2020

Absolutely haunting. -Svetlana

Viraha is a short, stunning number that stuns you with the emotional depth it tries to convey. The Rang, Rang phrasing, the muted flute and Mridangam and Shankar Mahadevan's majestic voice convey angst and longing that is difficult to overcome. Long after the song ends, one keeps wishing that the song was a tad bit longer. -Krithikaa

A classically heavy song that falls too much in the melancholic side to enjoy on loop, but is still technically perfect. Loved the tablas, flute and Shankar Mahadevan's spotless rendition! -Rujul

The techno sound is a bit too much but good tune and wonderfully sung by Shreya. -Anish

Virah. The moment that word is dropped in Atul Kulkarni's voice, my heart sinks a bit. Every. Single. Time. I think it is the lyrics that make a profound impact aside from the ace and effortless singing by Shankar Mahadevan and exceptionally true potrayal of a heartborken singer by Atul Kulkarni. I should be judging it on the music alone, but really this song is a package and the impact is as much to Shankar's credit as it is to the actors. Hats off!
And in lyrics, this is what a life-long separation looks like:
तेरे बिना कहीं भी ना व्याकुल मन लागे
विरहन सुर, ताल, साज आज तेरे आगे (see the anguish on Atul ji's face)
नैनन को चैन नहीं, रैन-रैन जागे
इक पल में टूट जाएँ साँस के ये धागे
तू जो मुँह फेरे सखी, देह प्राण त्यागे
पल भर तू देख मुझे ज़िन्दगी गुज़ार दूँ (and watch Sheeba chaddha at this point!)
मेरी सखी मैं अंग-अंग आज रंग डाल दूँ
अपने जी से प्रेम रंग कैसे मैं उतार दूँ? -Akanksha

Stunning composition, evokes perfectly the rasa it is named for. And the traditional metaphor of rang as love is superbly used in the lyrics here. -Trisha

My overall feeling about the songs of Bandish Bandits is that the songs work better OUTSIDE without the actors' lipsync: none of the actors really did a good job acting to the songs. -UVR

Liked this one. Appropraiately mourful. Shankar M can get a little monotnous, but he varies his voice well in this one. -Shalini

Shankar Mahadevan singing classical-flavoured songs is always a joy to listen to. And the man is in exceptional form in both the songs he leads in this album. Virah is my top favourite among the two, for its understated orchestration, and that rang rang refrain that works as a very effective chorus line throughout the song. -Vipin

Haunting! -Aditya

Shankar Mahadevan at his best. Also, excellent lyrics by Sameer Samant. A soul-stirring composition. -Aman

Song of the year. This is the kind of singing and composition that will be remembered for ages. It’s the best singing performance of the year. Among Shankar Mahadevan’s best sung tracks. Sameer Samant’s words blend seamlessly into this raag based song. Not to forget Atul Kulkarni who has done perfect justice to this song as he performed it on screen. Exceptional song. -Mihir

My favorite track from Bandish Bandits. Haunting and beautiful. -Vishal

Bit of a letdown in a great album. Shankar sings it well though. -Subrat

The perfect blend of percussion, flute, and Shankar's singing brings out the sense of longing beautifully. -Vaishali