The vidaai is the one moment of an Indian wedding that nobody rehearses and nobody gets through without tears. After days of music and dancing, the bride leaves her parents' home, throws rice back over her shoulder and gets into the car, or the doli, while the whole family stands in the doorway. It usually happens at dawn or late at night, the guests are exhausted, and the song playing in the background is the one everyone will remember.
Because the moment is so emotional, the music needs more care than any other part of the wedding. This guide covers the classic vidaai songs your parents grew up with, the modern songs that have replaced them in many families, Punjabi doli songs, songs for the bride's brothers and instrumental shehnai for families who prefer no words at all. Every song has a video. For the happier events earlier in the week, see our guides to the best haldi songs, mehendi songs, sangeet songs, baraat songs and bride entry songs, all collected in our guide to Indian wedding songs.
How to Choose a Vidaai Song
- Ask the bride. Some brides want a song that lets everyone cry. Others want something gentle so they can hold themselves together. It is her moment, and she should choose.
- Ask the parents too. The vidaai is as much about the bride's mother and father as the bride. A classic they know will mean more to them than a new song.
- Keep the volume low. The vidaai is not a performance. The music should sit under the conversation and the blessings, not over them.
- Prepare two or three songs. The vidaai can take ten minutes or forty. Line up a short sequence rather than one song on repeat.
Classic Vidaai Songs
These are the songs that defined the bidaai in Hindi cinema. Most of them are more than forty years old, and they still empty every box of tissues in the house.
- Babul Ki Duayen Leti Ja (Neel Kamal, 1968): Mohammed Rafi's father's blessing to his departing daughter is the most famous vidaai song ever recorded. If you play one classic, play this.
Babul Ki Duayen Leti Ja - Chalo Re Doli Uthao Kahar (Jaani Dushman, 1979): Mohammed Rafi again, on a Laxmikant-Pyarelal song addressed to the men carrying the bride's palanquin. It is the right song for the moment the car or doli actually moves.
Chalo Re Doli Uthao Kahar - Yeh Galiyan Yeh Chaubara (Prem Rog, 1982): Lata Mangeshkar sings as a bride saying goodbye to the lanes and courtyard she grew up in, on a Laxmikant-Pyarelal melody.
Yeh Galiyan Yeh Chaubara - Kahe Ko Byahi Bides (Umrao Jaan, 1981): Jagjit Kaur's haunting version of the old bidaai song attributed to Amir Khusrau, set by Khayyam. A daughter asks her father why he married her off so far away.
Kahe Ko Byahi Bides - Babul Ka Yeh Ghar Behna (Daata, 1989): Kishore Kumar and Alka Yagnik on a Kalyanji-Anandji song, a brother telling his sister that her father's house was only ever a temporary home.
Babul Ka Yeh Ghar Behna - Babul De Do Dua (Saajan Ka Ghar, 1994): Alka Yagnik's song asks the father for his blessing as the bride leaves. A favourite of every 1990s wedding video.
Babul De Do Dua
Rajshri Family Vidaai Songs
Rajshri Productions made the great Hindi wedding films, and two of their vidaai songs are still played at weddings across north India.
- Babul (Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, 1994): sung by the folk singer Sharda Sinha, whose voice gives the song a real village sound. It plays as the elder sister leaves, and it is gentle rather than heartbreaking.
Babul - Kal Jisne Janam Yahan Paaya (Vivah, 2006): Ravindra Jain's long vidaai song, which looks back on a daughter growing up in her father's house. At almost eight minutes, it covers the entire farewell.
Kal Jisne Janam Yahan Paaya
Modern Vidaai Songs
Many families now choose a recent song, especially if the bride wants something she will still like to hear in ten years.
- Dilbaro (Raazi, 2018): Harshdeep Kaur, Vibha Saraf and Shankar Mahadevan on Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's song, with lyrics by Gulzar. A father's farewell to his daughter, and one of the most popular vidaai songs of the last decade.
Dilbaro - Kabira (Encore) (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, 2013): the reprise sung by Harshdeep Kaur and Arijit Singh is the version most families choose for the farewell. It is softer and more hopeful than the older songs. More on the composer in our piece on Arijit Singh and Pritam.
Kabira (Encore) - Laadki (Coke Studio @ MTV, Season 4, 2015): Sachin-Jigar's song with Taniskaa Sanghvi, Kirtidan Gadhvi and Rekha Bhardwaj, a tender song from parents to their daughter. A shorter version later appeared in the film Angrezi Medium (2020). Find more in our best Coke Studio songs guide.
Laadki
Punjabi Doli Songs
Punjabi families say goodbye with the doli, and their farewell songs come from a long folk tradition.
- Madhaniya (Neha Bhasin): the traditional Punjabi doli song, in which a daughter asks why the daughters who are raised with so much love are taken away. Neha Bhasin's version stays close to the folk original. A more upbeat version by Rahul Vaidya and Asees Kaur appears in our mehendi songs guide.
Madhaniya - Chiryan Da Chamba (Coke Studio Pakistan, Season 8, 2015): Suraiya Khanum sings the folk song in which the daughters compare themselves to a flock of sparrows who will one day fly away from their father's house.
Chiryan Da Chamba
Songs for the Bride's Brothers
The brothers often lead the bride to the car or carry the doli, and these songs are about them.
- Dhaagon Se Baandhaa (Raksha Bandhan, 2022): Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal on a Himesh Reshammiya song with lyrics by Irshad Kamil, from a film about a brother determined to see his sisters married.
Dhaagon Se Baandhaa - Phoolon Ka Taaron Ka (Hare Rama Hare Krishna, 1971): Kishore Kumar's song about a brother and sister, composed by R.D. Burman with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. Not written for a wedding, but it fits the moment a brother says goodbye.
Phoolon Ka Taaron Ka
Instrumental and Ghazal Options
Many families prefer music without words for the vidaai, or a classical piece that feels less like a film moment.
- Festive Shehnai (Ustad Bismillah Khan): the shehnai is the sound of the Indian wedding, and Bismillah Khan was its greatest master. This Saregama collection includes a piece called Mangal Parinay. Better still, if you have booked a live shehnai player for the pheras, ask them to stay for the vidaai.
Festive Shehnai - Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye (Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh): the thumri attributed to Wajid Ali Shah, famously sung by K.L. Saigal in Street Singer (1938). Jagjit and Chitra Singh's gentle version is easier to listen to at dawn. Read more in our profile of Jagjit Singh.
Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye
A Suggested Vidaai Running Order
If you want a simple plan, this sequence covers a typical farewell of 20 to 30 minutes:
- Final rituals and blessings: shehnai or another instrumental piece at a low volume.
- The bride stands and says goodbye to her family: Babul Ki Duayen Leti Ja or Dilbaro, depending on whether the parents prefer a classic or a modern song.
- The walk to the doorway and the rice throw: Babul, Laadki or Madhaniya, which are gentler and leave room for conversation.
- The car or doli moves: Chalo Re Doli Uthao Kahar, the traditional cue for the moment the bride leaves.
Agree the order with whoever is in charge of the music the evening before, because there will be no time to discuss it on the morning itself.
Vidaai Tips from Wedding Planners
- Assign one person to the music. The DJ has usually gone home by the time of the vidaai. Give one cousin a phone, a speaker and the playlist, and make it their only job.
- Do not play songs too loud or too early. Start the music when the bride stands up to leave, not while the family is still saying the last rituals.
- Have a lighter song ready for the car. Some couples play a happier song, such as Din Shagna Da or Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai from our bride entry guide, once the car pulls away.
- Tell the photographer. The vidaai is the most emotional set of photographs of the wedding. The photographer needs to know when it will start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most famous vidaai song?
Babul Ki Duayen Leti Ja from Neel Kamal (1968), sung by Mohammed Rafi, is the most famous. Among modern songs, Dilbaro from Raazi (2018) is the most popular choice.
What is the difference between vidaai and bidaai?
They are the same ceremony. Vidaai and bidaai are two spellings of the Hindi word for farewell, and doli is also used, especially in Punjabi families.
Which song is played when the doli leaves?
Chalo Re Doli Uthao Kahar is the traditional choice for the moment the doli or car moves. In Punjabi weddings, Madhaniya is the classic doli song.
What is a good modern vidaai song?
Dilbaro, Kabira (Encore) and Laadki are the three most popular modern choices. All three are emotional without being as heavy as the older classics.
Should the vidaai have music at all?
It is optional. Some families prefer silence or live shehnai. If you do play music, keep it low and let the family's blessings and conversation come first.
