the movie boasts of an underrated, but electrifying score by Vishal-Shekhar, with Lucky Ali-sung "Hairat" being the pick of the lot here.

"Khuda Hafiz"

Movie: Yuva

Yuva remains one of Mani Ratnam's underrated movie, though it marks the rise of Abhishek Bachchan as an actor. The soundtrack by AR Rahman for the film is pure bliss, including this romantic track, crooned by Sunitha Sarathy and Lucky Ali, and featured on Kareena Kapoor and Vivek Oberoi.

"Safarnama"

Movie: Tamasha

Rounding up the list with another AR Rahman song, this time for Imtiaz Ali's sublime romantic coming-of-age story, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone. "Safarnama", sung by Lucky Ali, is a beauty of a track that was less appreciated in its time but is now talked about with much fondness.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 19, 2019 08:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).