Bollywood Radio - Best of the Web

Well before "Slumdog Millionaire" stormed US theatres and swept the Oscars off its gold-studded feet, the Indian mega-culture of Bollywood had already firmly established itself as the largest movie industry in the world. No longer exclusively the domain of subcontinental audiences, Bollywood's popularity has blossomed exponentially in international markets, culling devoted followings in just about every continent, and even inspiring other developing country markets to develop their own domestic cinema industries (Nigeria's very own "Nollywood" being the perfect example). To pinpoint a specific reason for the genre's immense popularity is probably impossible-one person may watch the movies for the long, dramatic (and almost always romantic) narrative arcs; another may simply use the films as a window into the fascinatingly kaleidoscopic and dynamic Indian culture. But if we had to pick one word to summarily capture Bollywood's appeal, it would probably be "spectacle." The colors are always vibrant, the set design always illustrious, and, most importantly, there is always dancing.

So intrinsic is music and dance to the Bollywood experience, in fact, that the Indian music and movie industries are now essentially joined at the hip. Ask any moviegoer in Mumbai why she went to see the latest Shahrukh Khan film, and she'd likely be hard pressed to tell you whether it was more for the movie star, or the hit single that scores a central dance scene. As a result, Bollywood music has likewise exploded on the global pop cultural scene, and with it, a host of radio stations exclusively devoted to the genre. So if you wanna hop on the Bollywood Bus while there's still room, look no further than your own SHOUTCast radio directory, where you'll find these top 5 Bollywood stations.
Top 5 Bollywood Radio Stations

5) Mera Sangeet (Hindi Radio)

Mera Sangeet plays a cool mix of traditional, male-female, call-response love songs, mixed in with some solo laments about lost love. The range of musical media is also pretty broad, covering more acoustic, early Indian pop, as well as more contemporary, electronic fare.

4) RadioTEENTAL.com

And if you really wanna know what all the young Desis in Delhi are listening to today, just click on RadioTEENTAL. At times it might seem a bit more like clubbing fare than cinema scores. But listen closely, and you'll be able to hear many of the same stylistic tropes that have evolved since popular Indian music and cinema began to take off a few decades ago. If the other four stations give varying snapshots of past and present Bollywood, RadioTEENTAL would have to be its future; it's where the rapidly growing economic and political power is looking, sure. But it's definitely not losing sight of its past, either.

3) Bollywood Music Radio

One of the strongest testaments to Bollywood's universal appeal is the fact that virtually every film is in Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, or another one of India's myriad languages, they still manage to attract audiences from every corner of the world. And the music is no different. Even if your high school Hindi may be a bit rusty, there's some uniquely visceral quality inherent in the lilting rhythms or the cascading tonalities that make Bollywood music (and Bollywood Music Radio), magnetically compelling.

2) Frequence India

If you're looking for a more contemporary glimpse at the Indian musical zeitgeist, Frequence India might be the window you're looking for. The sounds here are more polished, more refined, and newer. Much like the country itself, Frequence India acts as a sort of nexus of centuries-old tradition and cutting edge technology, as traditional tablas meet electronically enhanced feedback and voice distortion. Ultimately, it's this pervasive sense of push and pull that make the music-and contemporary Indian culture-so intriguing.

1) Bollywood Classic Hits (Radio NRI)

Bollywood's been around for a lot longer than most people realize. And this station doesn't let us forget it. Here you'll find all the pillars of early Bollywood music upon which today's Leviathan of a movie industry was founded. If you're a Bolly-Beginner, this might be just the crash course you need to get up to snuff.