How Himesh Reshammiya Made Cringe The New Cool With Viral Capmania Tour

NDTV

23-07-2025

He is armed with a cap, a mic, and a voice that still captivates millions, but he is not dangerous. He is Himesh Reshammiya, fondly referred to by his initials HR or Lord HR.
Himesh Reshammiya, who turned 52 on July 23, 2025, wears way too many caps (pun intended) -- he is a composer, singer, musician, rockstar performer and also an actor.
The Bollywood of the early 2000s is incomplete without Himesh Reshammiya's music and his oh-so-popular voice with a nasal twang. The cap, his style of singing from the "nose", and the way he held the mic, in music videos or on stage, were subjected to ridicule for long.
Until they came of age or, let's say, millennials reached positions of decision making and set the record straight -- Himesh Reshammiya's music is not cringe, it is cool.
The singer was a sensation around 25 years ago and that he has performed two back-to-back sold-out shows in Delhi as part of his "Capmania Tour" is a testament to the fact that he is an original and an icon whose music has stood the test of time. He made his so-called shortcomings into strengths and how.
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Crazy scenes of audience members grooving to Tera Suroor, Aashiq Banaya Aapne, Tandoori Nights, and many more unfolding at these concerts are proof. Many of these Himesh Reshammiya fans shared reels and pictures on social media wearing caps with HR initials, there was a picture of a man wearing a T-shirt with the singer's infamous one-liner "Mujhe tere ghar mein roti chahiye".
After giving them a good time at the concerts, Himesh Reshammiya also shared several of these fan moments on his Instagram Stories, where some of the admirers said his show was way better than that of Coldplay.
And why not? There are several HR hits that people remember verbatim and what they also remember is the surge of emotions they felt when they first listened to those songs.
Romantic ballads Aashiq Banaya Aapne, Aapki Kashish, Laagi Laagi, party bangers Zara Jhoom Jhoom, Ek Baar Aaja Aaja, Jhalak Dikhlaja, Tandoori Nights, or sombre love songs Naam Hai Tera Tera, Viraaniyaan, and so many more, the list is endless.
Nineties's kids who grew up through the 2000s remember what a great talent HR was and is. Many of the Himesh Reshammiya fans were made to feel small and irrelevant for listening to songs by this new singer, who already was an established composer, because he sang through his nose, always sported a cap, and looked up at the sky as he crooned lengthy aalaaps which were rife with same words.
Then there was this epic one-liner he said on singing reality TV show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge back in 2007 which made Himesh Reshammiya even more popular, well more controversial, to be honest. This was when he had a heated exchange with fellow music composer Vishal Dadlani about the skills of a contestant from his team Jai Mata Di! Let's Rock gharana, "Mujhe tere ghar mein roti chahiye, struggling nahin chahiye".
When it came to his music videos, a quintessential Himesh Reshammiya song had these markers -- repetition, long aalaaps, beats, a groovy vibe, the man in the cap was the hero and was someone who is generally morose or grieving the loss of his loved one, wearing dark-coloured overcoats and often surrounded by several female background dancers.
One unforgettable visual is from Naam Hai Tera Tera, where Himesh Reshammiya is longing for his beloved as he dances in the music video which is being shot as part of the real music video. He is lost in his own world singing and can't see that the main model -- who happens to be Deepika Padukone, now a superstar -- is trying to woo him.
When her advances go unnoticed, Deepika Padukone sheds her precious tears for him. Not everyone can boast about breaking Deepika Padukone's heart on camera.
Even in his heyday, Himesh Reshammiya realised that he could capitalise on his fame. After his music videos became a rage, he starred in movies, making his acting debut with 2007's Aap Kaa Suroor, based on his music album of the same name. Its songs Jhooth Nahin Bolna, Assalam Vaalekum, and Tanhaiyaan obviously became chartbusters and the film also emerged a box office hit.
Since then, he has starred in 10 more movies Karzzzz, Radio, Kajraare, Khiladi 786 with Akshay Kumar, The Xpose, Teraa Surroor, and 2025's Badass Ravi Kumar, where he sort of harked back to his expletive-spouting larger-than-life hero Ravi Kumar from The Xpose.
What is trolled now may become cult tomorrow. We have seen this with the movies and this also holds true for Himesh Reshammiya's music.
Not only millennials, he is also a vibe for Gen-Z.
Himesh Reshammiya's music is a reminder of one's childhood, said Disha Solanki, a 24-year-old professional based out of New Delhi.
"I had listened to his songs when I was very young. But I never went and searched for Himesh until a few months ago, his workout videos on Instagram started trending. It became a meme, the video, of course, had his own music as a background.
"That's where it took off. Now whenever there's a house party where we want to jam up to some Bollywood nostalgia, we listen to his songs. People like Himesh because in one way or the other, he reminds us of our childhood," said Disha Solanki, adding Tandoori Nights and Hookah Bar are some of her go-to HR songs.
There are many takers for Himesh Reshammiya's resurgence in the era of social media. Let's not forget how the 2022 Varun Dhawan-starrer Bhediya couldn't do without giving a literal shout-out to the singer.
Condom brand Durex also gave a cap-tip to Himesh Reshammiya as part of its latest campaign.
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He is many things and Himesh Reshammiya keeps himself apprised of what's happening around. He paused one of his Delhi concerts to pay musical tribute to the Indian Armed Forces following Operation Sindoor.
At the same concert, he asked fans, " Thoda regular gaaun ya naak se gaaun? (Should I sing normally or from my nose?)"
When the crowd roared and asked him to sing nasally, he asked, "Are you sure?" When he got a go-ahead from fans, it was back to normal for Himesh Reshammiya and over 30,000 of his admirers. Nasal twang or not, Himesh Reshammiya continues to make people jhoom to his tunes.