Song of the year! -Arun

A song to listen for a long time. As good as the male version. -Gajendra

One of the best of 2009! The MD has done a marvellous job and has done full justice to the lyrics. -Prasanna

The song of the year simply because my 12 month old has to listen to this while eating. What a number! Amit Trivedi, we need to hear more from you. -Subrat

Great use of acoustic guitar and beautiful composition, although it's probably based on some folk #. Great singing although I wonder if it would have sounded better without the chanting by the chorus. -Pranav

Beautiful composition, good singing. -Manisha

Amit Trivedi's music is pleasant but after a superb DevD, this song leaves you with a slightly empty feeling. The pieces that would make it a very good song are there--music, lyrics, arrangements, but the cohesion is lacking, making the final output seem a bit flat. -Ketan

Simple refrain, well sung by a relatively new singer. Melody is well developed in the interludes. -Ajay

It will go down as a cult song and it deserves that title. It's difficult to compose a song and write words to what is essentially a sound imitated by kids back in the 70s. Hats off to Vishal. More hats off to Gulzar who coming from the golden age or Hindi film music, does not pass up the chance to keep his mind and heart young by working on such tunes. -Ketan

One of the top three mainstream songs of 2009 for me which shall be remembered for a long time to come. The song is full of energy (with the singers competing with each other) and not surprisingly burned up the dance floors all over throughout the year. -Gajendra

Excellent song, great pace and rhythm. -Pranav

Onomatopoek lyrics leads to an interesting composition. Reminds of Gulzar's earlier works like 'dha.Dak dha.Dak'. -Ajay

Vishal lets loose, Gulzar captures the soul of a sa.Dakchhaap and you get a foot tapping number that doesn't hurt your head (or for that matter your feet). -Subrat

ENERGY, again a song that meets all its genre expectations. -Vibhendu

Maybe it's my age (mid-forties!), but I just cannot connect to this song. -Abhay

Amongst the best songs of 2009 because the lyrics, music, singing create synergy. Interesting play of words. A Rahman special. If any criticism has to be made - it is the diction of the singer. -Ajay

Lovely tune and orchestration especially the pieces that sound as if they were played on an accordion or a harmonium. Mohit Chauhan is decent, though I would have preferred may be Sonu. -Ketan

A great blend of good music, hearty singing and catchy lyrics. -Manisha

The song comes across as with many of ARR's catchy songs, as a pastiche of different pieces, interesting in themselves, but not really cohesive as a whole. On the whole, a great and deserving song. -Arunabha

Extremely peppy song, beautiful use of accordion. -Prasanna

Use of strings is uncharactistic of ARR - accordian sounds awesome. -Pranav

Captures the free spirt really well. -Srinivas

Highlight of the album along with Genda Phool. Mohit Chauhan shows his expanding range in this song with some exceptional lyrics. Brilliant music. -Gajendra

Was disappointed with the picturisation, was expecting a crazy bird flight as the lyrics suggested. The music is equally zany and Mohit also is quite inspired. -Vibhendu

FM Radio killed the song for me. -Subrat

Fabulous is the word for the song. Guest MD for the album Amit Trivedi makes the best song for the album! Extremely addictive melody. -Gajendra

Amazing rendition of a well made song. I like the arrangement of the female version better, although this one is more "karNa-priya" mainly because of the exection in singing. -Pranav

Wonderful on its own merit, however I still prefer the female version. -Prasanna

Uh oh. Loooong way to catch up to the female version. -Manisha

Tochii Raina brings to the song the cohesivness that is lacking in the female tandem version and makes this worth a second listen. -Ketan

Prefer the female-centric duet version. -Ajay

Look forward to more from Rekha Bharadwaj. What expression! -Arunabha

Brilliant - great amalgam of lyrics, music, and singing - a complete riot of a song! -Abhay

This song is in a genre of itself. Mujra, folk flavour marries political commentary, lover nok-jhonk and current affairs. It is a heady mix of everything with lots of funny lines intermixed with some very serious comment on what our world has become. It's a bundle of contrasts and danceable at the same time. 'Wow' is the word for this song which Rekha Bhardwaj renders with ethereal charm with the MD joining her. Best song of the year for me for all this and its unique charm. -Gajendra

Awesome lyrics - could this be the birth of a new genre - the modern folk? :) -Pranav

Against my own will, I am rating it above average for lyrics just for being so outrageous. jaise duur desh ke Tower me.n ghus jaaye re aeroplane?! What the ...? -Manisha

The lyrics alone puts this song in the 'must listen' category. Amazing creativity by Piyush Mishra to take a Rajasthani folk art (gaali-baaji) and turn it into a mujra that rails against the current political world order. Rekha Bharadwaj sings her heart out dripping with sarcasm to the end. -Ketan

Political satire, novel concept (in Hindi movies atleast), pulled off brilliantly! -Prasanna

Welcome back political satire in a hindi film song. -Subrat

Pick of the album. Awesome lyrics, brought to life by Shankar's singing. -Manisha

A song with both pop and classical feel to it. It's he pick of the album with Shankar showing why other composers should be using his services as singer more. -Gajendra

The doha at the beginning is the most original JA has been in recent years, trite though it sounds is still pretty inventive. -Vibhendu

Simply love this song - melody and arranagement are great. -Pranav

Awesome track - let down by typical lyrics, beyond the opening catch phrase that sounds from a Mudgal soundtrack. -Ajay

Simply outstanding! This has to be one of the finest SEL have produced with music to match wonderful lyrics. -Prasanna

The song could have been better. The music has potential but the arrangements would make you think it was a dance song, though the lyrics and picturization point in another direction. Shankar's singing misses the anxiety and hope that a budding actor would have as is portrayed on the screen. His singing comes across as someone who has just been given a swift one in the butt by Simon Cowell. -Ketan

Now this is one MD who *should* sing his own songs more often! -Abhay

Vishal Bhardwaj does well in this song, both as a composer and a singer. -Manisha

The tune is misleading in that it sounds decent to begin with but shows its richness and varied layers from the first interlude onwards. Vishal does well as a singer and Gulzar lives up to his onion peeler status. -Ketan

Everything that's to be said on this has been said - of the genteel use of Kaminey, Vishal's though struggles carrying off a solo song. -Subrat

Gulzar is more at home ground here, and not in the Bakshian mode that he slips into so often these days. -Vibhendu

Another MD who likes the sound of his own voice! :( -Abhay

Didn't quite get the lyrics. Obvious use of auto tune in singing. -Pranav

Probably the weakest track of the album but not bad really for a song dedicated to a cuss word. The lyrics very poignantly showcase the emotions going on in the protagonist's mind. The pace is a bit too slow though, decreasing the impact it could have had but then that could be due to its target of being a background song. -Gajendra

Again I find myself favouring Pritam's rather simplistic approach to music making than the multi-layered, multi-nuanced and noisy songs that have become the norm. chor-bazaarii works because of an infectious beat, Sunidhi who seems to be enjoying every bit of it, and Kamil's lyrics who tosses in equal measures of profundity and frivolity-'duniyaa kii to fiqr kahaa.N thii terii bhii ab chintaa ghaT gayii'. -Vibhendu

Great blend of music, Neeraj Shridhar and Sunidhi Chauhan complement each other beautifully to bring out the fun element of the song. Very creative lyrics too. -Manisha

Most catchy hook of the year. -Arunabha

Neeraj Sridhar is my guilty pleasure and see how he outscores Sunidhi in this song. And, of course, Irshaad Kaamil - take a bow for penning a joyous break-up song. -Subrat

What should one expect from a track who's name is the speciality of the Music director? :P The song displays the charm of two long-lost lovers moving around Delhi. The music is very catchy, which had it blazing all over. -Gajendra

Catchy beats - unfortunately that’s all. Pritam has lost his touch of copying music and taking it to heights like in past efforts. Maybe this is his original work :) -Ajay

Too many songs from this film sound way to similar to each other! -Abhay

Catchy tune and beats. The guitar strums remind me of S-E-L's in Lakshya. Don't care much for Neeraj Sridhar's singing. Sunidhi as always is wonderful. -Ketan

As the song I have heard the maximum number of times in 2009, I am still stunned by the amazing craftsmanship that has gone into this song. The way Amit Trivedi gets the sitar and guitar to jam and the tabla and drums to duel is something out of Ananda Shankar's sitar-rock era. Aided by Tochi Raina's vocal skills, the song seems to have got everything just right and it is served ready to be consumed again and again and again... -Ketan

"waqt ne kar Daalaa ba.nTaadhaar" - but time will be kinder to this song. And it's Tochi Raina and not Toshi for heaven's sake who seems to show some real penchant for folksy tunes. -Subrat

Good attempt to mix folk, jazz, classical, rock and modern hip-hop.. but not catchy. -Pranav

B-O-R-I-N-G. -Abhay

A lovely folk fusion outing. The singer gives a lovely effect to the lyrics, an amazing depth to them. Hope to hear more of him in the coming year and hope his problems of all kinds are behind him - raam ji karo usakaa be.Daa paar. :) -Gajendra

Tochi's voice is very well-suited for this song. -Manisha

Shilpa Rao has a very modern voice, but she does well singing such a rustic song. -Manisha

If you must do a sarson ka khet number, let it be like this. Shilpa Rao can be accused of occasionaly mixing up singing skills for heavy breathing but I will never complain. -Subrat

Folk elements are well captured. Like the harmonizing - uncharacteristic of folk. -Pranav

Nice folk song - without being overtly punjabi (YRF should learn). Good job by both singers. -Ajay

Shilpa Rao rules this song from start to finish. Amit Trivedi's folk music is near perfect, not too loud, with the right orchestration. He simply lets the music flow to Shilpa who picks it up and runs with it. -Ketan

Nice folksy tune, this is the saviour song in this otherwise pretentious and over-hyped album. -Prasanna

Two of the more promising newcomers sing this one soulfully. Nice music too. -Gajendra

Shilpa Rao is the most distinctive voice of the new lot, the lyrics sound garbled though in the mukha.Daa specially. But a great atmospheric song. -Vibhendu

Sounds too much like aa.Nkho.n kii gustaaKhiyaa.N from HDDCS, beautiful chords. -Pranav

Extremely poignant and amazing lyrics here full of interesting thoughts. Wonderfully complemented by Shilpa Rao's singing and the music (with even some thunder and rain sounds). A song that you must listen in your “tanhaaii”! -Gajendra

Nice song - all the elements come together to portray the loneliness! -Ajay

Good blend of music, lyrics and singing. -Manisha

The singing seems too frothy for the lyrics and the tune. Gulzar-ish lyrics, innit? -Abhay

Full credit to Shilpa Rao for bringing out the tune so well. Her voice seems tailor made for this song. Piyush Mishra does well to keep the arrangements minimal. -Ketan

Of all the songs in this list, this is probably the one sung best by Mohit Chauhan. He is aided by a good tune whose orchestration suddenly goes all Pink Floydish in the middle. Nice touch. -Ketan

An authentic desi rock ballad + Mohit Chauhan gets a number that his voice was made for = Magic. -Subrat

The music has lots of variation, an Indian tune with a western twist. Not a song one would fall in love instantly with – its one that would grow on you. -Gajendra

Like the song only because I like Mohit Chauhan's voice texture. -Pranav

Liked this ballad, the types where VB always excels. Mohit again sounds just right for this song. -Vibhendu

The composition is very good, but overall the song only does slightly above average in terms of impact. -Manisha

Ah! If there's justice this is the song that should be played immediately after they played ge.ndaa phuul on every FM station. Rekha Bharadwaj weaves magic with her limited range. -Subrat

Great lyrics! -Abhay

A song with good intensity, let down by poor singing. -Prasanna

Listening to ghazal rendition in a folk-sounding voice is refreshing. -Pranav

Rekha's voice is quite haunting! -Srinivas

Flawless singing. A nice sombre song with a bit of a Middle eastern feel in places. This is definitely one of the most under-rated soundtracks of 2009. -Gajendra

Great tune and Rekha Bharadwaj sings it well but I couldn't help feeling I was hearing something from Chitra Singh (dard ba.Dhakar fugaa.N na ho jaaye). -Ketan

Lovely Puriya Dhanashree based tune, some very interesting and different orchestration by Salim-Sulaiman and to top it off, really good singing by Shruti Pathak. This song leaves you wanting one more verse. -Ketan

The overall effect of the song is brilliant. Modern beats to classical lyrics have never sounded better. Shruti Pathak scores again after 'mar jaawaa.N'. -Manisha

Very surprised to find this song in what was essentially a commercial potbolier. Shruti is quite measured and poised, and cannot recall another Hindi film song using 'shwet'. -Vibhendu

The lyrics are fairly good but its the singer who lifts the quality of the song. -Gajendra

Sung very sensuously. Beautiful song. -Prasanna

Interesting adaptation of Sufi style to film music. Ends very beautifully - completing the raag (Puriya Dhanashree?). -Ajay

Rahman's best qawwali after piyaa haaji alii; Javed Ali and Kailash Kher make you forget the passage of time - all 9 minutes of it. -Subrat

A lovely devotional song reminding one of Rehman's Piya Haji Ali from Fiza. Loved listening to the harmonium again. -Gajendra

Good song, keeps the momentum for its length but does not give an original sound feel. Good use of Kailash Kher's vocals - not overpowering (Rahman rocks!). Sounds like heard-efore ARR qawwaaliis such as 'Khwaajaa mere Khwaajaa' or his ghazals like 'ai hairat-e-aashiqii'. -Ajay

Why do sufi qawalli's have to be tuned/sung at high pitches? This sounds like the many others that have come before it. Rahman needs a refresher course. -Ketan

Classic ARR touch. Nothing special. Use of guitar chords (on keyboard) is interesting for this genre. -Pranav

Javed Ali's voice is perfect for the song. Kailash Kher is kind of wasted. I also like the unusual use of words in "marammat muqaddar kii kar do, maulaa". -Manisha

Despite its length or probably because of it, the song works absolutely. -Vibhendu

Fits into the context perfectly - and beautifully sung! -Abhay

Kudos to Rahman for composing songs in languages/cultures alien to him, but my pet peeve of the past few years continues--can he not compose anything without electronics? He must be praying real hard for the Chennai electricity board's longevity. Nothing wrong with the tune or the singing so much as the orchestration in what is essentially a folk song. -Ketan

I'm not a fan of this song, especially the "oye.n hoye.n hoye.n" part, which really gets on my nerves. The funky beats are very cool though. -Manisha

A very lovely example of fusion music. -Gajendra

I will hold it against the producers and may be Rahman for not crediting the folk origins of this but when was the last time you heard a non-Punjabi folk sing in a Hindi film. You keep hitting the rewind button to hear Rekha Bharadwaj intone "bussharT pahine, kha_i ke bee.Daa paan" -Subrat

Love the folk touch and great arrangement. The meter and beat are incongruous which is really amazing. -Pranav

An amazing folksy song. -Srinivas

Piyush Mishra. The Jaishankar Prasad like song writing, the grandeur of the music - it's hard to focus. -Subrat

The tune and orchestration do a good job of giving the feel of a "call to battle" song. Piyush Mishra does a good job flitting between the highly charged up and softer passages. 'Imagine Singh' (is how Piyush refers to John Lennon in the movie) would be happy at this version of "Revolution". -Ketan

Piyush Mishra rings agit prop from theatre into cinema in the lyrics and in the process also brings back Hindi in Hindi film music. -Vibhendu

Gulaal comes very close to being the album of the year for me, wonderful experimentation, full credit to the lyricist and the music director! -Prasanna

A fabulous song in every department. We need more changes from the beaten track like these. -Gajendra

Strong lyrics bring out the spirit of the song very well, but singing could have been more impactful. I would have liked to hear Vishal Dadlani or Shankar Mahadevan sing it. -Manisha

Veer-ras well captured in lyrics and singing. -Pranav

The guys sounds alright, but rather monotonous. -Abhay

Superlative lyrics, apposite haunting backdrop, and I really liked the rough-at-the-edges voice. -Arunabha

Amazing track by using both indian and western percussions and orchestration. Profound lyrics, parts of which are predictable but still commendable. -Pranav

Piyush sings this one with lots of Pathos paying tribute to lots of greats including ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaae to kyaa hai. A song which is more than a song. A commentary in some queer manner on life which can be so great but leaves a lot to be desired. Extremely thoughtful, dark yet sombre lyrics. Great song. -Gajendra

Not a good choice of singer. -Manisha

Again: WHY do MDs assume they are best choice for certain songs? One song in his limited voice in the film was surely enough! The use of instruments in this song is brilliant though - the tabla and the manjira-s sound simply delightful! The lyrics seem at first to channel Sahir's 'Pyaasa' anthem, but manage to be different enough to be convincing. -Abhay

Quite likely the best tribute to Sahir (and SDB-Guru Dutt-Pyaasa) out there. Piyush Mishra's penmanship, singing and musical talents seem boundless in this song. -Ketan

"bhor bhaii" is an interesting idea but they should have just left it in BGAK's voice as a background voice. SG placed next to him is just embarrassing. -Arunabha

I am prepared for all the auditory assault through the year if you give me a single number like this. -Subrat

Shreya is decent in patches but there are times in the song, where she is paying the ultimate tribute to Paul Newman, by sounding (really can't call it singing) like a "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". This--blending of singers from the past and present--is a fine line which if handled improperly can become a card trick as in this case. -Ketan

The song doesn't seem to have the impact expected of it what with all the big names and all that. -Manisha

Five for the Ustad, 3 for Shreya -she is not bad, but her high notes are not very pleasant on the ears! Individually, each component is good, but the sum of the parts is somehow falls short. -Abhay

Interesting mixing of original Ustadji's track with the new one. -Pranav

A wonderful bandish carried by amazing vocals. Mixing balance is not perfect - but evokes a fresh mood. -Ajay

The singing by Bade Ghulam Ali Khan is vintage magic and Shreya also takes to the song like a duck to water showing why she's part of any A-list album. -Gajendra

And there goes Rekha again... it's like she just sings the same song over and over again. Aaaand those annoying English lyrics are back again. :/ What a waste of Suresh Wadkar too. -Manisha

Another strong composition by VB. Seems to be firing in all areas - but undone by the overall package. -Ajay

I love the line "dil ne kaisii durgat kii hai". -Arunabha

Can't stop listening to it. Love the composition and structure of the song. The weaving in and out of the singers give it a qawalli feel and all of a sudden one has rap thrown in as well. -Ketan

Rekha Bhardwaj is the major attraction in the beginning of this very experimental song by Vishal Bhardwaj. The voices of Rekha and Sunidhi are fused brilliantly as are those of Kunal Ganjawala and Suresh Wadkar. All four singers make this lively song a 100% winner. -Gajendra

Antara Chowdhury in Hindi - after how long? She sounds good. Not sure if it is only Antara's voice (or the choral bits), but the song has a Salil feel to it. -Abhay

Beautiful arrangement. The music appropriately conveys hope! -Prasanna

Beautiful tune and singing. Reminiscent of Jagjit Singh's melodies. -Arunabha

Beautiful retro melody - Pancham/Jaidev/Salil working with Basu Chatterjee production. Singer sounds like she needs to mature a bit in HFM singing. -Pranav

Very good music and singing. Antara's voice has matured very nicely. Sanjoy has done well to keep the arrangements minimal. -Ketan

Not quite in Salil territory, but the pedigree shows. This comes closest to what we have come to identify as Hindi film music. -Vibhendu

The piano and strings piece in the beginning makes one sit up and listen to Antra Chowdhury sing a slightly melancholic song about tough life. She sings it fairly well but again, it is an about average song only. -Gajendra

WHY does Rahman insist on singing?!? :( -Abhay

Absolutely loved the lyrics (especially the "haath thaam chalanaa ho.." part!) Hats off Prasoon Joshi! Lovely music too. Nice instrumental section to end it off too, where Rahman apparently has used "Continuum" to good effect. -Prasanna

Outstanding use of Teentaal beat pattern. Chord sequences are out of the world. -Pranav

Great song, but I just can't help but wish someone else had sung it. Rahman should stop singing in Hindi already. He's a great music director and he should focus on that. -Manisha

Beautiful composition. -Arunabha

Rahman ruins it as a singer. -Ajay

Delicate, it soothes frayed nerves. There are some songs that seem to be made for Rahman to sing. -Subrat

It's a decent tune but why does Rahman insist on singing? He succeeds on ruining what could have been a good song. It's a pity that this song made it to the short list over what is probably the best song musically--the title song--Delhi 6. -Ketan

Rahman saves a lovely track for himself to sing to which he renders some lovely vocals. -Gajendra

The first stanza somehow reminds me of "pyaar hame.N kis mo.D pe" from Satte Pe Satta. -Prasanna

Haven't heard this kind of chemistry between singers singing a duet since the 70s -Arunabha

Lovely song - nothing special and yet beautiful to listen to - sort of Anand Milind meets Pritam meets Shantanu Moitra. -Pranav

Probably the years best romantic duet. Well balanced composition - delivered perfectly by the singers. Minus 0.5 for Shaan's singing. :) -Ajay

Nice in an old fashioned way, plus the singers seem to be having a great time. -Vibhendu

A nice, cute romantic song with the warm innocence of young lovers asking to spend time together leaving the cup of tea. Pick of the album for me. Jeet, former part of the Jeet-Pritam MD duo, shows that he can produce some good work if given the chance. -Gajendra

Shaan and Shreya have a good chemistry in this duet. The tune and orchestration remind one of the early Rajesh Roshan. Definitely worth a second listen. -Ketan

How do you call the lead actress 'whore' in the lyrics and still come out with a song that one wants to hear repeatedly? Amit Trivedi (with the help of Band masters Rangila and Raseela) takes a traditional shaadi-baarat band-baaja orchestra, puts in 'Hinglish' words that capture the feelings of the hero to the hilt, and launches a song that is stunning for its simplicity. If there is a better version it's the Rock version of this song, which takes on everything from the Who, to Led Zep to Pink Floyd and comes out with yet another masterpiece. -Ketan

The initial brass band novelty wears of. -Subrat

For an Elvis fan, its a terrifying thought that someone would try to fuse his style with bhojpuri, bhangra, pop and what have you. But with Amit Trivedi at the helm, the fears appear totally unfounded. Amit Trivedi's team comes with all cylinders blazing to create this amazing melody which is sure to play in weddings for a long time. The amount of experimentation in this song is huge but it delivers the goods. Amazing use of the trumpet there. One of the top 3 songs of the year definitely in my opinion. This soundtrack is like many in one – a treat for the new age fan and need I add, extremely original! -Gajendra

Again, fits the context to a T! -Abhay

I don't care what the world says, but I can't stand this song! It makes me cringe every time I hear it. X-( -Manisha

Quite innovative in the way it sounds, and the fact that everything fits in. -Vibhendu

Singing is excellent given the requirement of the song and the fact that there are absolutely NO effects (reverb, echo etc.) on the voice. Personally like the rock version better. -Pranav

Catchy lyrics used effectively in the melody. -Ajay

Salim's voice gels well with the lovely strings in the background and lets the song's feathers fly. A cute song. Interesting lyrics as well. -Gajendra

Has a distinctive mood. The strumming and the singing create magically synergy. Would have preferred a better singer (tonal quality). -Ajay

Good tune, singing and orchestration. The lyrics are apt for the story -Ketan

Beautiful lyrics, wonderful music! -Prasanna

The song seemed to be going nowhere till the middle antara. The tune takes a nice turn, but overall the song is yet another un-weighty song from S-E-L. -Ketan

I was sold from the opening strains of saarangii, wonderful lyrics! -Prasanna

Why does this song remind me very strongly of "namak isk kaa"? Is it just the singing? No, the song seems to carry overall the feel of the 'Omkara' song. -Abhay

Rekha Bharadwaj can sing these kind of songs in her sleep. Nothing remarkable. -Manisha

Very good folk song - great strong voice that does justice to the song. -Pranav

Superb. -Arunabha

Chalk up one more great tune to Piyush Mishra's credit. Once again, his handling of the mujra is impeccable. Good blending of sarangis and tablas with more modern instruments. Rekha Bharadwaj excels yet again. -Ketan

Probably the best folk song of 2009. Rekha Bhardwaj's earthy voice combined with a great chorus, music and interesting lyrics produce a magical and mildly naughty song. -Gajendra

"ki aayaa raat kaa jaayaa re" is a nice phrase -Arunabha

This song has the unusual duet combo of Sukhwinder Singh and Kailash Kher. One listen to the song and one understands why Vishal chose them. -Gajendra

Awesome beats, strong composition. -Ajay

Sukhwinder is a class act; just his singing makes this a number to remember. -Subrat

Sukhwinder and Kailash go well together. The tune is catchy and the pauses before it picks up again are a nice touch to an otherwise rapid burst of music. -Ketan

The new anthem! -Arun

Does Rahman deserve an Oscar? Yes, absolutely. For THIS song? Dear God no. No no no. NO. -Manisha

Awesome chord progression! -Ajay

Hugely overrated song. -Abhay

Agreed that AR Rehman may have given better music than this one but that doesn't take away the fact that the song is a great foot tapping song which made more fans for him all over the world (not to mention the Oscar jury). -Gajendra

Nothing special - heard it, liked it, forgotten about it. -Pranav

Liked the melody, disliked the orchestration. Rahman should sack Sivamani or his clones and get a new percussionist. Singing is ok..Sukhvinder has carved a niche and is good for these songs. Liked the Hindi lyrics and disliked and saw no place for the Spanish ones. A slumdog from Mumbai singing in Spanish--in the land of the Thackeray's. Yeah Right! -Ketan

An absolutely delightful Ghazal. Fantastic singing by Hariharan and Sadhna. -Prasanna

Great rendition by both Hariharan and Sadhna Sargam. Arrangement is also a pleasant surprise, e.g., harmonizing in the stanza although it sounds like it was done using software. -Pranav

Wonderful song - the singers are in 'sur' throughout. Sadhana Sargam should sing more mainstream songs. 0.5 taken-off for Hariharan (missing something intangible as usual). -Ajay

Lovely tune, wonderful orchestration and great singing by Hariharan. Sadhna Sargam sounds a bit like Lata in the 90s(not a compliment). The real beauty of this song comes thru in the instrumental version. -Ketan

The other extremely under-rated soundtrack along with Firaaq and Gulaal. The MD Raees Jamaal Khan (a new name to me) mixes instruments extremely well. Brilliant smooth flowing song. Kudos to the team. Great work. -Gajendra

A hark-back to 90's kind of duets- with two very able singers steering it. -Vibhendu

The tune has the feel of many of their other tunes and initially doesn't do much. However after the third or 4th hearing it begins to grow on you. The weak point is Shankar's singing. There are lines where he seems to be going thru the motions and other where he seems to have the motions. -Ketan

Good lyrics and singing but a tune that doesn't quite match up. -Abhay

The usual coming-of-age song. A good effort. -Gajendra

Salim-Suleiman are expert architects of the orchestral backdrop of a song. For that specific quality, they're the best in the business. -Arunabha

shukraan allaah, Sonu is still around and can be interesting when he is not trying too hard. -Vibhendu

The composition makes the song work well. Lyrics are super-cliched, we have heard every word except the shukraan allaah part in countless songs. -Manisha

Nice vocal harmony - combines western scales and sufiana mood in the 'mukha.Daa'. Interludes/ 'antaraa' are relatively weak. SS certainly are establishing a genre for themselves. -Ajay

Sonu does well to step out of his usual flavour--cheesy, though he can't completely let go of his nakhras. This song begs for Sunidhi not Shreya who is tinny. The main refrain 'shukaraan allaah" reminded me of 'Bachna Ae Haseeno's' "Khudaa jaane ki mai.n fidaa hoo.N". All in all a lovely tune that has the right dose of instruments backed by a good chorus but which would do well with a Kay Kay and Sunidhi. -Ketan

Pedestrian song, save for the title refrain in harmony and the flute interlude. -Prasanna

Morning Walk - I can go on and on about this album. I hope Jeet Ganguli gets more opportunities. Shreya and Ustad Rashid were simply wonderful. -Subrat

Nice tune and singing. Two things that go against it: 1) The arrangement which could have done without the heavy percurssion beats. See this video of making of the song from 0:29 to 0:46 to get an idea of how good it would have sounded with minimal percurssions. 2) The English lyrics put a damper on the mood of the song. -Ketan

The "fusion" experiment hasn't unfortunately worked in this case in my opinion. Looks like Shreya is fast becoming the female singer of choice for classical based HFM. Oh by the way, why Puriya Dhanashree for "bhor bhayo"? -Prasanna

Music does not go with the song. The singers magically put it on the charts for this list - Rashid Khan though is certainly wasted! -Ajay

Neither here nor there, English vocals are easily the most jarring even by the song's own standards. -Vibhendu

Like the solo singing parts a lot, the chorus sounds too much "Doordarshan"-like. Some lyrics don't fit in the meter. -Pranav

Great singing! Have never heard her (or of her) before. A fairly traditional number with surprisingly minimal orchestration. -Abhay

Have yet to figure out after multiple hearings what this song has going for it. So far I am coming up with nothing, besides it being a decent semi-classical piece. Father dearest was clearly not helping from above :( -Ketan

Flawlessly rendered thumri - enjoyed immensely. Doesn't have the popular film music traits (orchestration, lyrically rich score) so rated lower. -Ajay

Not too sure about it being a reworking of an older bandish or a new composition, but a pleasing rendition, and the fact that it is 2009. -Vibhendu

The song is apparently meant to add to the narrative of the movie and is just about passable. One can listen to it a few times at leisure, at best. Doesn't have that long shelf value for me though. -Gajendra

Wonderful surprise - as such not much in the music arrangement but under the hood, loved couple of nuances, e.g. the use of "tin" of the tabla somewhat like how RD would use madal. -Pranav

You could give me arsenic (or karelaa) and I would take it, as long as it was dipped in raag Bairagi. That this particular raag shows up in places in other songs in the movie, means I will put Piyush Mishra on my 3 am speed dial call button if I ever need musical help. Rahul Ram and the late Asheem Chakravarty (R.I.P and many thanks with a deep bow) take it to another level, more than ably assisted by Piyush's lyrics. -Ketan

Interesting version of the Duniya song but enough "maulaa" songs already!! The actual "Duniya" version is miles better. -Pranav

Another very inspiring song with fabulous lyrics. Deserves multiple listening to assimilate it all. Great work by the singers and the lyricist-MD. I need more of Piyush Mishra's music and lyrics! A very multi-dimensional personality. We need more of his ilk. -Gajendra

Another faux-Sufi song of the Kailash Kher variety - but even worse - the singing is even more besura than Kher's! The lyrics are marginally better than the earlier two songs, but nothing to write home about. The singing is terrible - who IS this Rahul Ram? -Abhay

SEL on their home territory- a kind of romantic duet they have perfected since 'Kucch Na Kaho'. For once, Shankar does not sound tiresome. -Vibhendu

Both Shankar and Shreya excel in this song. The minimal beats help to bring out their voices. -Manisha

Nice understated music. Shankar is good, but one is left wondering if Shreya is auditioning for Shankar's sequel, Breathless 2. Her singing is gimmicky and takes away from what could have been a good song. -Ketan

A nice soulful melody. Lovely singing by Shankar and an experimental Shreya. -Gajendra

Hamsadhwani based song. -Prasanna

Different arrangement than most songs. -Pranav

Shankar and Shreya raise the track but once you've watched the film, it's hard to shake of the trauma of watching Akki and Deepika freefalling. -Subrat

Catchy tune, very well sung. -Ajay

Why can't Shreya try sounding a little less…er, breathy? -Abhay

Lovely song, beautifully rendered. I had not heard this song before this exercise. Again, when was the last time we heard 'shajar' in a film song. -Vibhendu

Western classical elements are excellent, nice lyrics but the transition to disco didn't work for me. Above average nevertheless. -Pranav

Another great tune. I am torn as to, whether the singer, Aditi Sharma, simply doesn't know how to pronounce Hindi words without an accent or it's because the song is based on a character in the movie who is half foreign and doesn't know Hindi that well. I will give her the benefit of the doubt on this one. -Ketan

Fabulous singing. One of those songs one can look forward to listening when longing for peace. Lyrics are very good too. -Gajendra

The lyrics are extremely apt and the singer does sound like a teenager on who it is picturized. And Amit Trivedi shows off his masterly orchestration skills. -Subrat

This MD needs a crash course in choosing singers! -Abhay

Rahat is the singer of the year for me! -Arun

Again a song that gets its basics right, belongs to Irshad Kamil who manages to squeeze in a lot of meaning specially in the antaras and then Rahat sings it straight to the heart. -Vibhendu

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan doing his usual Rahat Fateh Ali Khan thing. -Manisha

Good guitar intro, and tunewise too a good effort from Pritam. The weak point is the singer. Try as he might राहत फ़तेह अली ख़ान Rahat Fateh Ali Khan does not bring out the heartbreak and hope that the lyrics and picturization convey. -Ketan

The song has portions of renowned Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi's words added to those of Irshad's. Rahat rises to the occasion and sings the song wonderfully. Nice melody to the song with no over embellishments. One of the top two tracks of the album. Make that the topmost for the soul it has. -Gajendra

Rahat catches up with the song as it progresses and establishes it. -Ajay

The judai song template that Imtiaz and Pritam have with Rahat. And they score again. The only complaint - pls credit the original poet for the opening lines. -Subrat

The grooviest tune of the year. Amit Trivedi straddles so many different genres in a single album that you worry if he has staked it all in a single soundtrack. -Subrat

Anusha Mani gives a lovely western feel to this song. Dev D is one of the most brilliant soundtracks. -Gajendra

Western classical is nicely fused. Excellent job on singing through all scale changes. -Pranav

The singing is the weakest part of ths song. The tune and lyrics capture the mood of Chanda well as to what she is going thru. The piano based orchestration is just right. It's surprising to see this song make it to the short-list over many others from the movie that are far more deserving. -Ketan

besura singing! -Abhay

Nice joshila song with emotive lyrics by newcomer Sandeep Shrivatav. The music is breezy (inspired by an Indonesian song by Samsons - Naluri Lelaki), simple yet catchy. -Gajendra

Barring Kay Kay's singing, this is a ho-hum song. -Ketan

Peppy upbeat composition - taken up further by KK's style of singing. Could be a 5er but lacks the originality. -Ajay

Guess it's the repeat airplay the song has got on FM channels, it works for me entirely. -Vibhendu

The composition is good but this is another case where a music director thought that he could do more justice to the song than a regular singer. He was mistaken. -Manisha

This song could be a case-study on "Why MD's shouldn't sing"? It has everything going for it--tune, orchestration, buildup(story wise) and it loses its charm the moment Amit Trivdei opens his mouth. -Ketan

As if creating awesome music wasn't enough, Amit Trivedi wields the microphone for this ode to melancholy. -Subrat

Can't stand the singing here. -Abhay

Full marks for the effort. -Pranav

One of the undeservingly underrated tracks of the album for some reason. -Gajendra

Loy is the surprise of the package. -Manisha

High-energy song every which way - including the dance! -Abhay

Awesome beats - very catchy foot tapping composition. Crazy range of vocals - very unique, though lost in the melee of sounds. -Ajay

A creative twist added to what would otherwise be a traditional song. Good tune and orchestration. The song makes for good listening. -Ketan

The song left me totally stunned. Great lyrics showing very visually, the destruction of a place; very subconsciously coercing one to change the “sotaa shahar”, the “country” and indeed the world. Lovely singing by Mishra and Swanand Kirkire. Looking forward to more unconventional movies and music like this one. -Gajendra

Both Piyush and Swanand Kirkire, form a good doubles team for this song. The back and forth between them is a treat to the ears. If there is one teeny criticism, it is that the song is a tad on the longish side. -Ketan

This was the most perfect of all Gulaal songs, a song which got its sur right. The lyrics, the music and the singing all seem just right. -Vibhendu

Very good song but others in this album overshadow this. -Pranav

Probably the best song in the movie in terms of orchestration. The low key guitars mixed with the violins and soft voices make it like the dream song it is made out to be. Proves that Rahman can do good orchestration when he wants to, which is becoming rare these days. -Ketan

ARR's music is great but does not support well lyrics-intensive songs like this. That said, D6 is his most complete soundtrack till date. -Arunabha

High quality song that I wish was more catchy. -Pranav

Too many different kinds of music, the song doesn't come together as a whole. -Manisha

A confused - and confusing - song. Exactly what is happening here? A bit like listening to something in a lounge bar. -Abhay

Rehman sure knows when to have a heavily orchestrated song and when to underplay. Here he does the latter – minimal music and lets the singer take the song with his vocals. Nice effort by the debutant singer Ash King. -Gajendra

Lyrics are lovely at some places, jingle like at others. -Vibhendu

Typical SEL composition that I have come to expect, good fusion of rock and hindustani classical. Wonderful lyrics by Prasoon Joshi "bahut jaldii dupaTTe o.Dhanaa sikalaa rahe hai.N ham, kyu.N zindagii ko raat se milawaa rahe.N hai.N ham" -Prasanna

A great track which didn't get the publicity it needed. Prasoon Joshi continues his lovely play of words. -Gajendra

Pretty average arrangement - melody is decent. -Pranav

After a pedestrian start, the song picks up in melody and pep. The vocals come together nicely and the orchestration is nice, but could have been better with a little less electronics. Liked Shankar's singing, but why synthesize Anusha Mani's voice to a point where she sounds like R2D2's sibling. -Ketan

SM gets the song on the radar. Ordinary otherwise including Anusha's singing. -Ajay

Excellent fusion of modern rock and folk. The drummer has done an excellent job. -Pranav

Interesting song - makes sense in the context of the movie - silly otherwise. -Ajay

Yet another good tune that falls a bit due to the MD's very busy sounding music and a weak voice. -Ketan

Works in the context of the film. Wouldn't want to listen to the song by itself! -Abhay

Amit Trivedi vocals create a magical effect reminding one a bit of the magic he added to chakkar ghuumyo the previous year. -Gajendra

The only solo for Sunidhi here and she grabs the opportunity with both hands. Would like to see her in more songs outside the slotted club songs she is heard more in. -Gajendra

Cliched lyrics. -Manisha

Crisp singing - Sunidhi carries the song. -Ajay

Why don't we hear Sunidhi more often - and in a greater variety of songs? She is far and away the best singer going today. -Abhay

Superb tune and the trademark S-E-L guitar strumming is put to good use. The singer being Sunidhi…need I say more? -Ketan

Great composition. Now we all just sit back and hope that Pritam didn't pinch it from a Korean song. -Manisha

A straight lift (opening strains at least) of Yanni's "Within attraction". Passable song. -Prasanna

The song begins with some lovely music and is taken to a crescendo with KK's voice. The chorus also adds its special touch to the song as do the catchy lyrics. Slightly more orchestrated than needed though. -Gajendra

Nice melody but sounds like a typical Pritam composition. KK is good - but not enough (diction). Once he sings those high notes - he sounds the same. -Ajay

Very good tune by Pritam along with some good usage of piano/keys. Surprisingly Kay Kay's higher pitched voice is what spoils it a bit. -Ketan

Like most Vishesh Films soundtracks, I love them when I hear them first. And 6 months later I don't remember which songs featured in which film and after a couple of years it seems like they all had Kay Kay singing. -Subrat

I have decided I don't like Pritam - all his songs sound depressingly similar. I could shut my eyes and imagine a scene from Metro playing out against this song. Even the normally reliable Kay Kay doesn't sound too great here. -Abhay

Simple lyrics, good music and singing. -Manisha

Light breezy singing by Shankar though these 3 desperately need to bring in outside singers. Music isn't earth shattering, but the guitars are nicely used--though they have become a standard of S-E-L music. -Ketan

A very interesting conversational song. -Gajendra

Give me some Aspirin, spare me the pain; give me the old Shantanu, I don't want to hear this again. -Subrat

Bad singing, made up for by good music. Sooraj Jagan sounds like he just woke up and started singing. -Manisha

Along with "jaane nahii.n de.nge" this song is very thought provoking and fits the mood of the movie well. The lyrics remind you of Kishore's "koii lauTaa de mere beete hue din". Suraj Jagan's singing is good enough and matches the low key arrangements in the song. -Ketan

A lovely song which brings a ray of sunshine in your mind when they croon give me some sunshine. A lovely effort by the full team. -Gajendra

Wonderful harmony with basic instruments like harmonica, crescendo built with lyrics makes the same words mean different. Average singing - but appropriate for the film situation. -Ajay

Love the rock/ballad effect -Pranav

I am not sure I like the singer, but he suits this song! Suits the context well, but gives away a little too easily what's going to happen next! -Abhay

Mohit Chauhan wasted in a soulless song. -Arunabha

The song could have more variety in orchestration - but good otherwise. Mohit Chauhan has become my favourite upcoming singer with this song. His voice tone is awesome and is not overbearing in his songs - just right though restricted to his soft romantic genre. -Ajay

Love Mohit Chauhan's voice, but too much auto-tune in this one. -Pranav

Mohit Chauhan's singing is unimpressive. Even Sonu despite his over-emoting might have done a better job here. Tune doesn't hold one's attention either. The best portion is the piece towards the end which sounds suspiciously like Enya's "Orinoco Flows". Well, it IS Pritam. -Ketan

13बी
13B

Good music. Though Shankar and Chitra can handle the higher pitches, both sound strained. Chitra sounds like a rubber mouse that someone just stepped on. -Ketan

An under-rated track that got hardly any air time. -Subrat

Not sure why it doesn't work - could have to do with the unrelenting (and irritating) "jhik-jhik" beat in the background. For the singing, it's 3 to Shankar and 1 to Chitra - she sounds too nasal here. -Abhay

For the sake of all the glassware in the world, Chitra should be banned from singing high notes. -Manisha

The interludes remind me of classic Ilayaraja. -Pranav

The song's biggest plus in my opinion is the nice lyrics by the upcoming lyricist Neelesh Mishra and the lovely crooning by Chitra closely followed by that of Shankar's. The song has a nice melody to it but for me, the keyboard could have been a notch lesser. -Gajendra

Nice blues-jazz fusion song. Amit Trivedi, comes up with a good tune. Like most of the songs in the movie, this one too is a background song and hence there is a valid reason for the instruments used, one can't help feel that the orchestration could have done with a little less 'noise'. -Ketan

Has a unique Nasha of its own without falling into a traditional sharabi song trap. Lovely effort all around with a lovely underplay of the orchestra. -Gajendra

Again a good effort - excellent lounge song. -Pranav

Must be a new trend to use cuss words in songs and pass it off as good lyrics. -Prasanna

Why does this guy sing? -Abhay

Refreshing to have Rahat Fateh Ali sing this kind of song; a pleasant deviation from his usual work. -Manisha

The music doesn't live up to the efforts of Shankar Mahadevan and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in their singing. S-E-L have served leftovers from 'Rock On' and passed it off as a new composition. -Ketan

Excellent song overall. Singing in jugalbandi is effective and catchy, love the concept in the lyrics. -Pranav

Musically interesting since it is a rare two males duet. Nice use of vocal effects in different octaves or overlapping singing. -Ajay

The combo of two extremely melodious singers – the result, not as great as I would have liked. The composition and lyrics don't rise to the occasion as a combination and their voices alone aren't enough to salvage the song. Too much repetition of Khwaab ko raag de doesn't help things. -Gajendra

The song doesn't quite jell. -Abhay

Tune is peppy and shows a good underlying melody. Not a big fan of Kartik's accented Hindi singing. -Ketan

Kartik's singing gives the song a lovely haunting feel to what would have otherwise been a pure situational song from the movie's point of view. Neelesh Mishra delivers yet again giving an inherent sense of hope the film's characters must be feeling in their homes. -Gajendra

Never heard of the singer - he's quite good but seems to have taken lessons in enunciation from either Preeti Sagar or Penaaz Masani - he needs to correct this fast! -Abhay

Nice mix of guitar and sarangi. The song could have been better if not for Shreya's singing. She doesn't quite have her emoting in control and struggles at times on the high notes. While she doesn't go out of tune, she does not have quite have it in her grasp. -Ketan

Beautifully sung - lots of emotions. -Ajay

Shreya is not very comfortable in the upper register, sounds a bit stretched. -Prasanna

Shreya is awesome - amazing control, variations and naturally sweet voice. -Pranav

Shreya's solo in the album begins with an extra-extended alaap raising one's expectations. निदा फ़ाज़ली Nida Fazli's words are good and the music is slow, with a bit of a pensive melancholic mood to it. Shreya's singing is the main highlight though. -Gajendra

classic illayaraja! -Arun

Shilpa Rao shows another dimension of her voice. -Gajendra

Have to hand it to Illayaraja. Mindblowing arrangement - deeply rooted in Jazz. Harmonies, chorus, counters, slap bass, guitars I can go on and on. -Pranav

Shilpa Rao has been given a semi-decent tune by Ilayaraja and she does the best she can. स्वानंद किरकिरे Swanand Kirkire's lyrics are unispiring as well. -Ketan

I am so done with rehashes of Ilaiyaraja's original masterpieces. They don't sound that nice in Hindi. -Subrat

This is the kind of a track where I actually find Mohit tolerable, and nothing really wrong with this song. -Vibhendu

Something about the song's music reminds one a bit of Woh Lamhe's chal chale.n apane ghar though for some reason. -Gajendra

If Mohit Chauhan is aiming for a laid-back style, he fails miserably. His singing efforts in an otherwise okay tune comes across as tired and lazy. -Ketan

Heard all 3 (the Neeraj Shridhar, Javed Ali and the Shafqat Amanat Ali) solo versions. Liked the arrangement best in the last (Rock) version. Found all 3 singers equally good/bad, considering that all 3 sing at very high pitches which sound harsh. -Ketan

NS has mastered the hindi rap style - especially with Pritam. Interesting song - could have developed the antara more creatively. -Ajay

Just noise! -Abhay

Mellifluous singing with lots of energy by Neeraj Sridhar gives this song a lovely feel which has the usual quality of lyrics and western influenced music one expects in a Bhatt film. -Gajendra

Gulzar finally is guilt free and at ease as a 'poet for hire'- the lyrics fall between being banal and being contrived. -Vibhendu

Reminds me so much of Jatin-Lalit from early 90's! -Prasanna

Pritam handles Gulzar's trademark free verse style really well. But why should producers ignore lines like "wo jab naakhuun kutaratii hai, to chandaa ghaTane lagataa hai" and remix this with "you get me rocking and reeling, you're a wonderful feeling". -Subrat

Unknown voices, but they do well overall. -Manisha

The song deserves to be seen (for Lara Dutta) not heard. After a good initial start we find yet another song lacking in melody and imagination from Pritam. His beats are repeated from the Punjabi folk songs in Love Aaj Kal. Maybe he should consider going back to copying tunes--if he has stopped. -Ketan

Nice but run-of-the-mill song. -Pranav

Nice singing. Nothing special about the music. -Gajendra

The chorus blends nicely with the overall song. -Abhay

Rahul Ram's singing fits the bill as far as the character in the movie is concerned. Piyush Mishra gives it just the right bit of music and lets the voice and words do the needful. -Ketan

Weakest song in an otherwise fantastic, "hatke-saa" album. -Prasanna

Nothing quite works in this song - the lyrics are ambitious but inane, the music doesn’t do anything for them, and the singing - well, it might as well have been sung by the MD! -Abhay

Unusual lyrics sung with varying tones by Rahul Ram sometimes in whispers and sometimes loudly. A song that cannot be slotted in any way; wonder how they planned it (or maybe they didn't). The guitar is exquisite and the lyrics weird but great. -Gajendra

Had a potential to be as great as "ek hii Khwaab" from Kinara but didn't quite get there. I think singing was over-done. -Pranav

Interesting take on a typical Punjabi song. -Manisha

Does Neeraj Shridhar know that you can actually sing without screaming? Pritam proves that not all Bongs can compose Bhangra music. He should have taken notes by listening to another Bengali music maestro--a legend infact--when composing words that go "aahu.N aahu.N" (See Raj Kapoor's Jaagte Raho). -Ketan

Hummable. -Ajay

After a surfeit of SEL songs, the album is a refreshing change. The sum is greater than the parts here, an enjoyable track. -Vibhendu

The first half of this Punjabi-English fusion song is particularly brilliant with the kadii te ha.Ns bol ve part. The guitar pieces are very good and the music is meant for the dance floor. No wonder it was a hit in the discos. -Gajendra

Very catchy, well-written lyrics. Sonu really brings out the spirit of the song. And for the first time I didn't cringe at the mix of English and Hindi words in a song. -Manisha

A typical feel-good song from a Hirani film - but it works! -Abhay

Good, foot tapping, catchy composition and great singing matched up with timeless lyrics. Shantanu Moitra does well to keep the arrangements minimal. -Ketan

The tyranny of a blockbuster. God help all those driving to work who have to bear this for the last month or so. -Subrat

The chorus sometimes feels jarring to my ears. (All is well repeating too often perhaps). Not the best song of the album. -Gajendra

Pretty situational song, not much quality musicwise. -Prasanna

Zesty singing for a in-the-face song. Popularity may not stand the test of time because of weakly developed melody. -Ajay

Catchy. Neeraj Shreedhar does justice to it. Yikes to the 'Silly-willy' part that breaks out in the middle of the song. :/ -Manisha

Love the song for its energy and also the lyrics, very atypical for a 2009 film. -Vibhendu

Catchy - forgettable. -Pranav

Neeraj Sridhar made this year his own and Pritam seems to compose specifically with him in mind. Don't ask me why the singing deserves a 4. It's a guilty pleasure. -Subrat

I hope this is not Pritam's attempt at making a rustic song. Strange noises emanating from a synthesizer do not count as music. It wouldn't be a big loss to fast forward this one. -Ketan

Nice beats and the rap-like feel goes well (seems to be mastered by Neeraj Shridhar). Singing is nothing special but doesn't lessen the impact of the song. -Ajay

Neeraj Sridhar alone makes this song more than a good listen with the music leaving your foot tapping till much later. No surprise to see it being a hit in the discos. -Gajendra

Horrible song. -Arunabha

Why, why, why must every Hindi song have some unnecessary English words? Why? Alisha does very well, but Atif? They're still letting him sing after all the songs he murdered last year? -Manisha

Alisha's singing is the good part of the song, not so much Atif's singing. I am at a loss to understand this desire for inserting English words into a Hindi song when not required. It doesn't add to the song and infact takes away what little there is in terms of composition. -Ketan

Another year, another Atif track where he goes besuraa, another huge hit and another mystery for all of us. -Subrat

I couldn't finish listening to this song, so feel free to disqualify the rating! That I am not giving it a 1 is thanks to the squeamishness about not having heard it fully before rating it. -Abhay

Like the song genre (kinda like 'tumase hii' from Jab We Met). -Ajay

The unusual combination of Atif Aslam and Alisha makes the song stay on with you long after it is finished. -Gajendra

Noooooooo, Atif, noooooooooo! The chorus is the saving grace of the song. -Manisha

Atif murders the track and another whodunit on our hands. -Subrat

Heard all 3--Atif Aslam, Kailash Kher and Ashish Pandit versions. Reviewed the Atif one since the other two are not the main songs. (FYI, Kailash Kher's version would have received the same ratings. Ashish Pandit's version is the best). Like the composition, and the sufi qawalli feel of the song that is more Rahman's style. Atif's singing is barely tolerable. He sounds like the love-child of Salma Agha and Kumar Sanu. -Ketan

Nice soulful singing by Atif Aslam. -Gajendra

Anything this singer sings sounds flat! -Abhay

Rahat Fateh Ali can sing such songs in his sleep. -Manisha

Decent arrangements but I find the 'dard' missing in Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's voice. Just take the first two words and think back and compare it to the Mukesh-SJ-Rehman's 'Chhoti Bahen' song. The difference is glaring. -Ketan

What is it with these singers sounding flat? -Abhay

A situational song and the tune is pure pedestrian. -Gajendra

The "uu uu uu" just before the "dostii ke ra.ng" spoiled it for me :-( Plus I feel I am listening to "Mama mia" everytime I hear this song, not a big winner for me. -Prasanna

Very catchy and fast paced song. Perfect easy listening. -Pranav

Banal tune, something that a teenage rock band would churn out, not established composers like S-E-L. Shankar's singing also has the same bubble gum flavour. -Ketan

Why did they need Mahalakshmi Iyer for what are essentially backing vocals? -Abhay

A very ordinary track in an otherwise good album. -Manisha

Although the tune seems to be a take on Lata's 'laaraa lappaa', Pritam has modified it enough to make it as if not more catchy than the original. Have I mentioned that Sunidhi rules? -Ketan

Sunidhi's singing makes a mediocre song worth listening to! -Abhay

Sunidhi rescues the song with her skilled singing. -Ajay

Catchy use of words like 'aa.Nkh waa.Nkh', 'botal shotal' and 'daaruu shaaruu' but lame attempts to fit in the words that rhyme with 'twist'. -Manisha

Neeraj Shridhar's gutsy belting makes the song. -Arunabha

Don't care too much about such songs usually, but this one is bloody catchy. -Pranav

Interesting how this song makes it to the short list and while some others which deserved to be here (Quick Gun Murugan anyone?) miss out. I have nothing against Pritam taking the Nagin tune and reusing it here. However recreations like these make you want to give up hope in the cycle of rebirth. "0 for effort, 0 for creativity, 0 for presentation and I am being generous". -Ketan

Technically Pritam ruined a great melody for a zatzy number - probably forgettable with time. -Ajay

The song brilliantly uses Hemantda's biin tune from Naagin. That part is the highlight of the song's music. The singing is lovely. Nothing particularly special about the lyrics though. A pure dance song. -Gajendra

Why does this guy try so hard to sound like Sonu? -Abhay

Javed Ali has really made a mark this year. Cliched lyrics, but his singing and the music manage to bring them to life. -Manisha

Javed Ali sheds his Sonu hangover and Pritam is in fine fettle. -Subrat

It could have been a better song. The tune has sparks of creativity here and there, but Pritam has not "nourished" it enough. It's obvious that the singer has sung this song over many takes/recording sessions giving the song a disjointed feeling. -Ketan

Inspite of what the lyrics would have indicated, Pritam goes for a tad fast pace with lots of orchestra but manages to make it worthwhile. -Gajendra