Welcome to peak 1990s nostalgia. Those carefree days of youth for most Gen-Xers and older millennials, and perfectly retro for the zoomers, the ’90s have officially made a comeback. There are social media pages dedicated to the era, and classic films from the decade are being re-released every month. In the last six months, we’ve seen Karan Arjun (1995), Pardes (1997), and Satya (1998) return to the cinema. Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) and Andaz Apna Apna (1994) will soon follow. But if we’re being honest, the era of bantu knots, bike shorts, BSB4LYF, and baggy pants was possibly best defined by its music.
It was, after all, the decade when MTV, Channel [V], boy bands, grunge groups, and Indi-pop soundtracked the best days of our lives (yes, I’m showing my age!). It’s also why recent concerts by the Backstreet Boys, Bryan Adams, Extreme, Mr. Big, Westlife, and others have drawn thousands over the past couple of years. It’s also why we can’t wait to watch Green Day tear up the stage at Lollapalooza India next month.
But fear not, we haven’t forgotten our roots. The sounds of ’90s India are also back on stage with The 90s Festival in Mumbai at Jio World Drive over March 1 and 2 (Saturday and Sunday). On the bill are Euphoria, Indian Ocean, Baba Sehgal, Devang Patel, Colonial Cousins’ Leslee Lewis, and Shibani Kashyap. To add in a bit of the Y2K chaos, there’s A Band Of Boys and Aasma thrown in as well. So, let’s throw back to the time before social media and smartphones, and breathe in the fresh energy of early Liberalisation, and the first-wave mashup of western and homegrown pop culture.
To get into the mood, we asked six of the acts performing at the festival to tell us about a few of their favourite ‘90s things, and candy cigarettes (IYKYK) seemed to top the charts:
BABA SEHGAL
Favourite 1990s film: Face/Off (1997) starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. I was performing at an event in Sentosa in Singapore where they opened the show to promote the film.
Favourite 1990s song: ‘Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jaana Sanam’ from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). I love the film, the melody, the composition, and Udit [Narayan] rendered it beautifully.
Favourite 1990s TV show: My own [countdown] show Superhit Muqabla because of its reach and popularity
Favourite 1990s childhood treat: Phantom cigarettes, for style and impression
The one thing that you’re glad to have left behind in the 1990s: My anger and impatience, for a better today
SHIBANI KASHYAP
Three core memories from the 1990s: Hanging out, especially at the canteen in my college, LSR (Lady Shri Ram in New Delhi), and having a super-fun time at dance parties organised at home. And my first band, Black Slade, with whom I started playing the guitar and performed with at college festivals.
Favourite 1990s film: Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (1991)
Favourite 1990s fashion trend you’d like to come back (or which never went away for you): Bermuda shorts. They were so cute!
A piece of 1990s memorabilia you’ve kept: Cassettes of all of my albums
Favourite 1990s childhood treat: Phantom cigarettes
AASMA
Three core memories from the 1990s:
Vasuda Sharma: Being a hardcore fan of the Backstreet Boys—I bought all their albums and had memorised all the songs by heart. I even had their poster in my room. Getting my first ever mobile phone, the Nokia 3410. Spending Sunday morning watching TV with family, starting with He-Man, Mahabharata, and The Jungle Book, followed by Chitrahaar, while mom would cook delicious snacks. Best times!
Favourite 1990s film:
Sangeet Haldipur: Rangeela (1995). The script, the characters, and the music were path-breaking. It’s one of the finest albums that AR Rahman has created.
Favourite 1990s fashion trend you’d like to come back (or which never went away for you):
Vasuda Sharma: Bandanas!
A piece of 1990s memorabilia you’ve kept:
Jimmy Felix: An autograph from one of my favourite ’90s music icons, Remo Fernandes.
Favourite 1990s childhood treat:
Parsheen Irani*: Nothing beats the magic of Magic Pops popping candy.
*Parsheen is filling in for original member Neeti Mohan.
A BAND OF BOYS’ Sherrin Varghese
Three core memories from the 1990s: The formation of A Band of Boys. Watching legends like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, AR Rahman, and Leslee Lewis redefine Indian music. And jamming with cassette tapes—rewinding them with a pencil, and making mixtapes for friends.
Favourite 1990s film: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). Timeless romance, an epic soundtrack—the film defined that decade.
Favourite 1990s fashion trend you’d like to come back (or which never went away for you): Oversized denim jackets—always a vibe!
Favourite 1990s TV show: Small Wonder, a quirky sci-fi sitcom about a robot girl. It was futuristic and fun!
Favourite 1990s childhood treat: Phantom cigarettes. Those sugary sticks made us feel cool as kids.
EUPHORIA’s Palash Sen
Three core memories from the 1990s: Studying medicine at the University College of Medical Sciences (in New Delhi), getting married, losing my dad—it was the biggest shock, I don’t think I’ve recovered from it even now—and the birth of my son, Kinshuk. I remember holding him in my arms and saying, my dad is back! I also remember going to IG (Indira Gandhi) Stadium in the mid-1990s for a music awards show where Mohit Chauhan, Bombay Vikings, and Alisha Chinai were all on stage. I remember telling my wife, “There’s going to be a day soon when I’m going to be there.”
Favourite 1990s TV show: Friends. I consider it the greatest TV show ever. It’s timeless. I watched it, and now my kids are watching it.
Favourite 1990s fashion trend you’d like to come back (or which never went away for you): Mullets! I don’t know if they’ve ever gone [out of style].
Favourite 1990s childhood treat: I was no longer a child in the ’90s. But I loved Phantom cigarettes, Poppins, Uncle Chipps, Kiss toffees, Campa Cola, RimZim, Gold Spot, banta soda…I used to love Nirula’s BigBoy burger.
The one analog/old-school thing you'd like to bring back: The Walkman and the Discman
INDIAN OCEAN’S Nikhil Rao*
*Rao joined the folk-fusion band, which was formed in 1990, in 2013, but the 40-year-old guitarist is a bona fide ’90s kid.
Three core memories from the 1990s: Taking the train from Hyderabad, where my family lived, to Mumbai to visit my cousins from both my mum’s and dad’s sides every summer vacation. Riding in double-decker buses. Eating pani puri, bhel puri and ‘pepsi-cola’ (ice candy sticks) at Juhu beach and Chowpatty beach.
Favourite 1990s film: I loved Govinda and Aamir Khan’s films but I’m going to pick Ram Gopal Varma’s Satya (1998). It featured so many great talents—Manoj Bajpayee, Saurabh Shukla, Shefali Shah, Paresh Rawal, Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bhardwaj, Gulzar. Sandeep Chowta’s background score was one of the most brilliant I’ve heard. There would not be a Black Friday or Gangs of Wasseypur without Satya.
Favourite 1990s artist: From Baba Sehgal to Lucky Ali to Daler Mehndi and Silk Route, [I loved] all of it. I revisit Sifar (1998) by Lucky Ali a few times every year. I think it was a much more sophisticated album than his debut, Sunoh (1996).
Favourite 1990s TV show: Tehkikaat, starring Saurabh Shukla and Vijay Anand. It was a riff on Sherlock Holmes. I remember staying up to watch it and being both frightened and thrilled.
Favourite 1990s childhood treat: Rol-a-Cola. Pepsi and Coke aren’t the best things for you, so we would only have them on special occasions, like a birthday. Rol-a-Cola replicated the flavour (in a much smaller quantity), so I’d buy it every week, crush it and add water and soda to make my own version of Pepsi. That was my business plan when I was seven years old.
