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India’s Best-Selling Album Hits 5.5 Crore Sales: How an 'Accidental Singer' Outshone Diljit, AR Rahman & Sonu Nigam

GX
By GIGXFeb 17, 2025 • 2 MIN READ
India’s Best-Selling Album Hits 5.5 Crore Sales: How an 'Accidental Singer' Outshone Diljit, AR Rahman & Sonu Nigam

The best-selling album in Indian music history sold over 5 crore copies, over 4 crore more than the next best.

An explosion was witnessed in Indian music sales in the 1990s, with both Indipop and film soundtracks thriving. Million units were crossed by the albums and some were even able to reach 10 million, which was once considered impossible. However, this golden era could not last for more than 15 years before the industry was reshaped by streaming. Yet, in a brief period of time, a record unlikely to be broken was set by an 'accidental singer'—Aap Ka Surroor song of Himesh Reshammiya sold 55 million copies, making it the highest-selling album in India.

During the '90s, Bolo Ta Ra Ra.. (Daler Mehndi) and Aashiqui (Nadeem-Shravan) held a groundbreaking record with 15 million copies each, matching Zoheb Hassan and Nazia’s Young Tarang as the best-selling album in South Asia. However, the debut album of Reshammiya as a singer broke this milestone. According to Koimoi, 55 million sales of Aap Ka Surroor surpassed legendary albums such as 21 (Adele) and Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd), trailing by 15 million copies from Thriller (Michael Jackson).

With Aashiq Banaya Aapne (2005), Reshammiya, initially a composer transitioned to singing and became a sensation. Encouraged by its success, in January 2006 Reshammiya released Aap Ka Surroor, featuring 7 remixes and 11 original tracks. Hits such as Naam Hai Tera, I Love You Sayyoni, and Tera Surroor dominated the charts. The music videos of the album also gained immense popularity, introducing in album Naam Hai Tera Deepika Padukone.

The impact of the album led to the acting debut of Reshammiya in Aap Kaa Surroor (2007), co-starring Mallika Sherawat and Hansika Motwani. Followed in 2016, the sequel, Teraa Surroor was released. Despite the shift of Indian music to streaming, Aap Ka Surroor remains an unmatchable sales phenomenon, positioning Himesh Reshammiya’s position in history.

 

LAST UPDATED: FEB 17, 2025 | 20:50

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