Top Non-Film Songs of 2021

क्रम
Rank

गीत
Song

संगीतकार, गीतकार, गायक
Music Director, Lyricist, Singer(s)

अंक
Score (5)

ज्यूरी की राय
Jury's say (Expand or Collpase all)

Tags: barasat ka geet, breezy, classical, folksy, fusion classical, longing, malhar melody, melodious, melody, monsoon, moody, rain, rain/philosophical, rains, respite, semi-classical, serene, soulful

मेघदीप बोस
Meghdeep Bose

मनोज यादव
Manoj Yadav

शेखर रावजियानी
Shekhar Ravjiani

3.04

Toggle Jury's comments

Nice Malhaar mix, like the descending line coming back to the mukhda. -Sanjeev

I wish Shekhar also had a female version of this.. it would have another colour. -Suanshu

This is such an underrated gem! Loved the line "Dil na dukhe to kya mazaa hai". -Vishal

The music, lyrics, singing all successfully capture the monsoon feel. Well done! -Sumi

Beautiful tune! Whatever they did to process Shekhar's voice this way, it has worked very well. A song with the potential to become popular in serious karaoke singer circles. -UVR

Knowing that Meghdeep Bose is an arranger and has worked and been influenced by ARR extensively, one would have expected a lot more nuance in his music. Points for pushing Shekhar out of his comfort zone though. -Meera

Shekhar Ravjiani has been trying to come up with good singles, but the magic of Vishal-Shekhar is missing! -Aman

Meghdeep Bose's composition and production and Manoj Yadav's verses trump Shekhar Ravjiani's voice which was the least impressive aspect of this song. -Anish

Beautiful, melodious song. Well sung by Shekhar. -Vaishali

Loved the buildup, treatment, rhythm, newness, hums you back. -Nidheesh

Exhilirating from start to finish. -Sukanya

A very harmonious song; the melody, the lyrics, the music, the vocals all sound like they belong together. Reminiscent of early ARR. -Shalini

Lilting tune and singing with a folk touch! -Arun

बेक़राँ कायनात (बोले नैना)

beqaraa.N kaayanaat (Bole Naina)

Tags: acoustic, average, caustic, evening, gazal, ghazal, ghazal pop, ghazalish, gulzar, lonely, longing, melancholy, melancholy/melody, pensive, quiet, reflective, restless, romantic, semi-classical, soul, thoughtful

दीपक पंडित
Deepak Pandit

गुलज़ार
Gulzar

प्रतिभा सिंह बाघेल
Pratibha Singh Baghel

3.01

Toggle Jury's comments

Beautifully sung, wonderfully composed, thoughtfully written. One of the best songs of the year. It slowly grows on you. It reminds me of Rone De from Maqbool. -Pankaj

The huskiness in Pratibha’s voice is more prominent here, perhaps because of the pitch at which she sings the song in.The second antara, which arrives at the 3:24 mark, adds a nice melodic layer to the song and implores you to engage with it more keenly as a listener. -Anish

Wordsmith at play. -Nishant

The Gulzar baritone is still powerful which makes the slight tremble of old age even more heartbreaking to hear. -Shalini

This reminds me of 'urdu blues' (like the album Halka Nasha) invented by Hariharan. -Vishal

I found Gulzar's lead-in recitation in the prelude a tad distracting: not mixed well, too harsh to my ears. Pratibha's voice is to die for! The music fits the mood perfectly. "door se bhi nahin chhua usne, apni aisi hi zaat hai shaayad" and "aa.Nkh gaharii davaat hai shaayad" -- Gulzar in a killer mood! By the way, it's "be*k*araa.N", Pratibha (sigh!). -UVR

Vaguely Nandkauns-based. -Sanjeev

Missing Asha Bhosle dearly here, but Pratibha has done an able job! Lovely words: Waqt sab darz karta rehta hai, aankh gehri dawaat hai shaayad. -Arun

A very poetic song that weaves the music around each word deliberately and thoughtfully. -Vaidehi

Felt the feel and treatment was very similar to bahatii bhi nahi aankhen. -Sumi

I wonder the same thing again why was Gulzar associated with this track. -Aman

Powerful words let down by a lacklustre composition. -Sukanya

Old fashioned ghazal gorgeously paired with some electronic and wind instruments. Pratibha Singh hits this out of the park, every murki gentle, reminding of Asha Bhosle style ghazals. -Suanshu

वो देखना भी

wo dekhanaa bhii

Tags: contemplative, gazal, ghazal, heartbreak, jazz ghazal, love, nazm, peaceful, quiet, regret, remembering, romantic, semi-classical, songs for evenings

पृथ्वी गंधर्व
Prithvi Gandharv

हैदर नाजमी
Haider Najmi

पृथ्वी गंधर्व, प्रतिभा सिंह बाघेल
Prithvi Gandharva, Pratibha Singh Baghel

2.97

Toggle Jury's comments

Beautifully composed and superbly sung. Prithvi and Pratibha are a duo who often sing together, and their voices mesh very well. I really like the way this Ghazal has been tuned: Prithvi deserves thundrous applause. He's really hit this one out of the park. -UVR

Beautifully sung by both artists. -Meera

Wonderful renditions by both singers. Yet another song this year that reminded me of Hariharan's Urdu blues from a bygone era. -Vishal

Soothing stuff. -Sukanya

Finally some relief to the ears. -Nishant

Somewhat reminiscent of "Meraj-e-Gazal". I am hearing Prithvi Gandharv for the first time, like this rendition. -Sanjeev

Lovely lovely lovely. -Arun

Prithvi Gandharva is impressive. -Suanshu

Lyrics, vocals, composition - every aspect of the ghazal shines through. -Anish

ओ जोगिया (ग्रहण)

o jogiyaa (Grahan)

Tags: duet, folk, forlon, haunting, haunting melody, longing, love, lovers, melancholy, pangs of love, pensive, raudra ras, romantic, semi-classical, separation, togetherness

अमित त्रिवेदी
Amit Trivedi

वरुण ग्रोवर
Varun Grover

असीस कौर, शाहिद माल्या
Asees Kaur, Shahid Mallya

2.97

Toggle Jury's comments

Darkly evocative number that lingered in the mind long after the song ended. -Shalini

Varun Grover grabs your attention again. -Arun

Evocative singing by both Asees and Shahid. -Sumi

Amit Trivedi's haunting music will stay with you even after the song ends. -Aman

Conveys a sense of distress most ardently. -Sukanya

Same-octave duet. Vocals are emotionally-charged, well-done both. Pooriya-Dhanashri base adds tension. -Sanjeev

An exceptionally average tune only brought to life by Shahid's voice! -Meera

Wonderful track! It has become so common now to just ignore the pronunciation of 'anuswaar' in Hindi words, e.g., 'kateeli' instead of 'kanteeli'. I think Shahid's pronunciation has some trace of the 'anuswaar', but Asees ignores it completely. Great rendition, otherwise. -Vishal

Well written/ sung/ composed. -Nidheesh

Immersive raga based melody driven by the dexterous rendition by Asees Kaur and Shahid Mallya. -Anish

Another "pseudo"-film song. It's a very good song, but like many songs of this genre it doesn't really work so well outside the scope of the visual scene or situation it was written to accompany. -UVR

Raag puria Dhanashree is used very well. -Suanshu

Asees is very good here. -Pankaj

बहती भी नहीं आँखें (बोले नैना)

bahatii bhii nahii.n aa.Nkhe.n (Bole Naina)

Tags: average, contemplative, gazal, ghazal, ghazalish, gulzar, longing, melancholy, melancholy/nazm, pensive, romantic, sad, sadness, semi-classical, simileful, solitude, somber, songs on eyes, soulful, subtle, sufi, tears

दीपक पंडित
Deepak Pandit

गुलज़ार
Gulzar

प्रतिभा सिंह बाघेल
Pratibha Singh Baghel

2.93

Toggle Jury's comments

As Pratibha sings “ek aandhi si chalti hai, bauraayi si aankhon mein….”, you can’t help but notice how beautifully she has emoted the verses written by Gulzar. -Anish

Excellent in every department. Pratibha's voice texture is just right: warmth, breathiness, bass-midrange-treble profile, throw and enunciation. Deepak Pandit's music is great for Gulzar's poetry. I'll call this a "musalsal Ghazal" for the format it follows, but pedantically speaking it's a Ghazalnuma nazm perhaps, because it has no matla. Leave aside the academic discussion -- Gulzar weaves another brilliant tapestry of words which envelops you as a soft pashmina shawl would in a cold forlorn Kashmir winter. -UVR

"Gulzar" should be a genre/mood of it's own. :-) So many "Gulzarisms" in this - maazi, khali maakan, khushk" - that the heart and "aankh" bhar gayen. :-D. -Shalini

I wonder why was Gulzar associated with this track. -Aman

Gulzar saab is excellent, music and singing leaves much to be desired.
kuchh log naye aakar
Thahare hai.n saraay me.n
un pichhale gharano.n me.n
ab koii nahii.n rahataa. -Arun

Deepak Pandit does a fine job.. but it still misses the mark by a whisker. Gulzar’s words, as usual are lovely. -Suanshu

Something conspiciously halfhearted about it. -Sukanya

Ahir Bhairav base, nice melody, and well-sung. -Sanjeev

A soft melodic number. -Sumi

Music quotient on the 'drier' side. -Nishant

The song is just beautiful. Words cannot describe its wonderfulness. -Vaidehi

शुक्रिया

shukriyaa

Tags: carnatic-fusion, classical flavored, content, dynamic, fusion, hope, indowestern, journey, magnanimous, motivation, nostalgia, philosophical, romantic, soaring, soulful, togetherness

द नॉन वायलनिस्ट प्रोजॅक्ट
The Non Violinst Project

अनुराग मिश्रा
Anurag Mishra

द नॉन वायलनिस्ट प्रोजॅक्ट, अभय जोधपुरकर
The Non Violinist Project, Abhay Jodhpurkar

2.92

Toggle Jury's comments

A sublime gem. -Sukanya

Fiddler and the voice matched up good. -Nishant

One of the finest pieces in the list. Voice and Violin move so beautifully. -Suanshu

I kept getting worried that the track will jump into a Bhoomi-style explosion (of over-arrangement), which it kind of did but only at the very end, fortunately. -Vishal

Abhay Jodhpurkar sings really well. The song has been produced nicely. -Anish

The band has cleverly capitalized on Abhay's superior vocal skills, but overall I was not impressed. -Sumi

Abhay J. sounds a bit like a young Hariharan - I've heard his facility in upper registers, but I don't remember his voice sounding this "meaty" in the lower registers - good for you! The composition is nice but a little crammed. -Sanjeev

Enjoyable and well arranged! -Meera

I've heard ALL the versions of this song - Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada, and enjoyed them all. A very admirable effort, indeed. Still, I can truly say that the Tamil version outshines the rest. The music just "fits" the lyrics better in that language (IMO). So, if I were rating that version of the song, I'd have given this a 3. Being that it's the Hindi one I'm rating, I couldn't go beyond 2. -UV

The last one minute is the highlight of the song. -Aman

Abhay Jodhpurkar is a great find of the year for me. -Vaishali

There are a number of fusion songs in the list; I thought this was one of the better ones. The last minute with its soaring vocals and music is particularly hard to resist. -Shalini

Warm. Soothing. Could have done with less music. -Nidheesh

चोरी चोरी (ग्रहण)

chorii chorii (Grahan)

Tags: dreamy, easy, falling in love, haunting, hopeful, love-filled, prem, romantic, soulful

अमित त्रिवेदी
Amit Trivedi

वरुण ग्रोवर
Varun Grover

अभिजीत श्रीवास्तव, रुपाली मोघे
Abhijeet Srivastava, Rupali Moghe

2.91

Toggle Jury's comments

Oozing of freshness. -Sukanya

Amit Trivedi's compositon is contemporary and yet, has an old world charm to it. The lyrics by Varun Grover are terrific. -Anish

Oh, great an Arijit wannabe, just what the world needed. :-(. -Shalini

Music / voice mismatch. -Nidheesh

Amit Trivedi is in full form here! That hook right after the mukhda (pallavi) is infectious! -Vishal

Love the composition and the singing. The changing tempo are nicely done. -Pankaj

Love the wordplay of Varun Grover, nothing deep really just unusual choice of rhythmic words! -Arun

This is just a film song, the only reason it's in the non-film category is because it was not in the soundtrack of a bonafide film. It's indistinguishable from a lot of Amit Trivedi's work. -UVR

Jaise sarkaari kagzaat sab, aa hi jaate hain ji haan sahi pate - the best line of the track that tries to define love through multiple ways! -Aman

Tune is simplistic. Can't for the life of me figure what effect the male vocals are trying to achieve. -Sanjeev

Stellar writing matched by the music and singing. -Sumi

लगन लागी रे (सौंग्स ऑफ़ लव)

lagan laagii re (Songs of Love)

Tags: classical pop, earthy, folk, folksy, fusion folkish, love, rajasthani, romantic, soothing, soulful, warm and organic

अमित त्रिवेदी
Amit Trivedi

शेल्ली
Shellee

अमित त्रिवेदी, कविता सेठ, श्रेया घोषाल
Amit Trivedi, Kavita Seth, Shreya Ghoshal

2.90

Toggle Jury's comments

I’m really glad to see that Amit is finally able to release his unreleased song from the 2011 film Trishna, Lagan Laagi Re! The songs remains exactly the same, featuring Shreya Ghoshal and Kavita Seth’s voices, with its soft, warm Rajasthani lilt. -Karthik

Warm and organic. Composition is beautiful and gentle, Kavita manages to do justice, Shreya lifts it up. -Suanshu

Love the two singers with their contrasting voices. Shreya and Kavita Seth are wonderful. -Pankaj

Great idea of having both female singers for this love duet. -Vishal

This album is one of my favorites of the year. The use of contrasting earthy voice of Kavita Seth with the sweet voice of Shreya for this melody works beautifully. The additional layers of violins, folk instruments, and chorus enriches the song without sounding noisy. -Vaishali

Beautiful composition, combination of Kavita Seth and Shreya works wonders. -Arun

Amit Trivedi's briilliance shines and Kavita Seth's earthy voice combined with Shreya's honey-dipped voice is magical! -Sumi

Film song has become non-film now? Testing recycling limits here. -Nishant

Pleasant listen. -Sukanya

The tune, in parts, reminded me of some songs composed by Amit Trivedi in the early 2010s. Fantastic singing and very well-written lyrics. -Anish

Rustic voice meets syrupy-sweet (need an insulin shot) - makes me wonder if there's a video. Strange synthesized voice/flute in the first interlude. All well-sung, but a distinct been-there-done-that feel. -Sanjeev

Amit Trivedi has produced much better songs for his film soundtracks, still a good song aided by Kavita Seth's exceptional singing. -Aman

Love the duet effect. contrast. poise. -Nidheesh

The combination of Kavita Seth's and Shreya's voices does work quite well for this song. The ad lib portion in Shreya's voice at the end of the voice is oh-so-sweet! -UVR

अँगना मोरे

a.Nganaa more

Tags: thumri, classical, classical pop, classical-inspired, electronic, fusion, fusion classical, kashish, longing, love, love song, nostalgia, pining, semi-classical/techno, semi-classical, separation, virah

श्रेया घोषाल
Shreya Ghoshal

पारंपरिक
Traditional

सौम्यदीप घोषाल, श्रेया घोषाल
Soumyadeep Ghoshal, Shreya Ghoshal

2.87

Toggle Jury's comments

Beautiful flute pieces. -Vaishali

Typical song Shreya can sing in her sleep. -Arun

An Ismail Darbar’ish semi-classical melody. The classical notes of the melody has been mounted very impressively on the decidedly modern background that gets more and more interesting as the song progresses. -Karthik

The raga based melody has been layered well with balanced mix of techno beats and acoustic instruments. -Anish

Well-sung. A little crowded with vocal ornamentation and musical layers. -Sanjeev

This is great but nothing extraordinary! Shreya needs to rise above herself now. She truly has the capability and that's why I say so. -Meera

The orchestration is the highlight of this track for me. Looking forward to such well-produced tracks from Soumyadeep Ghoshal. -Vishal

Shreya Ghoshal aces all the three departments - music, lyrics and singing! -Aman

Bhimpalas based. More enjoyable than her filmy fare. -Nishant

Shreya probably sleepsang this. -Anup

Oh, God! Listening to this almost robbed me of the will to live. -Shalini

Shreya’s singing is wonderful. Nothing remarkable about the lyrics. -Pankaj

Lilting melody, excellent Shreya. -Sukanya

Loosely based on Bhimpalasi, change in scales is lovely. -Suanshu

Sound of music dominates over voice. -Nidheesh

Very likeable, solid singing by Shreya. -UVR

सुकून (अनबाउंडेड आबाद)

sukoon (Unbounded Abaad)

Tags: classical, classical vibes, experimental, fusion, ghazal, heartbroken, indian classical, indo-western fusion, jazz, jazz ghazal, jugalbandi, mellow, modern ghazal, operatic, semi-classical, sitar, smooth jazz, soothing, western

पूरबायन चटर्जी
Purbayan Chatterjee

रेहाना क़मर
Rehana Qamar

गायत्री अशोकन, टाना अलॅक्सा
Gayatri Asokan, Thana Alexa

2.87

Toggle Jury's comments

Impressive orchestration, jazz and classical come together really well, individual sitar pieces are the masterstrokes. -Suanshu

Some lovely fusion there! -Arun

Sukoon! -Meera

A lot going on, but it works beautifully! And Puryaban's sitar chords weaves a unique feel. -Sumi

Wonderful fusion of genres. -Sukanya

All great elements in the song individually - Sitar, Jazz, vocal (Gayatri Asokan and Thana Alexa). Just a lot going on. Less would have been more. -Vaishali

The song serves as a good example of how eastern and western music should be blended with each other. -Anish

Nice blend of varied instruments. -Aman

Gazal - nice sitar/tabla/vocals, not quite feeling the connection to the non-Indian vocals. -Sanjeev

Little bit of this, little bit of that. -Nishant

Great effort, but it seemed disjointed to me. The sum of (great) parts did not quite add up to make a great whole. The Whats-App-level shayari didn't help either. -Vishal

It felt like a mishmash off too many musical influences. Gayathri Asokan is a good singer. The couplets of the Ghazal find a very good vehicle in her voice. The basic tune and the orchestration are good too, but there was no need for the non-Indian vocal interjections in my view. It would have been fine to play those parts on a saxophone or such, without the distracting vocals. -UVR

रात को जाने (बोले नैना)

raat ko jaane (Bole Naina)

Tags: contemplative, evening songs, ghazal, gulzar, loneliness, lyrical, poetic, romantic, semi-classical, soothing, soulful

दीपक पंडित
Deepak Pandit

गुलज़ार
Gulzar

प्रतिभा सिंह बाघेल
Pratibha Singh Baghel

2.86

Toggle Jury's comments

Classic Gulzar. Brings back memories of Ijaazat. -Sukanya

Opening music sounds like the Kofee with Karan theme music. While Prathiba Singh Baghel has a decent voice it's not chrasmatic enough to hold my attention beyond a song or two. -Shalini

The song’s soul lies in Gulzar’s recitation of the poetry. -Suanshu

Gulzar's voice didn't sound good, but what he recited was needed to provide interpretive context to the lyrics. Pratibha excels again. This song somehow brought to mind Chitra Singh's ghazals from the album Hope. -UVR

Certain songs are much greater than the sum of its parts. While individually this song has beautiful vocals, musics and lyrics, together the come and really defines the feeling of emotional introspection that it makes you feel. -Vaidehi

Pratibha’s voice lifts the song. -Pankaj

PSB's singing carries the song, otherwise feels like pleasant but meandering "Easy Listening", drags a bit. -Sanjeev

What use of gold if it cannot be moulded or cast. -Nishant

I liked the promising first lines of several verses (like 'saara din main' and 'chain aa jaye'), but the second lines fail to pack a punch. -Vishal

Pratibha is channeling Rekha Bhardwaj here, could have been much better, gulzar's not his very best but lyrics catch attention.
Aankho Se Jab Maile Maile, Aansu Behte Hai
Mere Kachche Ghar Ki Mitti Galne Lagti Hai. -Arun

The song is as free-flowing as a light, filmy ghazal and has the kind of tune that gets stuck in your mind right after the very first hearing. -Anish

रुसवाइयाँ (सौंग्स ऑफ़ लव)

rusavaaiyaa.N (Songs of Love)

Tags: break up, breakup, estrangement, gloomy, heartbroken, longing, love, melancholic, operatic, pop, punjabi, romantic, sad, separation, sufi-esque, warm

अमित त्रिवेदी
Amit Trivedi

कौसर मुनीर
Kausar Munir

शिल्पा राव, शाहिद माल्या
Shilpa Rao, Shahid Mallya

2.86

Toggle Jury's comments

The song could have easily been a part of Amit’s Dev.D soundtrack! The ‘Yaariyaan tut gayee’ callout, and Shilpa Rao adding, “Ho gayee dil de rusvaaiyaan” is straight out of Amit’s style from a decade back. -Karthik

Singing esp. male lifts the song, Nicely done flourish by Shahid on the last "Ae Khuda Tu Bataa". -Sanjeev

Shilpa Rao disappoints, Shahid Mallya rescues the song. -Arun

Sounds like "Ikk Kudi 2.0" and not all 2.0s are an improvement over 1.0s. Still, I do like the sound of Shilpa's voice, and the contrast that Shahid Mallya provides from her warm, cozy vocals. -UVR

Love the contrasting heft in the voices of the two singers. -Pankaj

Shahid Mallya is impressive, the song only stands out because of his power packed voice. -Suanshu

I love how Amit Trivedi uses israj (by Arshad Khan here) in many of his songs. He effectively channels his Manmarziyaan mode here again (in that 'yaariyaan toott gayee' line). -Vishal

Well rendered. -Nidheesh

Neither the tune nor the lyrics offered anything new or interesting. -Anish

Amit Trivedi shows belief in his trusted singers and they deliver! -Aman

Wonderful use of sarangi bring out the sadness in the song. Reminds me a bit of Amit Trivet’s Manmarziyan sound tracks. -Vaishali

Ho-hum. -Sukanya

घर आओ ना (भूमि 2021)

ghar aao naa (Bhoomi 2021)

Tags: catchy, club thumri, dance, fusion, groovy, home, indie pop, jazz, longing, lover, melancholic, monsoon/ love, pop, romantic, semi-classical, upbeat, western

सलीम-सुलेमान
Salim-Sulaiman

श्रद्धा पंडित
Shraddha Pandit

सुनिधि चौहान
Sunidhi Chauhan

2.68

Toggle Jury's comments

I am a consistent Sunidhi fan and her vocals are as impressive as ever. The entry of the tablas sounds out-of-place with the thumping beat in this "multiple-personality" song. -Sanjeev

Sunidhi to the rescue of a very average and lazy effort! -Meera

Sunidhi is baack! And sounds wonderfully refreshing. -Arun

So good to hear crisp, powerful voice of Sunidhi Chauhan singing this melancholic, soft song. Wonderful use of western instruments in this semi-classical composition without it being intrusive. -Vaishali

Forgettable. -Aman

The tune is simple and catchy. Salim Sulaiman need to reinvent themselves as music producers. Excellent singing by Sunidhi Chauhan as always. -Anish

Has a nice, catchy beat. -Sukanya

The arrangement seems a tad too heavy at times. -Vishal

The melody/music on the lower side. -Nishant

This sounded like nothing more than a "cheap Chinese imitation" of hardam humdam (Ludo, Pritam) which was all the rage last year and is a much, much better song. Who is Shraddha Pandit (lyricist)? The singer from the Pandit khandan? -UVR

Lovely to hear Sunidhi - wish she was more careful about her breathing. -Shalini

मोहब्बत हो गयी है

mohabbat ho gayii hai

Tags: dulcet, gazal, ghazal, ghazalish, kashish, longing, love, modern ghazal, mohabbat, romantic, semi-classical, slow, soulful

अनु राज
Anu Raj

फ़रहत शहज़ाद
Farhat Shahzad

जाज़िम शर्मा, अनुष्का रमेश
Jazim Sharma, Aanushka Ramesh

2.52

Toggle Jury's comments

Nice violin by Manas Kumar. -Vishal

Soulful ghazal beautifully rendered in the trained voice of Jazim Sharma. -Vaishali

The brilliant rendition by Jazim Sharma makes you want to revisit the song again and again. -Anish

An honest attempt by the team but nothing out of the box. -Meera

Not sure how "new" Jazim Sharma can be considered at this stages, but he is undoubtedly one of the fresh voices of today. Vocals seem slightly less "doctored" than other songs, a couple of spots that sound appropriately "organic" rather than "airbrushed". -Sanjeev

Lacks that extra something. -Sukanya

Jazim is a revealation but seems to be trying too hard. -Arun

Boring. -Aman

It piques interest in the beginning but fails to have too much impact later. -Suanshu

This song fits solidly and comfortably in the "modern popular Ghazal" genre. Jazim is an excellent purveyor of that style of song. I would have preferred not to have the very obvious "splice/cut/stitch back together" sections, they were a distraction from the enjoyment of the song. -UVR

अम्बिलिकल (कोटा फ़ैक्ट्री सी02)

Umbilical (Kota Factory S02)

Tags: appreciation, calm, doting, grateful, love, ma, maternal, mother-son song, motherhood, motivation, peaceful, quiet, semi-classical, serene, soulful

सिमरन होरा
Simran Hora

आलोक रंजन श्रीवास्तव
Alok Ranjan Srivastava

जाज़िम शर्मा
Jazim Sharma

2.50

Toggle Jury's comments

It's no Maa but presses all the right buttons nevertheless. -Sukanya

The way the song starts off is a little discomforting. It also ends abruptly. Jazim Sharma's rendition, however, makes up for many of the shortcomings in the song. -Anish

Noble sentiments and all, but there's not much else to the song. -Shalini

Mother's Day playlist ke liye achchha rahega ye song. -UV

Cutesy. -Sumi

Wonder why the funky title. -Nishant

Would have preferred a more longer version of the track. Crowd-pleasure track just like the TVF series! -Aman

Another nice Jazim Sharma rendition. What's the connection to the title? -Sanjeev

Jazim Sharma sounds so good! Nice lyrics; I especially liked the last line "Tu kahaan se itni khudaai jod ke laye? Kaun bataye?". -Vishal

जानें बचाएँगे

jaane.n bachaae.Nge

Tags: activism, angst-ridden, brooding, depressed, determination, hard work, inspirational, meaningful, motivation, pleading, pop, social commentary, soft rock, soulful, tribute

अरिजित सिंह
Arijit Singh

नीलेश मिश्रा
Neelesh Misra

अरिजित सिंह
Arijit Singh

2.50

Toggle Jury's comments

What an amazing track! Arijit does a great job, but Neelesh Mishra really owns the song! -Vishal

Music and melody did not do justice to the beautiful poetry. -Vaishali

Potent words find a fitting expression in Arijit's voice. -Sukanya

One of *those* kinds of Arijit songs...never heard of "Jaane.n" but I guess it exists...lyrics are somewhat interesting. -Sanjeev

The trademark Arjit drawl neuters the punchy lyrics. Interesting that this is the only "Covid" related song on the list whereas there were several such songs last year. -Shalini

Underwhelming given Neelesh/Arijit combination. -Arun

The lyrics conjured up poignant images in my mind of public health servants (doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, embalmers, morticians and crematorium workers) struggling with the thankless tasks imposed on them by the Pandemic. Not sure if that was the intent behind Nilesh Mishra's words, but that's is what I felt. -UVR

Classic example of how good poetry is of no use with average efforts on other fronts. -Nishant

Brilliant portrayal in times of Covid. Music mellow. Lyrics great. Sung well with poise. -Nidheesh

Keeping aside its noble intentions as a tribute to all the heathcare workers, the song is devoid of the quality expected from Arijit Singh tracks. -Aman

The lyrics, written by Neelesh Misra, are the highlight of the song. The tune, I thought, does not hold your attention that much. -Anish

मोहन बिन राधा

mohan bin raadhaa

Tags: classical, classical based, classical pop, classical-inspired, electronic instrumentation, fusion, instrumental, jazz elements, modern thumri, radha krishna, religious, rock, romantic, semi-classical, soulful

पूरबायन चटर्जी
Purbayan Chatterjee

आशीष पंडित
Ashishh Pandit

प्रियनी वाणी पंडित
Priyani Vani Panditt

2.46

Toggle Jury's comments

Priyani's lovely vocals are everything. -Sukanya

Loved the pulsating bass throughout the track. -Vishal

Complex and intricate. Priyani Vani must be complemented for managing to sing this super complicated piece. -Suanshu

Priyani Vani's vocals are the highlight of the song. -Anish

Loosely based on Tilakamod and if so, there's so much more that could have been done. An average attempt, IMHO. -Meera

An enjoyable song, doesn't try too hard to impress -- I will be adding this to my playlist of "driving on a solitary quiet road in the middle of the night" songs. -UVR

Sitar pieces by Purbayan Chatterjee fabulously compliment melodious voice of Priya Vani Panditt. -Vaishali

Wish the orchestration had stuck to the sitar; the "Rock" elements added nothing to the song. -Shalini

Nice sitar work as expected from Purbayan Chatterjee. Voice is sweet and expressive...but the melodic handling of the word "bin" repeatedly sounds a little awkward; some small murkis sound stiff and clumsy, and the descending taan on "saanwari" stumbles discernably. Engaging backing by the band. -Sanjeev

Shades of Kedar. -Nishant

माही वे

maahii ve

Tags: ballad, determined, longing, love, pining, rock, rock ballad, rock-punjabi fusion, romantic, semi-classical, western

अग्नि
Agnee

समीर राहत
Sameer Rahat

अग्नि
Agnee

2.43

Toggle Jury's comments

Fragmented textures come together beautifully, earthy, folk rock. -Suanshu

The rock ballad is not even half as evocative as all those lovely songs that the band composed back in the day. -Anish

Is this really the same guy from "Panchhi Ud Gaya"? Good intensity/texture/elasticity in the vocals, like the backing with the Charukeshi base too. The drop down into the lower octave to start the last verse was a nice surprise. -Sanjeev

Superb show from Agnee. -Sukanya

Doesn't come closer to Agnee's previous songs. -Aman

Needs a lot more 'fire'. -Nishant

Mohan Kannan does justice to the highs and lows of this intense love song. (The video of this song is awful.). -Vishal

The lyrics are quite ordinary, but the vocals and music really work well together. I really liked listening to this song. It has the ability to create the familiar visual ambience of a forlorn lover's anguished pining for his beloved. -UVR

दोबारा (शा)

dobaaraa (Sha)

Tags: acoustic, catchy, chill, classical bandish, earworm, electronic, electronic music, experimental, fun, fusion, groovy, heartbreak, heartbroken, paino, romantic, second-chance, semi-classical, waiting, xylophone

शाश्वत सचदेव
Shashwat Sachdev

शाश्वत सचदेव, श्रेया जैन
Shashwat Sachdev, Shreya Jain

2.39

Toggle Jury's comments

Some interesting arrangement. I liked that piano section towards the end. -Vishal

This song proves that musical preferences are like food choices -- one person's delicacy can be the same thing as what another person hates. No prizes for guessing on which side of this song I fall. I'll just say that I found the singing really poor and not impressive in the last. -UVR

Mixed bag. -Sukanya

Interesting! -Meera

The Bhimpalas-base aside, would not recommend listening "Dobara", what is the point of this flat "I'm-too-cool-to-care" singing? -Sanjeev

The song is unique with its arrangements. Sounds fresh! -Aman

Brilliant. Treatment. Singing. Lyrics. Registers. Sings. Hums back. -Nidheesh

The lyrics really elevate the song and speaks beautifully and non possessive lyrics of love and hope. -Vaidehi

Decent tune. Very ordinary lyrics. Nothing really stands out. -Anish

Soothing. -Arun

Hated the singing. -Shalini

Superb use of different instruments. -Pankaj

बातों बातों में (इश्क़)

baato.n baato.n me.n (Ishq)

Tags: breezy, classical, electronic, electronic ghazal, fusion, ghazal, ghazalish, longing, love, love song, pop, romantic, semi-classical, tabla

बिक्रम घोष
Bickram Ghosh

सुगता गुहा
Sugata Guha

हरिहरन
Hariharan

2.38

Toggle Jury's comments

Hariharan's magic makes the song better than it is. -Sukanya

Quite boring except for the hint of Nand in the opening lines. -Meera

Anandi kalyan blended in nicely. -Nishant

Hariharan seems bored while singing this. -Arun

Well sung. Roothi pronounced as Ruthi. -Nidheesh

Average tune. The amateurish lyrics make it difficult for one to hear it multiple times. -Anish

Racing techno creates a warm atmosphere but the piece does not move beyond ordinary. -Suanshu

Two BIG problems: (1) Bad lyrics; What is this "chaahat KO karta izhaar" nonsense? The first rule of writing poetry or lyrics in any language is to learn the grammar. And, if you're not sure of something that's not your first language (which here it clearly isn't for this particular lyrics), it's not a problem -- we are all ignorant in different ways -- but why not get someone who knows the language to review what you've written. Clearly, this didn't happen. (2) Overall singing is top notch, what a lovely voice Hariharan has, but why-oh-why does he sing "ruThee" with a short "u" and not "rooThee" which is the real word? It bugged the hell out of me. This song gets a 0 from me, even though I'm sure Hariharan's fans will praise it to the high heavens. Sigh. -UVR

Had issues with Hariharan's pronunciation but was willing to overlook that because of his straightforward, unpretentious singing. -Shalini

It's always a treat to listen to Hariharan! I liked that playful 'ara-ra-ra-re' at the end! -Vishal

Baaton Baaton Mein is a very 70s Hindi film music style song that sounds warm and pleasant. -Karthik

The Nand-based tune for the "cross" line feels forced. I don't like the shortening of the first syllable of "Roothi". -Sanjeev

चाहतों (हम दोनों)

chaahato.n (Hum Dono)

Tags: ballad, evening songs, fusion, longing, love, romantic, semi-classical, slow, soft romantic, soulful

एल सुब्रमण्यम
L Subramaniam

समीर अंजान
Sameer Anjaan

कविता कृष्णमूर्ति
Kavita Krishnamurthy

2.38

Toggle Jury's comments

The song has a certain haunting quality in the feeling of longing it produces that stays with you long after. -Vaidehi

Average tune/below par arrangements. -Anish

Kavita K. is polished as expected, though the voice does betray a hint of fatigue. Tune/arrangement are more cerebral than intuitive - hard to imagine it "sticking" beyond a niche audience. Composition conspicuously avoids the upper registers, and as a result feels like "nowhere to go." Lyrics are very trite. -Sanjeev

Pleasure to listen to a singer who sings to serve the melody without pretension or showboating. -Shalini

They couldn't find anybody better to write their songs? -Nishant

Kavita Krishnamurthy, 'nuff said! -Sukanya

The song unable to leverage the genius of dr L S. Kavita trying too hard. Lyrics trying to say too many things. -Nidheesh

Tune is a bit all over the place, doesn’t stick. -Suanshu

Unfortunately Kavitaji has set the bar very high for herself with some extraordinary songs & singing; and this comes nowehere close. -Meera

Kavita's voice makes for compelling listening, but it doesn't sound like a song with much scope for longevity. Sounds a lot like one of those early-2000s songs with Ismail Darbar's name on them. Coincidentally, Darbar is also primarily a violinst, like L. Subs. -UVR

Expected better from Kavita Krishnamurti! -Arun

राधा (इश्क़)

raadhaa (Ishq)

Tags: classical, classical pop, devotion, fusion, fusion classical, hopeful, love, radha krishna, romantic, semi-classical, semi-classical geet, tabla

बिक्रम घोष
Bickram Ghosh

राजीव पांडे
Rajiv Pandey

हरिहरन
Hariharan

2.37

Toggle Jury's comments

Hariharan saves the track with his vocals. The attempt at fusion seems forced. -Aman

I expected a lot more from the duo. Underwhelmed! -Meera

The transition back to the "Radha" hook feels very forced. In general, the various talents involved notwithstanding, song doesn't come together as a cohesive unit. Hariharan's vocals are not as "tight" as I would expect. -Sanjeev

Whatever. -Nishant

There is immediacy in the piece which makes it feel hurried, composition is just about alright. -Suanshu

I didn't quite understand why this song made it into the final list! -UVR

Bright, upbeat song with lovely fusion of sitar, sarod, and guitar with Hariharan’s smooth voice. -Vaishali

Loved it! Would absolutely jam to this song if I actually had any musical abilities. The only quibble was Hariharan's pronunciation of a few words like "khona" but he more than made up for it with his effortless rendition. -Shalini

Hariharan carries the song well on his shoulders. The song is catchy enough to appeal to even those who are not a fan of the genre. -Anish

It's almost impossible not to like a song sung by Hariharan. An otherwise average song elevated by his presence. -Vishal

The instrumental composition is quite nice. -Pankaj

Hariharan seldom disappoints. Radha is no exception. -Sukanya

जादूगरी

jaadoogarii

Tags: conceptual, easy listening, groovy, heart, indie pop, joyful, love, lovelorn, philosophical, rock, romantic, upbeat, whimsical

आनंद भास्कर
Anand Bhaskar

आनंद भास्कर कलॅक्टिव
Anand Bhaskar Collective

2.37

Toggle Jury's comments

Pleasing. -Meera

Could have been better. New age experiment which is more or less fun. -Suanshu

Dazzling, dramatic. -Sukanya

Part Arijit, part Atif? Singing is big on style, small on substance. Inconsistent application of Urdu consonants (e.g. "surKh"); W. -Sanjeev

Nothing special about the song. -Aman

Nice boozy easy feel :-). -Sumi

Found the song to be a little muddled for some reason. -Anish

अब जाने की ज़िद न करो

ab jaane kii zid na karo

Tags: classical, classical pop, classical-inspired, electronic, fusion, fusion ghazal, longing, love, nostalgia/ classical based, pop ghazal, prayer, r&b, romantic, semi-classical, semi-classical/techno, separation

सार्थक कल्याणी, सत्यांश रजत
Sarthak Kalyani, Satyansh Rajat

शाश्वत सचदेव
Shashwat Sachdev

सार्थक कल्याणी, सत्यांश रजत
Sarthak Kalyani, Satyansh Rajat

2.35

Toggle Jury's comments

A good basic melody: you can't go wrong with Yaman-based tunes. The lyrics are pleasant, but average. That said, the final outcome is quite middling. There is just too much stuffed into it. Overly earnest singing, so-so lyrics and ... that sargam portion UGGGGHHHH! I really did find the needless interjection of the out-of-breath sargam segments utterly insufferable. Ignoring my personal distaste for those parts, I still don't see this song lasting in public imagination beyond a year, or two at the most. -UVR

Nice composition, but that totally unexpected simper threw me off. -Vishal

Good effort, though I must say - Yaman has been a favourite of artistes and one needs to be more innovative and go beyond the regular chalan now. This treatment is slightly passe. -Meera

This zid is also yaman based. Could have been orchestrated better. -Nishant

Interesting take from the famous song. -Vaishali

Riveting rendition. -Sukanya

Such a cool twist to the classic! -Aman

Electronic music is overbearing along with decent singing, which gets off-key towards the end. -Suanshu

Gave a zero for lyrics because I need more than the repetition of the line "ab jaane ki zid na karo". -Shalini

Liked the way Sarthak Kalyani rendered the song. The techno driven arrangements create a certain mood. -Anish

Fresh but immature. Lost opportunity. -Arun

Lazy attempt at a takeoff on the original "Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo". Voice is too light and airy, and singing is too loosy-goosey. -Sanjeev

तेरे जैसा (कोटा फ़ैक्ट्री सी02)

tere jaisaa (Kota Factory S02)

Tags: breezy, contemporary, cute, dreamy pop, easy listening, friendship, hopeful, pop, romantic, soul, soulful, teen pop

वैभव बुंदू
Vaibhav Bundhoo

कामाक्षी खन्ना, वैभव बुंदू
Kamakshi Khanna, Vaibhav Bundhoo

2.34

Toggle Jury's comments

Songs like this, with simple musical arrangement and low supply of melodic content, should be shorter. (This one is over five minutes long.) How many times can you hear the same hook again and again? -Vishal

The song becomes lively once Vaibhav Bundhoo enters the composition with his unique voice! -Aman

Simple, sing-along song that makes for a pleasant listening experience. -Anish

Well rendered. Singing. Music. -Nidheesh

A loving ode to the one by a pitch-perfect Vaibhav Bundhoo and Kamakshi Khanna. -Sukanya

Pleasant. Words are Hindi, but based on stylizations, might as well be a Western pop song (particularly male vocals). -Sanjeev

रोज़ रोज़

roz roz

Tags: break up, broken heart, foot tapping, groovy, indie, indie pop, indie rock, longing, moody, pop, relationship, rock, romantic

द यलो डायरी
The Yellow Diary

द यलो डायरी, शिल्पा राव
The Yellow Diary, Shilpa Rao

2.31

Toggle Jury's comments

The tune is very Yellow Diary, and Shilpa carries the song, letting a very-Sid-Sriram’ish Rajan Batra (Yellow Diary’s lead vocalist) complement her beautifully. -Karthik

Lyrics are nice but singing is a bit monotonous. -Arun

In the days when we had cassettes, we would be forced to listen to songs like this one when they fell between two songs we liked, because we were too lazy to get up and fast forward the tape. -UVR

The song needed a better lead male singer; especially the way he pronounces 'roz' threw me off. -Vishal

Such a cool track. -Sukanya

I like Shilpa Rao's voice - what was the thought process on the male vocals? -Sanjeev

The ‘Kinare Kinare’ and ‘Rob Roz’ bits by both the singers are so lovely. -Pankaj

Rajan Batra, the lead vocalist of The Yellow Diary and Shreya Ghoshal are excellent in the track. Also, such an addictive hook line. Great production as well! -Aman

Like any other tune in the market attempting to be ambient. -Suanshu

The romantic ballad delivers exactly what you expect from a Yellow Diary song. -Anish

तोहफ़ा

tohafaa

Tags: chirpy, confusion, friendship, groovy, hopeful, indie rock, love story, peppy, romantic, uncertain, winceful

वायु
Vayu

2.31

Toggle Jury's comments

Beautiful composition. The voice is so fresh. Great singing. -Pankaj

Doesn't quite has the same charm that 'Baatein karo' had, but still an enjoyable track. -Vishal

Exciting. -Sukanya

Tohfa is a lovely follow-up to Vayu’s song from last year, Baatein Karo. Vayu’s pensive tone in the singing and the vibrant music go well together. -Karthik

Neither tohfa nor saza, a middling composition from Vayu. -Aman

Catchy! -Meera

Vocal style may be for effect but it's annoying... -Sanjeev

The song has a nice groove to it. Vayu performs his triple role as a composer, lyricist and vocalist well. -Anish

Catchy! Works well without the accompanying song video too. -UVR

ज़ाकिर

zaakir

Tags: acoustic, contemplative, foot tapping, fresh, indie, indie rock, new, philosophical, pop, rock, romantic, soft rock, soulful, unwinding

साहिल सैम्युअल
Sahil Samuel

नालायक
Naalayak

2.30

Toggle Jury's comments

Lovely, gorgeous composition and interesting lyrics. Absolutely non-Naalayak track from Naalayak! -Aman

The usage of Urdu words is interesting but nothing about the song really stands out. -Anish

Tailormade for long drives. -Sukanya

Some nice Urdu words in this track, but unfortunately they all seem to be just thrown around for auditory purposes only rather than making sense in a sentence. ('Aqil hoon main par aasim naheen': I am wise, but not a guardian…?). -Vishal

The lyrics are so different. Love this part. “Zakir kare wo Zahir nahi, Akil hu mai Asim nahin.” -Pankaj

Delightful and dazzling. Zakir kare wo, zaahir nahi.. uff what a lovely line. -Suanshu

Happy to learn the difference between "zaakir" and "zaahir." -Shalini

कारी

kaarii

Tags: classical flavored, companionship, dulcet, fusion, indie pop, longing, love, melody, monsoon, pop, rock, romantic, run of the mill indietronica, semi-classical, special person

आदर्श राव
Adarsh Rao

2.30

Toggle Jury's comments

Promising stuff from Adarsh Rao. -Sukanya

Voice has an erratic fidgetyness that I am not enjoying. The strange vocal effects aren't helping. -Sanjeev

Very refreshing! -Arun

Well written/ composed. -Nidheesh

Pleasant song. -Vaishali

Pleasing to the ear, that's all. -Meera

Simple and very effective. Kept growing on me. -Anish

Good attempt. -Aman

मेहरमा

meharamaa

Tags: duet, experimental pop, folksy, hopeful, love, melody, punjabi, punjabi folk inspired, punjabi, romantic

समीरा कोप्पिकर
Samira Koppikar

साहिब
Sahib

जोनिता गाँधी, शाश्वत सिंह, समीरा कोप्पिकर
Jonita Gandhi, Shashwat Singh, Samira Koppikar

2.26

Toggle Jury's comments

This song is a pleasant surprise. Easy to listen to on repeat. The music overall gives a Vishal-Shekhar/Salim-Sulaiman type feel to it, and I mean this in a good way. -UVR

An average tune brought to life by some good vocals. -Meera

Singing elevates the track; palpable Arijit influences. -Sanjeev

Tapas Roy makes his presence felt throughout the song. -Vishal

Sameera Koppikar ends up composing similar type of songs but one can't deny the fact that this song sounds extremely sweet! The lyrics are good and both Shashwat Singh and Jonita Gandhi sing it well. -Anish

Pretty average song. -Aman

Jonita Gandhi and Shashwat Singh sound good. -Vaishali

Middle of the road. -Sukanya

ख़्वाबों का आशियाँ (द मैरिड वुमन)

Khwaabo.n kaa aashiyaa.N (The Married Woman)

Tags: aspirational, dreams, dreamy, hopeful, kashish, love, peppy, romantic, soulful

सिद्धांत-रिकराज
Siddhant-Rickraj

सिद्धांत शर्मा
Siddhant Sharma

इशीता चक्रवर्ती
Isheeta Chakravarti

2.18

Toggle Jury's comments

Orchestration is warm, the song is not, vocals are loud and forced. -Suanshu

The lyrics are a little bit generic and the singing competent rather than exceptional but the melody is good enough to overcome these weaknesses. -Shalini

Poorly constructed verses. The tune put me off. -Anish

Isheeta Chakravarti's vivacious voice does the trick. -Sukanya

We should really give these songs (written, produced, and performed for a video series) their own category. They are different from true 'non-film' song. -UVR

Uplifting, romantic, feel good song enriched by solid voice. -Vaishali

Well written/ sung/ composed. -Nidheesh

पता नहीं

pataa nahii.n

Tags: classical electronica, classical fusion, crisis, dejected, dreams, finding self, fusion, inspiration, introspective, journey, longing, melancholic warmth, pensive, philosophical, pop, rhythmic, saxophone, self

शिवांश जिंदल
Shivansh Jindal

2.14

Toggle Jury's comments

So much talent in Shivansh Jindal. -Sukanya

Some nice melodic contours. The lyrics are interesting as they express a unique sentiment of not knowing what you want but knowing that you want something. It vaguely reminded me of a wonderfully poignant (and unfortunately short) song written by Basheer Badr for an old Doordarshan show Manzilein. -Vishal

Weak lyrics but Shivansh does well in the other departments (vocals and composition). -Anish

Lyrics a little too matter-of-fact to be poetic? Nice rendition, and I've always thought of Jog as a perfect choice for these sort of brooding introspective types of songs. -Sanjeev

The composition is wonderful. -Pankaj

Nice beats. -Aman

Impressive piece, likely to make it to top 5. -Suanshu

शहरों के राज़

shaharo.n ke raaz

Tags: acoustic, alternative, ambient, contemporary, easy on the ear, indie, mellow, pleasant, romantic, soft, soft rock, soothing

प्रतीक कुहाड़
Prateek Kuhad

2.10

Toggle Jury's comments

Magic all the way. -Sukanya

Going for a Norah Jones feel? I like the instrumentation, but singing is too airy-fairy. -Sanjeev

Kuhad finds exploratory freedom within his usual genre. -Suanshu

Simple melody that works to some extent. -Anish

Nice use of piano and wuril (which is an electronic piano, I think). The mysterious title of the song doesn't live up to the expectation it sets, as the last line seems to be a non-sequitur. -Vishal

The pseudo-soft, breathy, vocals bothered me, but I still enjoyed listening to this song. -UVR

Whispered. Poised. Ambience. Out of studio experience. -Nidheesh

Unfortunately I've never managed to warm up to Prateek Kuhad's voice or style of singing. -Meera

The song has no surprises and sounds like just another Prateek Kuhad track. -Aman

हीरा

hiiraa

Tags: contemporary bollywood, doting, easy listening, heer, hope, infatuation, love, love song, romantic, slow, soft, soulful, upbeat

सचिन-जिगर
Sachin-Jigar

प्रिया सरैया
Priya Saraiya

जिगर सरैया, श्रीया पिलगाँवकर
Jigar Saraiya, Shriya Pilgaonkar

2.02

Toggle Jury's comments

Evokes 90s pop. -Sukanya

Wonderful singing and composition. One of favorite songs this year. -Pankaj

Average fare. -Nishant

This feels like a song that would only work when it's accompanied by the video, sans the visuals some of the feel evaporated and it felt somewhat empty. -UVR

Pleasant. -Arun

Pretentious lyrics. The tune is decent but not the kind that you remember after listening to the song once or twice. -Anish

Pleasant "easy listening", but nothing really "grabs" you about the song. -Sanjeev

The name reminded me of Haareya, another Sachin-Jigar composition. Sweet romantic track. -Aman

वग़ैरह वग़ैरह (साइड ए)

waGairah waGairah (Side A)

Tags: breezy, contemporary, easy listening, folkish piece, goa, love, melodious, monotonous, quirky, romantic, serene, soulful, western, whimsical

अंकुर तिवारी
Ankur Tewari

अंकुर तिवारी, द ग़लत फ़ैमिली
Ankur Tewari, The Ghalat Family

2.01

Toggle Jury's comments

The lyrics are rather mundane (which is a norm for an Indie song like this) -- but I did enjoy the twist of how the song lands on 'wagairah wagairah'. -Vishal

Sounds like 50 other songs Ankur Tewari and his band has composed in the past. -Anish

Goan vibes in this soft, breezy song from Ankur Tewari and The Ghalat Family. -Aman

What was the point of this song? -UVR

Stands out. Muffled. Lyrical. Rhythmic. -Nidheesh

Pray there is no Side B. -Nishant

Grows on you for sure. -Sukanya

जुगनू

juganuu

Tags: club, dance, disco rap, electronic, groovy, hip, love, party, peppy, pop, rap, rap/techno, retro, romantic, viral

बादशाह
Badshah

बादशाह, निखिता गाँधी
Badshah, Nikhita Gandhi

1.91

Toggle Jury's comments

Badshah doing what Badshah does best. -Sukanya

Nikhita Gandhi sounds better than Badshah. Basic tune’s fun. -Suanshu

Trash. -Nishant

I'm sure people will play this in bars and in dance clubs, but I just don't find this sort of a song attractive. To me it's a throwaway song, in the sense that it will yield its spot readily to the next such song to come along. -UVR

Punjabi electronic dance music is not something I listen to, but this cheery number is not a bad representation of the genre. -Shalini

It seems that Badshah made this song specially to make it trend on Instagram reels. And that's what sad about Indian music today! -Aman

Bouncy beats and catchy hookline. Badshah does what he does best quite well here. -Anish

Different kind of energy, rhythm is kinda catchy. -Sanjeev

Catchy. That'll be all! -Meera

ग़ुल

Gul

Tags: acoustic, ballad, dejection, dreamy, fantasy, heartbreak, love, melancholy, mellow, memories, new age, prateek kuhadesque, romantic, soulful, story songs, sweet

अनव जैन
Anuv Jain

1.90

Toggle Jury's comments

Anuv Jain's saccharine voice is always pleasing to hear! -Aman

Easy, breezy. -Sukanya

Love the acoustic feel. -Arun

Love the opening instrumentals. Wonderful singing by Anuv. -Pankaj

OUCH! Am I the only one who finds this song OFF-KEY? Both the guitar and vocals are off just enough for my ears to bleed uncontrollably :(. -UV

Voice is not unpleasant but lacks weight. Intonation is sloppy...in the name of "emotion". -Sanjeev

Without the well-shot video, it would have been difficult to sit through this song. -Anish

Catchy riff but the rest is just meh. -Nishant

Beauty in simplicity. -Vishal

परदेसी

paradesii

Tags: club, dance, electronic, frivolous, groovy, item song, party, peppy, popular, punjabi, wedding song

आर्को
Arko

आर्को, असीस कौर
Arko, Asees Kaur

1.62

Toggle Jury's comments

Tacky but moderately catchy at the same time. -Anish

Very meh. -Meera

Starts off well, but then becomes repititive. -Aman

Not quite a remix but random in its RD inspired motif. -Sukanya

This song is desperately waiting to become popular in a "club-remix" incarnation in nightclubs and bars once those kinds of things start opening up more widely. There's little more to it than that. -UVR

Skip. -Nishant

Great to see Tapas Roy's name appear in the credits for so many songs! Didn't expect a nice Urdu word like 'mureed' (admirer) in a party song like this! -Vishal

That "Payaliya Jhaaan Jhaaan" thing was annoying at first, now it's hilarious! Lyrics are ordinary, rest of the song is fit-to-purpose and well-delivered. Even in a limited range (less than an octave), Asees Kaur is engaging. -Sanjeev

Nothing to write home about. -Suanshu

Enjoyable, infectious little number. Made me smile. -Shalini