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

This serene, melodious Malhar composition with lovely use of sitar is one of the best songs from Bandish Bandits. Happy to hear an established classical musician, Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty sing this. Lyrics by Sameer Samant are perfect. -Vaishali

This is an exceptional raag-based composition. Performed by the music Maestro Ajoy Chakrabarty. Hearing him sing this song is an out of the world experience. A song that would make you fall in love with Indian classical music. One of my top favorite tracks of the year. -Mihir

Technical excellence, or what a solid classical grounding can do. -Trisha

Ajoy Chakraborty's rendition is spellbinding, to say the least. -Anish

The Mian ki Malhar based song is a stand out with the sitar phrases making you feel like you are getting drenched by the fine mellow rain drops of the first rains of the season. The only negative of this version of this version of the song is that its way too short. -Krithikaa

Ajoy Chakraborty and his wonderful aalaaps start off this version of the song, and the tabla blows your mind. This version is my favourite (unpopular opinion, probably). The sitar work is mindblowing too! -Rujul

I am not qualified enough to comment about the genius of Pandit ji, so I’d rather shut up. Just sending a sashtaang pranaam his way. Special mentions for the sitar. -Akanksha

Ajoy Chakrabarty is a legend of Indian classical music and it shows in this song. -Aman

Great singing. -Aditya

Like rains on parched land - that's how I felt listening to this. -Subrat

Thoroughly enjoyed. -Shalini

Beautifully composed song - while having a strong classical foundation, simultaneously gives you a flavor of the Rajasthani folk music. Who better to sing this than Shankar Mahadevan. -Vaishali

Good composition and Shankar in great form. -Subrat

The Rajasthani folk element stands out brilliantly in this song, my favourite from the Bandish Bandits soundtrack. Shankar's voice aptly conveys the grandeur of the Rajasthani setting. The arrangements consist of amazing percussion, ethnic strings and khanjiras. It is very easy to imagine yourself riding a camel through the Thar while listening to this song! -Rujul

Shankar somehow sounds a bit tired in this. It sounds like they artificially boosted the bass to make his voice sound heavier than it actually is, but that has robbed it of its texture. -UVR

For Shankar Mahadevan's powerful voice and the fluid melody. -Svetlana

Dhara Hogi is Shankar Ehsaan Loy sort of picking up from where they left off in Mirzya. Beautiful folksy orchestration and top notch singing by Shankar Mahadevan - love the shift from the seven beat cycle to eight in the final couple of minutes. -Vipin

Another great composition from the Bandish Bandits OST. -Aman

Pleasant and well-sung, but feels like many other songs of its ilk. -Trisha

Shankar Mahadevan at his best, helped by his co-composers. -Karthik

Shankar has composed it for a concert almost. The beats and tarana in the end are amazing. -Akanksha

Steeped in Indian classical music and yet extremely accesible. -Anish

A phenomenal track by SEL sung by the master himself-- Shankar Mahadevan. This is an incredibly powerful and nuanced composition. There is an element of Rajasthani folk music. With this song and Virah, Shankar is easily the best singer/artist of the year. -Mihir

If Garaj Garaj is about the frenzy and joy of the first rains of the monsoon season, Dhara Hogi is the steady rainfall that beats down the summer heat and brings releif to one's soul. Set in the stunning and underrated Brindavana Saranga, the song is majestic and the change in tempo towards the end, adds to the song's beauty. -Krithikaa

Kavita Seth adds to the pathos of Ghalib's poetry with her plaintive rendition. -Vishal

Would've Romanticd to hear relatively lesser heard verses of this ghazal. -Aditya

Kavita Seth's expertise in the genre shines through beautifully in this fine composition. Bit of a Masoom throwback with the jee dhundta hai line that Gulzar used in the movie. -Vipin

This is not the strongest ghazals of the lot in Suitable boy but lovely nonetheless. -Akanksha

Mirza Ghalib’s iconic ghazal rendered beautifully by Kavita Seth. The music arrangement has been kept traditional, suitable to the era it is set in. -Mihir

Again. Nice.Grateful for the unfussy musical arrangement. -Shalini

Kavita Seth shines in home territory, and the tabla and harmonium back her up well. This song sounded amazing in the series, but I would not revisit it as a standalone song -- situational at best. -Rujul

Ghalib! We are not worthy of giving anything less than 5 to lyrics. The tune is nice and Kavita's singing is up to par. But the best tune of all time for this IMO (and best singing) is by Iqbal Bano. -UVR

I'm a bit biased to the genre and it is a relief listening to it after a whole bunch of same sounding songs. -Subrat

A Ghalib ghazal, well- reproduced. -Amborish

Silken smooth, but over too fast. -Trisha

A nice recreation of Ghalib's ghazal. -Aman

Amit Trivedi has produced some fantastic compositions this year under his label AT Azaad. ‘Baithi Hai’ has got an evocative tune & lyrics. There is a pensive mood, sense of melancholy, and female pov here. The team of Trivedi + Anvita Dutt have always produced wonderful music (Queen, Bulbbul). -Mihir

Amit Trivedi had a great year with non-film music. I particularly appreciated Songs of Trace because his folk songs have started to become a bit predictable. Baithi has been very well written by Amitabhi and Amit has accentuated the ecstacy natural to Sharmistha's voice. -Akanksha

The female voice is wonderful and the orchestration is innovative. -Subrat

That addictive rhythm opens this song off, and the experimental sound effects continue throughout. The classical based melody is composed beautifully by Amit, and rendered just as skillfully by Sharmishta Chatterjee. The Qawwali-esque bit by Amitabh Bhattacharya and Amit Trivedi is the portion that seals the deal for me. -Rujul

Coming soon to a spa near you.:-) The raag is strong in this one which probably explains my liking for it despite the indifferent singing. -Shalini

Haunting music with unusual arrangement, lyrically heavy (Amitabh Bhattacharya), beautifully sung by Sharmistha Chatterjee. Overall, happy to hear Amit Trivedi's albums of different genres. -Vaishali

What is "Trance" about this song? Not the lyrics. Not the singing (very good). Not the music. Then what? -UVR

A classical-based but quirky composition. -Amborish

A haunting and addictive composition supported by Sharsmishta Chatterjee's brilliant singing and Anvita Dutt's great usage of words. Excellent stuff from Amit Trivedi. -Aman

Amit Trivedi's early film work has been more wild, inventive and experimental than these independent ones. Still, not bad. -Anup

Loved the way the song begins, the musical arrangement is outstanding and Chatterjee's voice feels powerfully in synch with the notes. -Trisha

Both Amit Trivedi and Sharmistha Chatterjee are in terrific form here. Loved the tranquil, groovy beats. I absolutely loved the imagery produced by the first stanza: 'Baithi hai maun saja ke, edhi pe zang lagaa ke. Aalna (nest) beech bhanwar mein, tinke pe aas laga ke'. The artwork that accompanies this song's video also captures this visual so well. Amit Trivedi's vocal section is also enchanting. I liked how the is written from the third-person perspective instead of the common first-person perspective ('baithi hai', not 'baithi hoon') -- I think that makes the song a little more interesting and unique than it would have been otherwise. -Vishal

Sounds like it is based on Puriya Dhanashree. -Aditya

One of the outcomes of the reduced number of movie releases this year was film composers increasingly becoming active in the indie space, and one of the people who made the most of this was Amit Trivedi. And this was the best song the man released in the year - wonderful classical-based fusion that is delivered equally well by Sharmishtha Chatterjee. -Vipin

Wish they had gone softer on techno arrangements for this reimagined version of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan’s thumri. -Mihir

The singing is good for the traditional lyrics. Music is all over the place. -Subrat

Kaushiki keeps her voice in rein, until the very last phrase, when she lets us know what she really is. -Trisha

No acrobatic taans? Kaushiki is growing up :-)! The composers totally missed a great opportunity for a really creative fusion background. -Armeen

Salim-Suleiman adapt this classical tune into a mellow, almost jazzy song with Kaushiki adding to the beauty of the adaptation with her improvs. -Krithikaa

The strings portion was suprising for a thumri, but it works well. -Vishal

These Western-Indian classical numbers probably sound good "on-paper," but don't really work for me. I did appreciate the singer's straightforward, no-gimmicks rendition though. -Shalini

Koushiki's classical expertise shines through the track. -Amborish

The great composition by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Sahab is let down by below par production. -Anish

Salim-Sulaiman add their own soothing touch to this age-old thumri, and who could render it better than Kaushiki Chakraborty? The dubstep touch makes it sound appealing, and the soft strings coupled with the trademark Salim-Sulaiman piano chords make it sound unique. -Rujul

Kaushiki has an excellent voice, it's good to hear these collabs, but there were portions of this I wished had been designed better (Coke Studio fusions are somewhat better). -UVR

The song is all about Kaushiki Chakraborty's incredible delivery, particularly with Salim Sulaiman keeping the arrangement understated to let the singing take all the spotlight. What a singer! -Vipin

Listened to this on the loop. Original composition by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sb. We need to see more collaboration between Kaushiki and Salim-Sulaiman. Only regret is that this was too short! -Akanksha

A gently insistent rendition that stands out in the crowd of songs. Feels like real poetry, not the rhyming words other people seem to just string together. -Trisha

Reminded me of the song from Betaabi which VB had got written by Bashir Badr. -Anish

This is a typical Vishal Bhardwaj melody. Reminiscent of his earlier compositions like Bekaran, Tere Liye. VB’s dreamy vocals elevate this song. -Mihir

I'm a Bashir Badr fan and Vishal has sung this well. -Subrat

Like the ace filmmaker that he is, Vishal Bharadwaj evokes great imagery through this gem of a song. -Amborish

This soft and melodious song quitely got stuck in the head. -Vaishali

Tulsi ke peeche raaton ki raani :). -Akanksha

Sounds a bit rushed and never soars. Too flat and boring. -Anup

The composition is very trademark Vishal Bhardwaj, but doesn't stick with you after the song is over. The man delivers the composition beautifully, though and the song is worth a listen for his rendition of Dr. Bashir Badr's beautiful lyrics. -Rujul

It is an old Vishal Bhardwaj composition and there's a 7-year old YouTube video of Rekha Bhardwaj beautifully crooning the track. The wife won this round! -Aman

Vishal Bhardwaj can ace the template of wintertime in the mountain songs in his sleep I guess. In the line of Khamakha, Pehli Baar and Khul Kabhi Toh comes Palkein Kholo, with a strong call back to Khamakha and Pehli Baar that makes you want to loop these three songs again and again and again. -Krithikaa

Vishal Bharadwaj should have picked a different singer. His voice is really poorly suited for this song. I would have rated this a 4 but for Vishal's inadequate singing. -UVR

Vishal Bhardwaj channeling his inner Gulzar but just doesn't have the same way with words as the legend. Vishal sounds like he's singing to a particularly skittish colt. -Shalini

Gently effective. -Trisha

क़ायदे से इस गाने को पूरा अंडा (ZERO) मिलना चाहिए -- मुहब्बत एक तरफ़, लेकिन मधुबाला से भी आला दिख रही है तो जा भाई तू ज़रा अपनी आँखें चेक करवा के आ! -UVR

A quiet romantic number but the song doesn't quite rise (you wait for it to do so). -Subrat

The sweetness and simplicity of song is very appealing. No comments on Amit Trivedi's singing. :-). -Shalini

Pleasant, Mellow love song that follows the bollywood template except for the lovely piano. Could have used a better singer. -Krithikaa

What's with this kind of affected singing by almost every singer today! -Aditya

This delicate, romantic song became an earworm. Lovely use of piano. -Vaishali

Rating the song higher than I would have had I not seen the video on YouTube. -Armeen

This is one of those songs that have nothing quite remarkable about them and yet you end up singing them all the time. A good one! -Akanksha

We have heard much better compositions created and sung by Amit Trivedi himself. Nice track backed by his soothing voice but not memorable as such. -Aman

Simple yet effective poetry by Ozil Dalal. A delighful track -- loved the soothing piano notes throught the song! -Vishal

A part of Amit Trivedi’s ‘Songs of Love’ series, Madhubala is a splendid track. There’s a lovely use of piano in the background. Amit’s impressive rendition along with top-notch production make this track a winner. -Mihir

A song that gives off warmth like a fireplace melody, this one consists of amazing piano work, and a strong composition (Sab kahe arey arey arey lifts the song to a new height). Amit's voice suits the composition well, and Ozil Dalal's lyrics are aptly adorable. -Rujul

Some kind of blend of genres with disappointing results. -Subrat

Wonderful duet between Shreya Ghoshal and a flute. -Krithikaa

Salim-Sulaiman tries a bit too hard to sound cool, but the song still works due to a wondeful tune and Shreya's rendition. It's essentially a duet between Shreya and Paras Nath's flute :). -Vishal

A fusion attempt that fails. -Aman

Beautiful rendition by Shreya. Great orchstration. Flute adds character to the track. -Amborish

I felt Salim-Sulaiman went slightly overboard with the techno sound. -Anish

Shreya!!!! I hope no one calls me brainwashed for saying how great she is!! Hear her voice quiver with the flute by Paras Nath that deserves a special mention. -Akanksha

This should be billed as a duet between Shreya and Paras Nath's flute. And Paras Nath shines forth, leaving Shreya in the dust. -UVR

Shreya's sweet vocals prop this song up to a very high level, and Salim-Sulaiman aptly back it up with a pulsating synth-heavy arrangement. The highlight in the live instruments is Paras Nath's flute, of course! -Rujul

Why does Shreya confuse every song for a breath mint jingle? -Armeen

Very well done classical-electronic fusion, highlighted by Shreya Ghoshal's singing and Paras Nath's flute-playing. -Vipin

Great effort but ends up being noisy. -Anup

Feels crowded. -Trisha

A rare marriage of devotional and electronic music. This album by Salim-Suleimaan opens up a new genre which hasn’t been explored much. Shreya’s singing is fantastic. The flautist Paras Nath’s contribution is equally important here. -Mihir

Bless her heart. -Shalini

This is better than many film songs that showed up this year. Makes for easy listenings. Both singers are clearly in their element. Enjoyed it very much in the series, and by itself too. -UVR

Anurag Saikia showcases his versatility yet again, creating a quite Pritam-ish composition (harking back to Main Kya Karoon from Barfi). Nikhita and Raghav seem to be the most apt choices for this song, as they bring out the youthfulness in the composition beautifully. -Rujul

Barfii template. -Akanksha

Raghav Chaitanya raspy voice fits this breezy track. It sounds like a leftover track from Pritam's Barfi-style oeuvre! -Vishal

I swear I can't tell these singers apart. They all sound the same. -Shalini

Raghav Chaitanya owns the tune which is the soul sibling of Barfi's Main Kya Karoon, almost sounding like Nikhil Paul George in places. -Krithikaa

Instantly likeable and charming melody. A happy, flamboyant song in the same space as ‘Main Kya Karoon’ from Barfi. Such types of songs depicting young innocent love have been missing from the scene for a while. The vibrant voices of Anurag, Raghav Chaitanya, and Nikhita Gandhi bring freshness to this genre. Raj Shekhar’s usage of colorful phrases like firozi raatein and gulabi sapne complement the youthful nature of the song. A fantastic feel-good song by Anurag Saikia. -Mihir

Didn't mind the hook, but the rest of the lyrics passed me by. The singing felt cutesy and contrived. -Trisha

Sounds heavily lifted from Barfi's Mai Kya Karoon. -Anup

The bossa nova-inspired groove and the pleasant melody is likely to remind you occasionally of Main Kya Karoon from Barfi, but that does not take away from the fact that this is a fine song from Anurag Saikia. -Vipin

Sweet melody. -Vaishali

A pleasant melody accentuated by free-flowing singing and lyrics. -Aman

The first flush of love genre. Adequate. -Subrat

Decent, but feels generic. -Trisha

Among my top favorite tracks of the year. A soft, soothing, tuneful melody that would instantly cheer you up. This is the type of joyful song that was very much needed in 2020. It goes straight into your feel-good songs playlist. The song has got everything one likes about Prateek Kuhad numbers: a happy sounding tune, attractive voice, minimalist arrangement. A winsome melody! -Mihir

Not a fan of Prateek's singing, but his music as always freshens up the mood and mind. The clap beats in the background are attractive. -Rujul

Standard Prateek Kuhad song. -Anish

Melodious song with the lovely arrangement, interesting use of clap, and Prateek Kuhad's mesmerizing voice. It grew on me and made me want to hear it again and again. -Vaishali

Lousy lyrics, lousy singing. -Aditya

Light, breezy song that's like Parteek's older hits. All the elements are repeated and sometimes it is hard to separate the songs. -Subrat

Feel good! Love prateek kuhad for such songs
तेरे साँसों की रात है
तेरे होंठों की है सुबह
यहाँ खो भी जाऊँ तो मैं
क्या कसूर है मेरा? -Akanksha

Awful singing! -Armeen

sometimes his songs seem all similar and yet each one is a unique pleasant experience in itself. -Svetlana

This song is a wannabe Ed Sheeran number in a nice way. The clap sounds work and how. -Krithikaa

This song could have been much better were it not for the iffy grammar in the lyrics. -UVR

"Teri zulfon ki yeh namee…" I suppose it's technically correct, but still sounds a little weird. -Shalini

A soothing song in Prateek's Kuhad's soothing voice with soothing lyrics! -Aman

In Other Words is a really promising debut album from the duo Anhad and Tanner - the mix of tabla and electronic sounds is a nice nod to the Asian Underground pioneers like Talvin Singh and Karsh Kale. -Vipin

Tabla work lifts the song. -Aditya

The classical elements are wonderful, the singing is adequate. -Subrat

Something about this song is delicate yet powerful. -Trisha

A 'made for fashion shows' track. -Akanksha

Pavithra Chari's voice is hynoptic and the flutes soothe you into a gentle sleep. -Krithikaa

The production and arrangement of the song is killer. Quite innovative fusion blending classical and electronica. -Aman

The synth percussion is very distracting. There seems to be 30 seconds of "haarii main haari" being repeated followed by 4 minutes of music. This qualifies as a song?! -Shalini

Anhad and Tanner produce an entrancing piece of classical and trance fusion, Pavithra provides an amazing classical rendition. Shocked that this is the duo's debut album! The flute and tablas really make the song work. -Rujul

A beautiful composition. -Amborish

A bit jarring the way it's trying to do fusion, also cacaphonous at times. -Anup

Feels crowded, overproduced. -Trisha

This is an AMAZING fusion of rock and Qawwali. The singer sounds amazing, reminding me of Hariharan a bit. The rock template really takes the song to another level and once the Qawwali portion kicked in, I was sure that I would loop this for the days to come. It is rare that Hindi and English parts of a song mix in so seamlessly and homogeneously. LOVED it! -Rujul

Quite liked the Carnatic parts of the song. The lyrics are quite good too - कितना हसीं है ये मंज़र, परवाना कर जो न पाया दुनिया नहीं है मुकम्मल , पर अनमोल है तेरी काया . -Akanksha

Not quite sure what to make of it. But I heard it without wincing. -Subrat

The heavy arrangment makes the song quite cacophanous in places. -Vishal

A mess of a song. -Aditya

Nice experiment. -Anish

The beautiful voice was overpowered by the music in the later part taking away from the otherwise enjoyable song. -Vaishali

This song didn't work for me. -UVR

There are bytes of melody buried in the song, but they're drowned out by the "relentless" noise masquerading as music. Had difficulty rating the lyrics, because I couldn't hear them! -Shalini

This is a fantastic fusion track by the band- 'Pineapple express'. It’s a heady cocktail of western, desi, and sufi elements. The recurring portion of ‘Kitna haseen hai yeh mazar’ is my favorite part of the song. Has a spiritual connect. -Mihir

Poignant song about loneliness amidst people accentuated by technology. Vayu sings and writes with his heart. -Karthik

Enjoyed the very mildly whiny andaaz in which the song makes its demand. Well-matched with the lyrics. -Trisha

About the current times. Eerily resonant. -Amborish

The light soundscape gives the longing in the song an adorable touch, but the lyrics hit hard as is usually the case with Vayu's lyrics. His singing could have been better, but the man concocts an interesting musical support to make up for that. -Rujul

Dull!! -Aditya

Unexpectectedly got hooked to the simple lyrics and rhythm. Instead of lamenting the loss of the art of converation, this song, written and sung by Vayu is an invitation to have that conversation. -Vaishali

Good intent. -Armeen

I like the non-preachy message - people should talk to each other - of the lyrics. -Shalini

As always, Vayu impresses as a lyricist. Not so much in the other two departments. -Anish

Vayu's solo debut. Not bad. -Anup

Free-flowing song about ‘conversations’. This track by Vayu is a big departure from his massy film songs. The song has a solid indie vibe to it. I like that fact that singing and music arrangements are kept simple-- staying true to the mood of the song. -Mihir

Meh! -Akanksha

I'd like to know why Vayu uses different names for himself IN THE SAME SONG! -UVR

A gentle, musical reminder to put down your phone and talk to your loved ones! We need more songs like this! -Vishal

Vayu produces a very listenable electro pop sound with this tune. I couldn't help but think that the song could have sounded way better with an unplugged/acoustic version with a different singer. -Krithikaa

A simple and sweet track. -Aman

Nothing to write home about. -Subrat

Tedious. -Vaishali

Only the bengali part and baul instrument in the interlude makes it interesting. -Anup

Loved the flute. -Akanksha

Very tough to develop a liking for an Arijit Singh when the music and lyrics are lacklustre too! -Aditya

Arijit proving that he's the spiritual sucessor for Shaan's Indipop legacy. -Krithikaa

Nice feel to it, musically. -Trisha

Arijit Singh dons multiple hats for this track (Composer, singer, video-concept etc). The song sounds pleasant and has a nice video with a lockdown theme. But we expect more challenging stuff that will push boundaries from this exceptional artist. -Mihir

Falls short of the expectations created by Arijit Singh for himself. -Aman

Tune grows on you with repeated hearings. -Anish

Yet another Arijit Singh song. -Shalini

I liked that dotara (by Tapas Roy) towards the end. Nice flute sections, and loved the way the Bengali lyrics were used -- they caught me by surprise. A well-produced track! -Vishal

In his pop debut, Arijit concocts a beautifully transcendental melody that draws from his mentor Pritam's compositions quite heavily, but stays distinct enough to exist on its own without sounding too much like any particular Pritam song. The arrangements are beautiful (flutes, ethnic strings, digital beats), and the composition is strong. While we are at it, a shoutout to Koel Singh who has designed the music video (go check it out!). -Rujul

Indistinguishable from many other Arijit songs. -UVR

If eveyone is singing like him, you'd expect the original to also compose and release his single. That's what Arijit has done with this song. Forgettable. -Subrat

I do not like how the singing voice has been recorded! -UVR

This was fun and different. -Subrat

Quite a peppy track with groovy music that can make anyone tap their feet and move to the dance floor. -Aman

Hugely popular track by Ritviz. The instrumental/electronic portions of the song are quite groovy. Not a fan of his style of singing though. -Mihir

Ritviz's composition is unique, and shows an understanding of music. -Amborish

Odd little number. -Shalini

Atrocious. -Aditya

I really like the twangy, fluid feel of both the music and vocals. -Trisha

An incredibly catchy song that gains even from its droning singing :) The music takes care of everything. -Karthik

Why is Ritviz so popular? Good sound programming and all, but the lyrics and vocals are a mishmash and I don’t know what I am confusing, it just sounds like noise after a point. -Rujul

Excessive vocal processing over a pronounced nasal twang takes a catchy tune and orchestral work dowm by more than a few notches. -Krithikaa

Unconventional and catchy. -Anish

Never thought I would be reviewing Ritviz or Prateek Kuhad for RMIM but here we go. Bad singing, of course, but it sounds cool, yo. -Anup

I'm not sure there is a single "real" sound in this song. Everything seems to have come from a computer, including the singers. -Shalini

The excessive processing on the vocals is a little jarring and makes the voices sound tinny, but the lyric about separation and eagerness to meet is sweet, that delightful turn in the antara and Manga Duan hook makes you loop the song a couple more times and then some. -Krithikaa

Interesting in parts, but mostly not a very engaging song. Abhijeet sounds good as usual, though, as does the female singer Prateeksha. -Rujul

Cute song. Loved the drop in 'antara'. -Anish

The singing is good. Rest is boring. -Subrat

Prateeksha's voice is sweet. -Akanksha

A decent melody but generic singing & arrangement. Processed vocals don’t work for this number. -Mihir

"'Firse" instead of "phirse" will never cease to rub me the wrong way. But a very catchy song otherwise. -Vishal

Forgettable. -Trisha

Catchy while the song lasts. -Krithikaa





Shreya's brother Soumyadeep's composition is passable at best, but Shreya delivers the song so well, making it convincing. The music production is also quite ordinary. -Rujul

Serviceable melody and good singing. Not going on loop. -Subrat







Standard tune and production. Lyrics and Shreya's vocals help sit through it. -Anish



Good singing but the song sounds pretty generic. Would like to hear more from Ghoshal siblings as composers. -Mihir



A very average song. -UVR





Feels plastic. -Trisha

The way Zaedan hits the "tumko yun khone se darta hoon main line" is very very smooth. The song follows the done to death bubblegum pop genre, but the vocal overlaps and the "Tum ko yun" break the monotony and make the song loop worthy. -Krithikaa

The song grew on me. I like the quickness of the delivery. -Trisha

Wow, a song about the social anxiety induced by the pandemic! How timely! -Vishal

Another autotuned voice. Sigh. -Shalini

These songs all sound the same. Must be my age. -Subrat

A rather enjoyable number. Stays. -Amborish

This could have been a film song. -UVR

Clearly trying to produce something like Western artists and succeeding too. Nothing here for me. -Rujul

Reminded me of a dozen pop songs in this space. -Anish

That nasal twang didn't work for me. -Vishal

Nothing especially compelling about this song. -UVR

There's something unique about the voice and the music is good. -Subrat

Bad vocals spoil it. The sound is fresh and breezy though. -Rujul

The excessive processing on the vocals is a turn-off. -Krithikaa

Pleasant to the ears! -Akanksha

The voice has a distinctive if nasal quality. -Trisha

Nasal and electronic - who thought the world needed this sound? -Shalini

Nothing really stands out. -Anish