Top Film Songs of 2023

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)

mai.n parawaanaa (Pippa)

Tags: classical, club, dance, dance number, freeflowing, funky, groovy, jazz, peppy, playful, retro, romantic

ए आर रहमान
A R Rahman

शेल्ली
Shellee

अरिजित सिंह, पूजा तिवारी, निशा शेट्टी, रक्षिता सुरेश
Arijit Singh, Pooja Tiwari, Nisa Shetty, Rakshita Suresh

3.30

Toggle Jury's comments

Possibly the best song of the year! it does its own thing, no playbook to follow and every second is an utmost pleasure. -Harsh

Memorable song with a lively arrangement. The song is differently sung by Arijit - different than his usual offerings which tend to sound the same in many of his songs. Good interludes, wonderful use of chorus, lovely percussion and prominent support by a good bass guitarist. The song has the spirit and energy of 'Shola Jo Bhadke'. Reminded me of similar works by C. Ramchandra and O.P. Nayyar. -Sunil

A very enjoyable pastiche of what would be a Rafi-Shammi style number -- Arijit's throw is so on-point that you know exactly which singer is being evoked here. Different styles of singing in the three female voices uses, all very old-fashioned and charming. Lyrically very fun too with a dash of nonsense (Havana etc). 'Fauji aaj tipsy ho gaya' is a great line, and I'm not surprised it's Shellee, who knows his way around colloquial Punjabi like very few. -Zico

Kishore Kumar's spirit enters Arijit! So much fun! -Akanksha

Rehman in Hindi never resonated with me. Music/composition is good but, not for me. -Pranav

Always good to see Rahman do a pastiche, and have fun with it. Arijit is great! -Tatsam

Wait! Arijit has a different sound/voice? The song is a long one but everyone seems to be having so much fun. -Ketan

A different Arijit. The song has the Slow Motion Rangreza feel to it. Nice overall. -Subrat

A delightfully quirky sounding Arijit Singh is the highlight of this A R Rahman track that treads along the Matargashti path in paying tribute to yesteryear songs. -Vipin

A marvelous zinger - what fun it must have been for the vocalists to record this, the retro sounding tinges and flows from the leads being the icing on the cake - close your eyes and it isn't hard to see Shammi Kapoor on screen! The arrangements are simple, leaning heavily on strings, but as is the case with Rahman's work, they go places and how. -Shasank

Great song, wonderfully sung. -Ashwini

Arijit brings in the Dev Anand/Shammi Kapoor/Rafi emotions to this son ; the first interlude strings are composed innovatively. -Pradeep

प्लम पुडिंग (द आर्चीज़)

Plum Pudding (The Archies)

Tags: christmas, coral, dance, feel good, happy, jazz, love, melody, musical, nostalgia, party, pop, retro, rock, soft rock, warm

शंकर-एहसान-लॉय
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

अंकुर तिवारी, ज़ोया अख़्तर
Ankur Tewari, Zoya Akhtar

अंकुर तिवारी, शिबानी अख़्तर
Ankur Tewari, Shibani Akhtar

3.30

Toggle Jury's comments

Too good. It's like being in an anglo gathering on Christmas eve. Beautiful, witty lyrics. Winsome melody. Exceptional songwriting. And it gives me a glimpse into the world of Archies even though I haven't seen the movie. That's everything a film song can do. -Zico

A cute delightful song. The melody and piano work is very reminiscent of the early 60s British invasion rock and roll albums. -Ketan

Beautiful, beautiful song! -Tatsam

Plum Pudding is another of Archies' top tracks that can improve your mood every time you listen to it. The composers seem to choose a ragtime rhythm for this one, adding to the song's retro charm. -Vipin

Great combination of Hindi and English. Love "I may not be Sinatra but will sing it anyway" :) Shibani Akhtar sounds terrific. -Ashwini

A familiar, coral-esque track that has a nice, warm, nostalgic sound design, fun lyrics, and earnest singing ~ although the totality of it all may not amount to much in relative significance of the rest of this playlist. Like the simple family song that one returns to every year at a gathering. -Shasank

My most favorite song of the album. This song makes you smile and makes you want to break into a dance. A beautiful family song! The Akhtar family comes together quite well here with Ankur! -Akanksha

Reminded me of Entertainer!! Another beautiful composition from the same album. I’m so glad the female singer decided to sing in the lower octave, extra point for that. Brings out a great texture!! -Pranav

A very heart-warming song. It made me feel like a Sunday on a Saturday. It has sugar and spice. This song is a delectable as a juicy plum-pudding. Ankur may not be Sinatra but he shines here and Shibani and Zoya make an apt but suprising musical vocal appearance. I like the sound of the 'honky-tonk' piano too. All in all, one of the musical highpoints of the film. -Sunil

This one was my favorite! -Armeen

Sweet and lightly intoxicating like a plum pudding. -Subrat

The piano sounds like its from 1960's and the hinglish lyrics give us the vibe of Rajesh Roshan's Julie. -Pradeep

मुक्ति दो (पी एस 2)

mukti do (PS2)

Tags: bhajan, classical, elegy, hindustani classical, invocation, melancholic, morning, peace, philosophical, prayer, serene, spiritual, traditional

ए आर रहमान
A R Rahman

गुलज़ार
Gulzar

पूजा तिवारी, दिलशाद शब्बीर शेख़
Pooja Tiwari, Dilshaad Shabbir Shaikh

3.18

Toggle Jury's comments

Serene, calm, very soothing, like the shift of raga scale to Puriya (dhanashri?) towards the end. -Ashwini

Lovely words weaved once again in a minimalistic arrangement. Superb singing by Pooja Tiwari. The Sarangi accompaniment almost represents an earthy anchor from which the rest of the airy compostion is trying to break free - lovely symbolism musically given the words of the song. -Sunil

Appreciate this Des simple melody after being inundated by the forgettable typical techno bollywood fare. -Armeen

Devotional (spiritial whatever you want to call it) ARR always hits. -Zico

Liked the low key orchestration by ARR. The singing is ok, seems auto-tuned. -Ketan

I had covid recently, and I was lying in bed, in pain, listening to this song over and over, in tears at the peace it was offering a person in pain. I am biased to this track, of the clarity of vision, of the ambition to compose something totally new from the Tamizh album just coz you have Gulzar saheb to give you haunting lyrics, of the humility the melody brings to your guts, and the stripped bare arrangement that stuns you. This is prayer, a tribute. -Shasank

All good. But not close to its prototypes 'dheemi-dheemi' or 'ishwar alaav' (1947: Earth). -Guri

Enchanting! Most played song of PS2 in Hindi language for me. 'Sur se hi aayi thi, sur mein ho jaane do'. -Akanksha

A R Rahman reuses the structure of a song from kandukondien kandukondein here. -Pradeep

वीरा राजा वीरा (पी एस 2)

veeraa raajaa veeraa (PS2)

Tags: anthem, classical, classical fusion, dagarvani, devotional, dhrupad, experimental, grand, hindustani classical, invocation, majestic, melody, rousing, semi-classical, traditional, upbeat

(पारंपरिक डागरवाणी ध्रुपद), ए आर रहमान
(Traditional Dagarvani Dhrupad), A R Rahman

गुलज़ार
Gulzar

कविता कृष्णमूर्ति, श्रेया घोषाल, अरमान देहलवी
Kavita Krishnamurti, Shreya Ghoshal, Arman Dehlvi

3.11

Toggle Jury's comments

Rahman takes the dagarvani dhrupad composition and pumps it up with so many powerful layers. There's a couple of verses/bridges that are new and goosebump inducing with either their beauty or rousing fanfare coupled with extremely dense and finely packaged arrangements and instrumentation that just all feel like a thunderous package that might have just been earthed that way, forget being produced around an existing tune. The singers all around are momentous. Gulzaar saab's lyrics have the tough fight of making organic sense within a composition originally designed around Tamizh but he finds some interesting ways to make it work. A gigantic track! -Shasank

Great Melody with odd signature not found often in film music; the lyrics in hindi felt out of place. -Pradeep

The use of Dhrupad/Dagarvani works beautifully. -Ashwini

Beautiful reworking of a Dhrupad composition. Starts with a robust Raga Darbari. Lovely jugalbandi with a veena and sarangi as an interlude. Really crisp and energetic singing by all- Gulzar's writing to retrofit the complex words into this framework while describing the attributes of the Cholas is incredible. -Sunil

Works very well for me. -Guri

Again, I like the Tamil one so much (and have heard it so many times) that the Hindi lyrics sound a bit comical. Like watching a Hindi dub of a Tamil or Telugu film, it takes away so much from the authenticity. -Zico

Well, I couldn't understand the lyrics so I guess I'm being unfair. The music is good. -Subrat

Kudos to ARR for taking a traditional dhrupad composition and reworking it. Glad to see Kavitha K back in the saddle. -Ketan

The soul of PS2 and a full on showcase of Indian classical intruments (strings and percussion both!) and vocals. Simply perfect! -Akanksha

Superbly sung by both Shreya Ghoshal, Kavitha Krishnamurthy, and stellar production. -Tatsam

इतनी सी बात (सैम बहादुर)

itanii sii baat (Sam Bahadur)

Tags: ballroom, classical, love, nostalgic, retro, romantic, sweet

शंकर-एहसान-लॉय
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

गुलज़ार
Gulzar

श्रेया घोषाल, सोनू निगम
Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam

3.08

Toggle Jury's comments

2023 saw some brilliant retro flavoured tracks across movies and web series across languages, and this one from Sam Bahadur sits right on top of the Bollywood pile for me. Shankar Ehsaan Loy tapping into classics like Aaiye Meherbaan with some spectacular lines by Gulzar in tow. And a special hat tip for bringing Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal together to sing this one! -Vipin

Sonu-Shreya duet supremacy! -Harsh

Lovely duet that's evidently fashioned like an oldie. Pleasant enough. But I'm beginning to get a bit wary of too many new Hindi film songs sounding like old Hindi film songs. -Zico

Lovely retro jazz - even rendition by Sonu and Shreya suits the mood. Beautiful guitar interludes with string and brass counters…great song. -Pranav

This is how you do the warm sound of the bygone eras while pushing music forward in the here and now! Richly produced retro arrangements are a treat to hear, but the melody just soars above and beyond and tugs at all the right strings. Sonu Nigam and Shreya Goshal are sublime at emoting the many whimsies of this track, with playful words from Gulzar saab. Charming! -Shasank

The hawaiian guitar, the percussive instruments once again took me back to the sixties - the first interlude reminded me of "Aage bhi jaane na tu" from 'Waqt'. -Sunil

Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal and SEL take us to 60s. Wonderfully sung and arranged. -Pradeep

Works overall. The music is refreshing, even if it carries some traditional-Hindi-film sounds. -Guri

Khoobsoorat gaana! Sonu, Shreya, SEL, Gulzar and the old world charm! 'Hum tham lenge, tum dagmaga lo, hanste ho tum to haseen lagte ho'. -Akanksha

Sonu with Shreya: lovely. -Ashwini

That was a nice, retro touch. -Subrat

Interesting 50's style music-a mix of SDB and OPN. -Ketan

What a cute beautiful song, set to period music... loved it. -Neha

Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal don't have to try this hard. -Tatsam

तय नहीं किया अभी (गोल्डफ़िश)

tay nahii.n kiyaa abhii (Goldfish)

Tags: classical, ghazal, love, melancholy, melody, poetic, romantic, semi classical, soft, soothing, soulful, traditional, yearning

तापस रेलिया
Tapas Relia

कौसर मुनीर
Kausar Munir

पापोन
Papon

3.04

Toggle Jury's comments

Wow! This is my first time listening to the work of Tapas Relia. The sitar usage is amazing! Papon sings the ghazal perfectly. Kausar's lyrics that need your attention - 'Tareekh humko likhegi, ya hum apne harbole hain'. Another one - 'Chaak honge dil apne, ya chatkengi dhadkanein, Main khair hoon ya hoon khiza, Taiy nahi kiya abhi'. -Akanksha

Excellent singing by Papon, hits the right tone, pleasing melody, love the sitar interludes. -Ashwini

Very Madan Mohanish with the sitar opening and interludes. Needs a better singer than this Hariharan wannabe. -Ketan

Now that’s refreshing - sure it’s going back 40 years but when there are 100s of similar sounding songs in the air, this hits like a breath of fresh air. -Pranav

Tapas Relia's composition is really good, and Papon showcasing his talents well. -Tatsam

Papon is good to listen to like always. The song is composed well and the sitar interludes are welcome. But it doesn't soar. -Subrat

Melodically unremarkable, but I like the good, clean production. Getting to hear Papon’s full-throated voice on the lower notes clearly is pleasurable. -Zico

Too much like a jaded non-film-ghazal sound. The lyric is again not served well. -Guri

Papon is a master of modern ghazal singing and he delivers here. -Pradeep

What track in 2023 has the patience to offer a listener 4 verses complete with unique interludes, and words penned via imaginative journeys into a conceptual wonderland! A sublime melody, simple, traditional, yet powerfully moving and peace inducing, all put forth by Papon at the top of his game. The camaraderie between tabla, piano, and sitar is sublime! -Shasank

Just the perfect song to pour yourself some wine, and think about life. -Harsh

Brought back the joys of the 80's ghazal era. Lovely sound of the sitar. Papon does justice to this song. -Sunil

बोलो ना (12वीं फ़ेल)

bolo naa (12th Fail)

Tags: ballad, easy listening, filmy, inspirational, love, melodious, melody, oldworldly, pop, quaint, romantic, rousing, slow, soft, soft melody, soulful, sweet, traditional, uplifting

शांतनु मोइत्रा
Shantanu Moitra

स्वानंद किरकिरे
Swanand Kirkire

शान, श्रेया घोषाल
Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal

2.98

Toggle Jury's comments

The switch between gentleness and intensity is just too good. -Harsh

A song carried loftily by its melody and Shreya Goshal's timeless singing chops. The tune is very sweet and moving and the entire song banks on it heavily, and rightfully. The production and arrangements are very traditional, although strings are used very effectively throughout. There is some innovative wordplay in the lyrics - with references to kites and flutes and metaphors used smoothly in place of a shyness to express love. A beautiful track for a romantic evening with a special someone :). -Shasank

I loved the Shreya/Shaan version, but the film version by Medha sounded beautiful, raw and poignant as well. -Neha

Pretty song, but nothing new. Too much like Taare zameen par title track. -Pranav

Sounds like a dated Shantanu Moitra composition -- without any of the freshness he had back in the day. -Zico

Shantanu does a decent tribute to early ARR. Swanand's lyric rocks. -Guri

The beginning, the alaaps, the murkis all steal your heart! Shantanu Moitra knows how to use Shreya's voice in the most beautiful ways. -Akanksha

Great singing by Shreya of a lovely tune. -Ashwini

Shreya's shrillness spoils the song, especially compared to Shaan's restrained singing. -Ketan

Familiar Shantanu Moitra terrain. -Subrat

Shreya Ghoshal's stellar vocals anchor Shantanu Moitra's minimal, unfussy arrangement. -Tatsam

This is reminiscent of Shantanu Moitra's earlier work. The tempo changes in the song worked well for me. -Sunil

Bolo Naa is V2 of Piyu Bole from Shantanu Moitra, with the strings augmenting Shreya's beatifuly rendition. -Pradeep

रुआँ रुआँ (पी एस 2)

ruaa.N ruaa.N (PS2)

Tags: ballad, classical, dreamy, experimental, mellow, melodious, melody, operatic, romantic, rousing, soft, soothing, soulful, warm

ए आर रहमान
A R Rahman

गुलज़ार
Gulzar

शिल्पा राव
Shilpa Rao

2.98

Toggle Jury's comments

Rahman approaches each song as if it were a conceptual space rife for exploration, and he does a hundred different things within that space, some complementary, some challenging you to step out of your comfort zone, for a revelation or two. This ambition is seldom seen elsewhere and is in abundance here, be it in the myriad base layers - flutes, violins, keys, subtle percussions - you name it. It all plays out like a soundtrack for a Narnia advert. The melody is peace-making and then takes on a radically entertaining flight in the verses. Shilpa Rao is on top form. Gulzar saheb does a fine job finding lyrical novelty for another Tamizh composition. Magic all around! -Shasank

Really good opening music and interludes. -Ketan

Shilpa Rao and AR Rahman need to do more songs together! -Harsh

Best track of the album. Shilpa Rao is good like always. -Subrat

Shilpa Rao + Gulzar + Rahman is a refreshing combination. Western classical + Carnatic styles blend seamlessly. -Ashwini

This is an exceptional song from 2023 - a cut above the rest - music, lyrics, singing are all top-class - painting a picture of a heavenly garden with its bountiful offerings, a gentle breeze blowly, and someone transfixed by all that beauty while being totally lost in and enveloped by their love. Such an incredible listen that I can keep hearing it on loop. It does carry some shades of "Kehne ko Jashn-e-bahara" from 'Jodha-Akbar'. -Sunil

Gorgeous melody. Great song. I've been in love with the original Tamil one since I saw PS2. But, as always in such cases, I'm having a hard time accepting the Hindi lyrics. Even if it's Gulzar, the phonetics of the original are just too 'part of the sound' to be replaced later. -Zico

A R Rahman "harps" his way to deliver this ballad with Shilpa Rao delivering the "step notes " from low to high almost making the listener gasping for breath. -Pradeep

Works. Worthy of being called an ARR track. -Guri

Shilpa Rao's most stern challenge recently, the graph of the song reminded me of Humnawaa from 99 songs. -Tatsam

What a composition! The jumpy/waltz like treatment fits perfectly with a feeling of being in love for the first time. Shilpa's voice suits it well. The lyrics don't fit like most other songs. I prefer Aga Naga any day! -Akanksha

बेशरम रंग (पठान)

besharam ra.ng (Pathaan)

Tags: bouncy, chartbuster, dance, dance number, electronic, fusion, fusion ghazal, ghazal, groovy, love, melody, moody, noise, peppy, pop, sensual

विशाल-शेखर
Vishal-Shekhar

कुमार, विशाल दादलानी
Kumaar, Vishal Dadlani

शिल्पा राव, कैरालिसा मोंटेरो, विशाल दादलानी, शेखर रावजियानी
Shilpa Rao, Caralisa Monteiro, Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani

2.92

Toggle Jury's comments

Pretty much love everything about it: from the faux Latino verses (particularly enjoy Vishal Dadlani’s accented delivery), to the basic melody line (which is like a light ghazal), to the way the song shifts gears into a sort of ultra mode (brilliantly used in the film for a major reveal), to the kind of lyric writing Kumaar does here fit for the occasion. Shilpa Rao deserves a separate sentence, because the song is unimaginable without her voice. -Zico

Really catchy well-progammed beat accompanied by a lilting melody to create a foot-tapping and enticing big-budget extravagant song. -Sunil

The amazing ghazal like composition put into a massively groovy so effectively. -Prakhar

Despite Shilpa Rao's brilliance, the Makeba 'inspiration' is too strong. Minor Vishal/Shekhar work. -Tatsam

An absolute banger of a track - Vishal-Sekhar find an insanely innovative sound to mount a promotional track. The melody is addictive, Shilpa Rao is fabulous and right on with the mood, the words are provocative, and the arrangements are so refreshing, peppy, and even cerebral. This would have scored much higher on my list, if only it didn't lose steam in the second half in it's attempt for a crescendo towards the end. -Shasank

Vishal-Shekhar turn a ghazalish melody to a raunchy hit dance number. Shilpa rao's diction is on the dot. -Pradeep

Shilpa Rao is magnificent!! -Harsh

If this was an attempt at the Bulo C Rani qawwali, it works in part. Good usage of percussions. -Ketan

Shilpa and Papon are the true torchbearers of ghazals in Hindi movies. -Akanksha

Well sung by Shilpa Rao, Vishal-Shekhar in their element, starts with a Spanish song. -Ashwini

गीली सी सुबह (लव ऑल)

giilii sii subah (Love All)

Tags: contemporary ghazal, eclectic, evocative, filmy, ghazal, longing, love, mellow, melodious, nature, pensive, philosophical, philosophy, romantic, semi-classical, soft rock, soothing

सौरभ-वैभव
Saurabh-Vaibhav

अंकित पांडे
Ankit Pandey

पापोन
Papon

2.90

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The song doesn't quite build on the promise it begins with, but still lots to like. It's a kind of song that, I suspect, will grow on you. -Zico

Papon showing everyone why he's cornered the market for these songs. -Tatsam

Lovely tune by Saurabh-Vaibhav. Influenced (not inspired) by Abhijit Pohankar's tarana from his 2002 album Piya Bawari. Ankit Pandey's lyrics go into Gulzar territory. Papon brings a certain gravitas to the singing reminding one of Bhupinder's singing. The way the flute arrangement is done at just the right spot is really done well. I wish the orchestration had less electronic and more acoustic instruments. My fav song of the year. -Ketan

Anything with Papon has to be worth listening, This song uses the break in his voice masterfully. I find the lyrics a bit pretentious. -Ashwini

Nothing new but extra point because it’s not like run of the mill songs you hear all the time today. -Pranav

Papon reminds why he is one of a kind. -Harsh

A largely simple, soft rock composition that somehow just has a magnanimous effect. Be it Papon's vocal clarity throughout, the heart-tugging melody, the sublime lyrics, or the blend of different complementary instrumental layers, this track is a keeper! -Shasank

Heard it for the first time. Not bad. -Akanksha

Papon carries a good melody and decent arrangements well. -Guri

Papon is good once again. There is so much Gulzar-like lyric writing hangover this year. Whatever is 'geeli si subah', 'ujali si Dhyan' etc, there's no sense to these songs. -Subrat

There are hardly any songs on nature nowadays; Papon's delivery reminds me of Hariharan. Amazing lyrics and arrangement. -Pradeep

इन राहों में (द आर्चीज़)

in raaho.n me.n (The Archies)

Tags: breezy, dance, feel good, grunge, happy, morning, pop, retro, rock, rock and roll, rocknroll, uplifting, youthful

शंकर-एहसान-लॉय
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

जावेद अख़्तर
Javed Akhtar

अरिजित सिंह
Arijit Singh

2.88

Toggle Jury's comments

Good song to capture the spirit of the Rock-and-Roll era and to launch into the world of Archies. Well sung by Arijit. -Sunil

Youthful, manages to sound retro and contemporary. -Ashwini

Again, well arranged in the old beach rock style but modern at the same time. -Pranav

A poor-brother of 'Dhishoom…'. -Guri

Arijit Singh and SEL provide the right mix of Filmy/Rock n roll genre; the lead guitart counterpoints are awesome. -Pradeep

Shankar Ehsaan Loy have rarely disappointed when it came to movies involving the Akhtars, and Archies was another one to cement that track record. In Raahon Mein is an instant mood uplifter with its pleasant melody and buoyant arrangements that see some wonderful use of guitars and horns. And there's also Arijit Singh in fine form delivering Javed Akhtar's words. -Vipin

Such a lovely song. And Arijit also doesn't grate. -Subrat

Distilling the vanilla idealism of the film. Great song though! -Tatsam

At a very high level, there is not much novelty to be found here, but the backing arrangements are so lush in this track, all accentuated towards the second interlude with beautiful brass work and a very interesting bridge to close it off. Arijit's singing is also pitched at a very interesting level and maintained constantly through the song for a unique take on his signature. -Shasank

S-E-L template is beginning to run its course. -Ketan

नौका डूबी (लॉस्ट)

naukaa Duubii (Lost)

Tags: bittersweet, classical, cute, evocative, folk, heartfelt, melancholic, melancholy, melodious, melody, romantic, separation, sweet, traditional

शांतनु मोइत्रा
Shantanu Moitra

स्वानंद किरकिरे
Swanand Kirkire

श्रेया घोषाल
Shreya Ghoshal

2.87

Toggle Jury's comments

A simple folksy melody that appears to draw from Bengali music, something composer Shantanu Moitra has done in the past as well, to great effect. A worthy addition to the illustrious list of songs that the composer has done with Swanand Kirkire, and Shreya Ghoshal. Love the use of "nouka" here, not often that one gets to hear the word these days. -Vipin

Beautiful in its simplicity. Evokes a very serene feeling. Shantanu, Swanand and Shreya are a very formidable combination. -Sunil

I will deduct one point because the best part -- you know which one -- is melodically derivative of a Baul song: 'Tomay Hrid Majhare rakhibo'. It brought to my mind one of my favourite Amit Trivedi tracks, 'Dhak Dhuk', and how artfully Trivedi distills the essense of folk, rather than the way it is done here, where the 'inspiration' is rather direct. -Zico

Extra points for music - extremely well designed rhythm. -Pranav

Decent track overall… the better-than-average lyric has been well served. -Guri

Nice folks based tune with a lovely flute. Shreya is in screechy territory. -Ketan

Bengali folk, typical Shantanu Moitra, but strangely I found the beat too cheerful for the melancholy mood it is supposed to portray. -Ashwini

Nice folk melody around a boat theme, the melody change in first interlude surprised me as it’s a very traditional Carnatic scale. -Pradeep

A twist on folk tunes. -Akanksha

Shreya Ghoshal, Swanand Kirkire in 9/10 form. -Tatsam

Sweet, uncomplicated melody… a dying breed? -Armeen

A track very much like Shantanu Moitra's general body of work in its overall feel, the beautiful interludes using flutes and organs and the base layers with strings and keys add a beautiful overall atmosphere. Shreya Goshal carries the straight forward and pleasant melody and lyrics very well and delivers some wonderful aalaaps. -Shasank

Didn't realise there were so many albums of Shantanu Moitra this year. But everything sounds like plucked out of Moitra's library some two decades back. -Subrat

वा वा वूम (द आर्चीज़)

vaa vaa voom (The Archies)

Tags: dance, dance number, disco, grunge, happy, love, old-school, party, peppy, pop, rock, rock and roll, rocknroll

शंकर-एहसान-लॉय
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

जावेद अख़्तर
Javed Akhtar

तेजस, चेलसी दास, कियारा अलेमाव, जोई सिद्धार्थ, आर्यमन सिंह, बैंडन अलफांसो, उरगेन योल्मो, शौर्य सिंह, सिमरन दुग्गल, केनिशा फ्रैंसिस, शेन डि'सूज़ा
Tejas, Chelsea Das, Kiara Alemao, Zoe Siddharth, Aryaman Singh, Brendan Alphonso, Urgen Yolmo, Shaurya Singh, Simran Duggal, Kenishaa Francis, Shane D'Souza

2.80

Toggle Jury's comments

I liked Tejas in both the songs he had in the Archies, looking fwd to hearing more of him, very youthful young voice. -Neha

What energy! Lovely music and Tejas's voice does really feel like that of the lead singer of an upcoming band. I am always amazed by Javed sahab's ability to write for any age group. 'Use friend kahoon ya girlfriend kahoon, ab jo bhi hai kehne ka trend kahoon'. -Akanksha

A formulaic yet fun track, layered in arrangements that are right up SEL's alley. It sounds rich and carries along a partly simple, partly complex, fun melody adorned with Javed Saab's simple lyrics. Tejas' vocals are a fun surprise amidst the familiar friendly formula. -Shasank

Va Va Voom took me to Los Lobos ”la bamba“ and Beatles “twist and shout“. There is an uncanny similarity in the arrangement and the singing is excellent. -Pradeep

Much better than what they did with Jailhouse rock. Terrific 60s vibe. -Tatsam

Another standard S-E-L template but somehow what they started in Dil Chahta hai, nearly 25 years ago, still works. Would it given it a higher rating if the singer was better. -Ketan

Rock and roll this time, loved it. -Pranav

Sounds like 'La Bamba' . Well-sung by Tejas. It has a very catchy foot-tapping tune. -Sunil

SEL channelling Presley. -Subrat

Tejas is good, has a very youthful style. -Ashwini

ढिशूम ढिशूम (द आर्चीज़)

Dhishoom Dhishoom (The Archies)

Tags: catchy, classical, dance, fun, grunge, jazz, musical, playful, pop, rebel, retro, rock, rocknroll

शंकर-एहसान-लॉय
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

जावेद अख़्तर
Javed Akhtar

अदिति डॉट सहगल, केली डिलिमा
Aditi "Dot" Saigal, Kelly Dlima

2.80

Toggle Jury's comments

Very experimental, lovely arrangements and well suited for the period of the movie. Not just same as that period music, arrangement and chords etc. is extremely modern. -Pranav

Love the voice and Javed Akhtar shows some decent creativity. -Ketan

I loved this. The Orchestration is lovely. -Subrat

This is a fun song. It starts with the words that appear in starbursts which populate the graphic art of a comic book where a fight is being depicted. And since this is a comic book come alive - Zoya and team add a feminist touch to the story where the girls decide to gang-up and give it back to Archie for two-timing Betty and Veronica. Kudos to Dot and Javed Akthar and also to SEL for this catchy number. Even visually seeing the girls perform this on roller skates adds to the dynamism of the well-choreographed song. Definitely a fun 'badla' song. -Sunil

A somewhat reminiscent but fun melody drives this peppy track surrounded by lush arrangements and solid chorus singing. SEL manage to make a cacophony of several layers feel cohesive and zippy. -Shasank

Above average music. Nothing else is remarkable. -Guri

Was hoping for more, but none of the numbers felt catchy enough. -Armeen

Very unusual song, mainly due to Dot. -Ashwini

Inventive fun and so nicely executed. -Tatsam

The music in Archies is fresh. Dishoom dishoom could have been an average song, but SEL's music and Javed sahab's lyrics make simple songs meaningful in the most colloquial words. 'He's got the bark but we've got the bite!'. The Crack and Chops add a good punch! Dot. is great, though I'd say that she shines best in another song of the album - Asymmetrical! -Akanksha

पिया पढ़ लेना (गोल्डफ़िश)

piyaa pa.Dh lenaa (Goldfish)

Tags: classical, folk, layered, lilting, love, melody, old-school, peppy, playful, retro, romantic, sweet, traditional, vintage

तापस रेलिया
Tapas Relia

कौसर मुनीर
Kausar Munir

प्रतिभा सिंह बघेल
Pratibha Singh Baghel

2.76

Toggle Jury's comments

Such a sweet, sweet song.. too easy to like, and not without its moments of surprises on composition level. -Harsh

Extra points for the retro feel. I am always a fan of those. -Pranav

Tricky to sing. Fresh. Very difficult to sing. It’s obviously made in the mould of a song from another vintage. Which I believe is something that is also desirable to a certain section of the market today. -Zico

Has a sound similar to songa of 50's. Enjoyable song. -Sunil

A charming and mischievous melody wonderfully rendered by Pratibha Singh Baghel is somewhat let down by the unimaginative arrangements in this track. The wordplay is stellar though from Kausar Munir. -Shasank

Not a fan of the voice or singing, but sweet retro sound to the overall composition. -Ashwini

Pratibha Baghel is in excellent form, the old-school arrangement works well. -Tatsam

It's different that alone is worth brownie points. Nice Geeta Dutt'ish singing. -Ketan

I like the voice of Pratibha SIngh. Haven't heard much of her before this year. -Subrat

Neither here (harmonium dholak folk) nor there (opn sound). Waste of good lyric. Singing is unnecessarily murki-ridden. -Guri

Very nice find this one! Could very well have been part of the Jubilee album. Pratibha's voice used beautifully in a little, आड़ा music. -Akanksha

कुड़मायी (फ़िल्म वर्ज़न) (रॉकी और रानी की प्रेम कहानी)

ku.Damaayii (Film Version) (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani)

Tags: bidaai, emotinal, festive, filmy, groovy, nostalgic, sentimental, traditional, warm, wedding, wedding song

प्रीतम
Pritam

अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य
Amitabh Bhattacharya

शाहिद माल्या
Shahid Mallya

2.70

Toggle Jury's comments

I guess this can be labelled under the Karan Johar-Pritam-Amitabh bidayee song sub genre. Lovely melody and rhythm. Unusual words. Just the right kind of bittersweet yet celebratory quality thhat we've come to associate with songs like Channa Mereya, Kabira (reprise) etc. And Shahid Mallya is sometimes the Arijit anti-dote we need. -Zico

Lovely use of Kudmayi, which I believe means engagement, but works well for the situation. Beautiful. -Ashwini

AB's lyric is the highlight. -Guri

A wedding track based on dholaks manages to escape conventionality with a beautiful atmospheric production and mellifluous arrangements via guitars and the shehnai. And why don't we hear more of Shahid Mallya in hindi cinema, what with his marvelously docile vocals! -Shasank

I'm usually sceptical about banno songs. This doesn't change that opinion for better. -Subrat

A poignant bidaai song from Pritam and Amitabh Bhattacharya that is delivered with the right emotions by Shahid Mallya. -Vipin

Nice soft rendition and pleasant music but sounds like so many others. -Ketan

सपनों के पाखी (गुलमोहर)

sapano.n ke paakhii (Gulmohar)

Tags: atmospheric, contemplation, dreamy, filmy, jazz, lullaby, melancholic, melodious, moody, philosophical, poignant, sad, sentimental, serene, slow, soft, soothing, whimsical

सिद्धार्थ खोसला, ऐलन डेमॉस
Siddhartha Khosla, Alan Demoss

शेल्ली
Shellee

कविता सेठ
Kavita Seth

2.65

Toggle Jury's comments

Siddhartha Khosla really knows what to do with Kavita Seth's voice. Not overprogramming it, especially with all the gadgets at one's disposal today. -Tatsam

Parts of the song reminds me of Kishore's phoolon ke rang se. -Pradeep

Short song, but very well sung, pleasing. -Ashwini

Beautiful imagery in the lyrics. Kavita Seth's voice, the piano and the strings create a gentle dreamy delightful song. Looking forward to more work from Siddarth Khosla and Alan Demoss in India. -Sunil

What I liked the most was the minimalism of the song — the subtle production stuff — and when I looked up the composer and the music producer, it made sense. The sophistication is international. -Zico

Good opening music. But then the song simply drifts away into humdrum. -Ketan

Starting humming that sounded like “Guncha koi…” caught my attention, the rest of the song kept it in tact. Very refreshing again - what beautiful interlude with pads, piano and flute! Oh and the “overlapping beat” in the verses is the unexpected tension that really elevates the song. -Pranav

Tired music / melody / singing. Reasonable lyric. -Guri

Kavita Seth is in fine fettle. Lovely song. -Subrat

A wonderfully minimalistic - atmospheric mood piece that uses ambient arrangements with a subtle percussion to great effect, surrounding a simple yet peaceful melody and beautiful humming, all mellifluously pitched by Kavita Seth. -Shasank

Kavita Seth is always such a joy to listen to. -Neha

आइ वाना सी यू डांस (खो गए हम कहाँ)

I Wanna See You Dance (Kho Gaye Hum Kahan)

Tags: dance, dance beats, dance number, desipop, disco, groovy, grunge, love, peppy, retro

सचिन-जिगर
Sachin-Jigar

अंकुर तिवारी
Ankur Tewari

सबा आज़ाद
Saba Azad

2.61

Toggle Jury's comments

Very groovy. Has got a nice 80s disco thing going in it. Sachin-Jigar, is it? They've always been good at electronic based dance stuff. -Zico

Catchy Dance Number. -Sunil

Gets the retro vibe just right without getting parodic. -Harsh

70s Bonny M type sound without any good hook. -Guri

Foot-tapping. Ankur Tiwari has been great this year with his revisits of certain genres. -Akanksha

Forgettable song. -Ashwini

The bass guitar and pop beat takes you to Bee Gees; the groove is amazing. -Pradeep

Gave an extra point for maintaining a solid disco feel and great bass lines, along with catchy funk guitar. -Pranav

The peppy music gets it thru. The music has a very Biddu touch with a strong hint of Nazia Hassan style of singing along with the falsetto of the BeeGees. -Ketan

It's a weird predicament of tracks like this that they don't leave much room for the vocalist or lyricist to really shine. Saba Azad and Ankur Tewari are fine in both departments respectively but Sachin-Jigar threw a dashing zinger and have surprised me with the music, which seems so outside of what they have done over the years. A peppy bass line and stellar brass work add to the groovy tempo and percussions making this a fun number to keep looping in the background. -Shasank

After the many zabardasti ke soulful tracks, it was good to hear a retro dance number that was a throwback to Nazia Hassan-Biddu era. Don't mind it at all. -Subrat

I think it's time I admit to myself that Disco is my favourite genre. I'll be partial to any song with a decent bass-line, a good rhythm and a singer of Saba Azad's calibre. This song was [apart from literally being] music to my ears. -Tatsam

रहे न क्यूँ (महिला वर्ज़न) (तरला)

rahe na kyuu.N (Female Version) (Tarla)

Tags: ballad, classical, ghazal, melancholic, melancholy, melody, reflecive, reflective, sad, separation, soft, soulful

सुहित अभ्यंकर
Suhit Abhyankar

मनोज यादव
Manoj Yadav

रेखा भारद्वाज
Rekha Bhardwaj

2.57

Toggle Jury's comments

Appreciation for the lyricist Manoj Yadav here - 'Main thi panna tum kahani, ek mani - zindagani'. -Akanksha

Always a pleasure to listen to Rekha Bharadwaj. -Ashwini

All elements of a good track, but still not working overall. -Guri

An extra point for Rekha Bharadwaj. -Subrat

Rekha B, sounds a bit unsure of her singing and comes close to stumbling at times, but catches herself in the nick of time. The song seems beyond her range. Good use of instruments. -Ketan

Rekha Bharadwaj in her bass voice and the sarangi on the upper range convey the same emotion - the feeling of being estranged. -Pradeep

Always love Rekha B. But I really wish they had better arrangement/music - this sounds like ones we’ve heard befeore. -Pranav

A beautiful melody with complex verses, rendered by Rekha Bhardwaj in her typical stunning approach. The arrangements are kept simple, although the strings and tabla make uplifting appearances. -Shasank

Looking forward to more work from Nilotpal Bora. Sweet melody. -Sunil

घूमर (घूमर)

ghoomar (Ghoomer)

Tags: bollywood folksy, folk, fusion, inspirational, motivational, peppy, percussion, prayer, rajasthani, rajasthani folk, romantic, rustic, traditional, upbeat, uplifting, hope

अमित त्रिवेदी
Amit Trivedi

कौसर मुनीर
Kausar Munir

दीपाक्षी कलीता, अल्तमश फ़रीदी
Dipakshi Kalita, Altamash Faridi

2.57

Toggle Jury's comments

Amit Trivedi has been tending to handicap a lot of his recent work into a repeated template of melodic arrangement, which this track of great promise ultimately falls victim to - overly reliant on a trusted signature for the verses and a typical chorus. That said, the production has some breaths of fresh air and the percussion work here is strong. Kausar Munir's lyrics are layered and so is Dipakshi Kalita's superb vocal work. I just wish Trivedi breaks out of his typical signatures and lets beautiful compositions breathe a bit more. -Shasank

Ok is about right for this song. The heavy percussion drowns out the melody. -Ketan

Interesting to hear Punjabi lyrics on Rajasthani music. While in most other albums, Amit hasn't experimented much, this one is unique in its treatment. -Akanksha

Hard to beat Amit Trivedi when it comes to taking something folk and packaging it into something so enjoyable. The percussions are fantastic. I looked up the singer, Dipaksi Kalita, she's very good. A very tight composition, never sags, nice variations in the antara. A kind of non-film song sort of a Sufi number. The ‘sound’ is perhaps more in the zone of a Coke Studio or a Kabir Cafe. Very nice. -Zico

A waste of the inspiration. -Guri

All current MDs should take a leaf from Amit Trivedi’s book. He’s done many songs like this but there’s always an element of freshness and newness - for instance in this one the bright clean guitar along with sarangi-like instrument, which is also used in interludes with drums and dholak. -Pranav

Feel like getting up and dancing- the song has a lovely beat. Dipakshi Kalita is a great discovery. Ravanhatha (Or Sarangi?) sound was a good addition. -Sunil

Loved the singing. As the song started, I feared another Trivedi Rajasthani song. But he kept things fresh and Kausar Munir's lyrics are quite in line with the film theme. -Subrat

Very well sung. -Ashwini

The underlying classical/folk melody and excellcent singing makes us ghoom back to this song. -Pradeep

चलेया (जवान)

chaleyaa (Jawan)

Tags: chartbuster, dance, dance beats, easy listen, electronic, filmy, groovy, lounge, love, peppy, pop, romantic

अनिरुद्ध रविचंद्रन
Aniruddh Ravichandran

कुमार
Kumaar

अरिजित सिंह, शिल्पा राव
Arijit Singh, Shilpa Rao

2.55

Toggle Jury's comments

Nice groove, Arijit and Shilpa Rao will make you shake a leg. Anirudh sings quite a few parts in this song which we don’t realize.
reminded me of another nayanthara /anirudh song from naanum rowdy dhaan. -Pradeep

Shilpa Rao is such a versatile singer. -Sunil

Anirudh can deliver these international-spec pop numbers all day long and can still find fresh melodies and arrangements to wrap them up in. I'll confess the shine on this song has faded for me in contrast to some of the more analog tracks on this playlist, what with it mostly reliant on sampled layers and the overall structure of the track being repetitive in the pattern of a traditional pop song. Arijit and Shilpa Rao are very low key, yet effective. -Shasank

It is as if composers have suddenly discovered the piano. Quite a lot of songs this year have a base melody played on the piano. Shilpa Rao > Arijit. -Ketan

Super popular due to SRK, but as a song, just above average. -Ashwini

A song that grew on me, Arijit Singh and Shilpa Rao being effortless and never getting in the way of the song feels more than the sum of its parts. -Tatsam

Let me not repeat myself on Arijit SIngh. Everything is just rinse and repeat. -Subrat

I did not find Anirudh's first full Bollywood soundtrack particularly impressive, but in this song he managed to create a proper earworm with lyricist Kumaar, and in Arijit Singh and Shilpa Rao he got the right combination behind the mic as well. -Vipin

Nice melody. Nothing else works. -Guri

Good pop. Probably my smoothest Easy Listen from the year. The chords at the beginning is tone-setting and half the job done. -Zico

The bass-driven groove in Chaleya is really really underrated! -Harsh

दुनिया (ऑलमोस्ट प्यार विद डीजे मोहब्बत)

duniyaa (Almost Pyaar With DJ Mohabbat)

Tags: ballad, desipop, eclectic, energetic, evening coffee, filmy, foot tapping, groovy, love, melody, passionate, peppy, pop, quirky, rock, romantic

अमित त्रिवेदी
Amit Trivedi

शेल्ली
Shellee

अभय जोधपुरकर
Abhay Jodhpurkar

2.54

Toggle Jury's comments

An uncharacteristic mixed bag of a soundtrack from the Amit Trivedi-Anurag Kashyap duo. The composer got everything right in this song though, a refreshing piece that was devoid of any past song hangover, Shellee's lines that kept the new gen lingo to a minimum as compared to some of the other songs from the album, and a top notch delivery in Abhay Jodhpurkar's silken voice. -Vipin

The lyrics are underwhelming. The hookline "duniya" is the where the song's heart lies and the phrase we may come back to. -Pradeep

Confounding [and not in a good way] album. Abhay Jodhpurkar is solid as usual though. -Tatsam

Nice but forgettable tune, Hinglish use produces an average effect, nothing special. -Ashwini

Abhay Jodhpurkar is a very talented singer and needs to be utlized more. He has a superb range which is used well here. He captures the dynamics well with his singing. Unfortunately, the most energetic song of the album 'Woman Desi' did not make it to the list of nominations but is worth a listen too. -Sunil

Something about Abhay Jodhpurkar's vocals, carrying both laidback and intense portions with great effect. -Harsh

Okish singing on an okish tune. -Ketan

Bumped up a point in both music and overall because even though composition is using a musical scale used in 1000s of songs, it is extremely refreshing, especially the chorus line crescendo and interludes are also very smartly done. -Pranav

Tired lyric, tired singing, tired music, reasonable arrangements. -Guri

The vastly underused Abhay Jodhpurkar fits perfectly into this track that feels very specifically late 90s-early 00s filmy music in its arrangements and melody, but is still catchy, enjoyable, and appetitie-satiating. Shellee's lyrics are a great fit too. -Shasank

I can see why this would be popular- very conversational style of lyrics. Singing was topnotch, hadnt heard much of Abhay other than Zero song. Looking forward to more of him. -Neha

The composition is so inherently groovy and the melody is programmed beautifully. -Prakhar

मेरा आसमाँ जल गया (रप्रीज़) (पी एस 2)

meraa aasamaa.N jal gayaa (Reprise) (PS2)

Tags: atmospheric, dreamy, gentle, haunting, heartbreak, jazz, melancholic, melancholy, melodious, moody, orchestral, pure, romantic, sentimental, separation, soft, sombre, soothing, soundtrack, violin

ए आर रहमान
A R Rahman

गुलज़ार
Gulzar

खातिजा रहमान
Khatija Rahman

2.53

Toggle Jury's comments

A wholly original composition. -Harsh

A moody piano layer wonderfully anchors this piece mostly designed as a soundtrack piece supporting a volatile scene from the movie, it works perfectly to fulfill the needed effect. The use of strings as a punch up in select places, is just cerebral stuff. Not much room for Gulzar saheb to play with in terms of lyrics and while Khatija Rahman does a fine job with the vocals, one can't help but wonder what this would have sounded like, if voiced by a more seasoned singer. -Shasank

Minor AR Rahman. I don't really see this as a song so much as an extension of the BGM. -Zico

Awkward melody. -Guri

Nice melody, nice instrumentation though the echo effect in the voice makes it a bit weird. Yet another composition with a soft piano as the base. -Ketan

ARR seems jaded. Gulzar's lyrics are serviceable. Arijit does his usual stuff. Unremarkable from a combo that's given us great tracks in the past. -Subrat

Rahman's orchestration in this is the boldest it's ever been in recent years. -Tatsam

From minimalistic to lush orchestratal arrangement with lovely harmonic vocals by Khatija. Gulzar can infuse poetry anywhere beautifully. -Sunil

The pairing of western classical instrumentation with traditional lyrics makes it appealing. -Ashwini

Song may be good in movie situation but on its own, it’s predictable. Extra point for lovely piano chords. -Pranav

ARR uses the strings to bring the sombre mood. -Pradeep

I will say this for all PS2 songs - you might get Gulzar, but imposition of his words on a song composed in another language still doesn't work. Eg. Janiya is not something you associate with a movie set in the South. That said, full marks for the music! -Akanksha

व्हाट झुमका (रॉकी और रानी की प्रेम कहानी)

What jhumakaa (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani)

Tags: catchy, chartbuster, dance, energetic, extravagant, filmy, love, nautanki, nostalgic, peppy, playful, recreation, remix, retro, traditional

प्रीतम, (मदन मोहन)
Pritam, (Madan Mohan)

अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य, (राजा मेहदी अली ख़ान)
Amitabh Bhattacharya, (Raja Mehdi Ali Khan)

अरिजित सिंह, जोनिता गाँधी, रणवीर सिंह
Arijit Singh, Jonita Gandhi, Ranveer Singh

2.53

Toggle Jury's comments

The reworking of such a classic song surprisingly grows on you, esp. with the thumping arrangement for the hookline. -Harsh

THE party song of 2023. -Akanksha

The tribute interlude ruins it. AB's lyric/rap is nice. -Guri

Pritam and co take an interesting approach to the typical Hindi cinema remix of an older song by musically and lyrically avoiding the source material until later in the chorus or even the very end, for a nice delayed gratification effect. Owing to its remix template, the track doesn't get very innovative in its production but there are some nice layers in the interludes to sink into and the overall energy is upbeat, if not very memorable. -Shasank

OK I should’ve given this an extra points because of “Jhumkaa” but no…:). -Pranav

Both Arijit and Jonita bring spunk to this catchy song, but it's all too top-heavy. -Tatsam

Points for putting a new twist on an old song. Arijit can sound different when he wants. -Ketan

Jonita has sung her part quite well. -Sunil

Superb take on an old hit. Very creative, fantastic mood. Ranveer's rap (not in the film version) is the cherry on cake. -Ashwini

न होश चले (भाग 1) (ख़ुफिया)

na hosh chale (Part 1) (Khufiya)

Tags: ballad, electronic, jazz, longing, love, love ballad, pensive, romantic, soothing, warm

विशाल भारद्वाज
Vishal Bhardwaj

गुलज़ार, (संत कबीर, संत रहीम)
Gulzar, (Sant Kabir, Sant Rahim)

अरिजित सिंह
Arijit Singh

2.52

Toggle Jury's comments

Like the arrangement but deducted a point for lyrics. Respectfully, I think the extreme abstract lyrics of Gulzar Saab now in some weird way, predictable! -Pranav

Disappointing outing from VB. No amount of creative arrangements could save this 'left-over-melody'. -Guri

No, I'm not going by the names here. This is a good track. -Subrat

I don't know how to explain it, but this song is as Vishal Bhardwaj as it gets. -Harsh

Most regular composers in Hindi cinema don't try a new concept. But Vishal Bhardwaj has done exactly that for romantic numbers like this over the years and he always manages to find something exquisite. The same goes for Gulzar saheb in how he manages to find the most whimsical or primal allegories to accentuate love notes. A free flowing number that feels like a poet musing over a pack of smokes than a conventional song, powerfully grounded by a jazzy electronic arrangement with a solid bass guitar to boot and a saccharine Arijit Singh, this is such a breath of fresh air (cigarette smoke notwithstanding). -Shasank

Shocking to see Gulzar running out of words and filling in lyrics with nasal sounds made by Arijit. -Ketan

Arijit Singh sounds like Vishal Baradwaj; the bass track is nice but overall its average. -Pradeep

Excellent composition by VB, superbly sung by Arijit and what production! -Tatsam

Given the team, could have been better. -Ashwini

Very soothing, very dreamy composition. Arijit tries to sing how VB would have sung it; he adopts that syle, shows his grains. Beautiful. -Zico

वे कमलेया (रॉकी और रानी की प्रेम कहानी)

ve kamaleyaa (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani)

Tags: ballad, classical, emotional, folk, old-school., qawwali, romantic, sad, sentimental, separation, soft, sombre, soothing, uplifting

प्रीतम
Pritam

अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य
Amitabh Bhattacharya

अरिजित सिंह, श्रेया घोषाल, शादाब फ़रीदी, अल्तमश फ़रीदी
Arijit Singh, Shreya Ghoshal, Shadab Faridi, Altamash Faridi

2.51

Toggle Jury's comments

My favorite song of this album. Best work of Amitabh this year! -Akanksha

I'm very fond of the song. I liked it from the moment I had first heard it. Again, it belongs to the same family of 'bidayee' songs I've talked about in Kudmayee, even though it is not ostensibly a 'bidayee' song. The melody is beautiful. Arijit is perfect. These are the obvious things, but on repeat listens, I noticed the subtle beats that support the vocals before the qawwali chorus section arrives. Pritam's production quality is getting more sophisticated and he has a knack for infectious rhythm that gives his compositions a cohesive unity. I do think the female stanza is the song's weak spot (a bit like the Shilpa Rao portion in 'Bulleya'.). -Zico

Arijit Singh is good, but the song could have aimed higher. It's too adequate, safe. -Tatsam

Shreya Ghoshal has made it a semi-genre of sorts, where she arrives in the Mukhdas and adds a whole new dimension to the song. -Harsh

Arijit + Shreya = what can go wrong? -Ashwini

Arijit Singh crying all over again. Blah. -Subrat

Karan Johar gets his dholak based qawwali of this album in this track, that starts off very interestingly, in an electronic sound design that then smoothly transitions over to the qawwali template. The melody sounds like a distant cousin to "Ro Lain De", but goes to some interesting places in the verses where Shreya Goshal cameos very effectively. The overall effect of this track is definitely anthemic, although it pendulum swings between the interesting and the routine. -Shasank

This song would be better without a certain singer. -Ketan

तेरी निगाहों ने (म्यूज़िक स्कूल)

terii nigaaho.n ne (Music School)

Tags: ballroom, ballroom dance, breezy, classical, duet, easy listening, love, melody, old-school, oldworldly, romantic, soft, swoony, traditional, waltz, western classical

इलैयाराजा
Ilaiyaraja

सागर, रमण रघुवंशी
Sagar, Raman Raghuvanshi

जावेद अली, श्रेया घोषाल
Javed Ali, Shreya Ghoshal

2.50

Toggle Jury's comments

What a pleasure to find an Illaiyaraaja track. Nowhere near his best by any stretch. But a nice composition and Javed Ali and Shreya combo is winsome. -Subrat

A classical, old-school composition by Ilayaraja, beautifully sung by Javed Ali and Shreya Ghoshal. -Tatsam

Imagine Ilaiyaraja delivering one of the best Hindi film songs of the year, almost 50 years into his career. Pure class. -Harsh

Ilaiyaraaja delivers his traditional melody of using the 3rd line to fly; Shreya and Javed elevate the song by multiple notches. -Pradeep

Song is ok but IR stamp in the strings/chords arrangement is just beautiful. -Pranav

Ballroom dance melody by Ilayraja, soft, pleasant. -Ashwini

Good to hear a song from Illaiyaraja in Hindi - his orchesteral arrangements are a refreshing change from the usual fare. Both Javed and Shreya are quite good. -Sunil

Okay, I had no idea this was an Ilaiyaraaja track. I just played it casually and the melody made me sit up take notice — there was something very intrinsically sweet about it. But I wish there was more to it. -Zico

A grand old school orchestral arrangement laps up this simple melody, with the interludes particularly delectable. A nostalgic trip to hear Javed Ali again, although Shreya Goshal's verses have the better overall vibe. Lyrics are a tad bit unimaginative here though. -Shasank

Nice waltz tune. Should have remained a male solo. -Ketan

ओ बेदर्देया (तू झूठी मैं मक्कार)

o bedardeyaa (Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar)

Tags: anger, ballad, bhajan, estranged, filmy, heartbreak, longing, melancholic, melody, qawwali, romantic, sad, sentimental, separation, soft rock

प्रीतम
Pritam

अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य
Amitabh Bhattacharya

अरिजित सिंह
Arijit Singh

2.50

Toggle Jury's comments

Arijit's vocals are out of the world in the antara. -Pradeep

Pritam doing something special in a done-to-death situation, sub-genre of Hindi film songs. Arijit elevating a good composition into a 10/10 song. -Tatsam

I don't dig it as much some of my friends do, but I see it's slow poison like quality (something like 'Aur ho' from Rockstar). Maybe it''ll grow on me. -Zico

I get it why it was loved! This is the 'achha sila diya' of this generation. -Akanksha

It's a testament to what can be produced when the composer, lyricist and the singer are so much in sync with one another. -Prakhar

A qawwali-bhajan esque melody is wonderfully offset by soft rock style arrangements at the start of this track. Then it soars to some interesting and surprising heights with Arijit's freestyle vocals, all coming back down to a silent and serene outro. Arijit sounds a little coarse at the beginning of the track, only to redeem himself with his freestyling in splendid fashions. Amitabh's lyrics are on point. -Shasank

Arijit/Pritam got it spot on. They are totally bedard, about the pain they are inflicting on our ears. -Ketan

Arijit brings out the heartache well, Pritam's score is good but sounds a bit like the songs from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. -Ashwini

Arijit gives his everything to this composition that doesn't return the favour. -Harsh

झूमे जो पठान (पठान)

jhoome jo paThaan (Pathaan)

Tags: arabic, bouncy, dance, dance music, dance number, electronic, filmy, groovy, love, peppy, pop, upbeat

विशाल-शेखर
Vishal-Shekhar

कुमार
Kumaar

अरिजित सिंह, सुकृति कक्कड़
Arijit Singh, Sukriti Kakar

2.50

Toggle Jury's comments

Song with an middle-eastern influence with the sounds of plucked instruments, a good rhythmic beat to definitely win some hearts. Both these songs from Pathaan will sure be heard in parties for the next few years. -Sunil

The beats mixing Indian and Arabic percussions sets the groove for this banger. -Pradeep

Rubbish. -Subrat

A kind of song Hindi cinema doesn't do anymore. The myth-making, the unveiling of the anti-hero to the audience (brings to my mind the original 'Main Hoon Don'). Besides, there are all sorts of fun stuff going on compositionally: the insane 'drop' that VS pumps in every now and then; the middle-Eastern touches; the bits where Arijit's voice alternates with the female chorus. -Zico

Not a big fan despite that catchy groove. -Tatsam

Arijit sounds… very un-Arijit. -Ketan

Very popular due to SRK, but as a song above average, not spectacular. -Ashwini

The melody doesn't do quite the full justice to the extensive arrangements in this track, that are at once Hindi filmy and spanish in nature.The electronic base layers and percussions are energetic. The melody in the verses is decently interesting and the use of guitars in myriad places makes the overall soundscape very bountiful. The vocalists are on form too. Somehow, the overall package doesn't rise up for me. -Shasank

रो लैण दे (रॉकी और रानी की प्रेम कहानी)

ro laiN de (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani)

Tags: ballad, emotional, folk, funeral song, introspective, melancholic, melancholy, melodious, melody, meloncholy, pop, sad, sentimental, separation, soft, soft rock, soothing

प्रीतम
Pritam

अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य
Amitabh Bhattacharya

सोनू निगम, शिल्पा राव
Sonu Nigam, Shilpa Rao

2.48

Toggle Jury's comments

My favorite number from this soundtrack. -Armeen

A chorus that sounds very similar to "Safarnama" is embellished on all fronts, by a wonderful folksy intro into the song, and a subvertive pop/soft rock style production with airy base layers and Sonu Nigam's refreshing and painladen rendition and a serene cameo by Shilpa Rao. -Shasank

Sonu Nigam does a good job singing but his breath comes in the way to me as a listener. -Pradeep

Lovely Sarod Interlude and accompaniment. Both Sonu and Shilpa are very good. -Sunil

This could have been such a great song if it wasn't so synthesized that Shilpa doesn't sound like Shilpa and Sonu's voice doesn't sound anything like Sonu's. -Neha

Sonu Nigam tries his best to imbue life in this 6/10 song. -Tatsam

Over emotive attempt by Sonu. -Akanksha

Nice sarod interlude. This singing in the whispering falsetto voice is not endearing. -Ketan

No one else but Sonu Nigam could have sung this song. -Harsh

I remember the tremendous impact the song had in the film -- probably the only original track from the film to have that kind of effect in the narrative. Sonu in fine form. -Zico

Sonu Nigam in his element after a long gap. Very nicely complemented by Shilpa Rao. Tugs at your heartstrings. -Ashwini

Sonu and Shilpa sing well and elevate this usual break-up song beyond the average. -Subrat

हुआ मैं (एनिमल)

huaa mai.n (Animal)

Tags: aggressive, ballad, breezy, desirock, grungy, intense, love, passionate, pop-rock, raw, rock, romantic, sensual, upbeat, estranged

प्रीतम
Pritam

मनोज मुंतशिर
Manoj Muntashir

राघव चैतन्य
Raghav Chaitanya

2.48

Toggle Jury's comments

Pritam does Kabir Singh but exposes himself in the antara (which is beautiful btw)! -Akanksha

Bluesy feel will always get a +1 - as they should, always :). -Pranav

Feels like you've heard this before. Pritam is good in making hummable numbers. -Subrat

Raghav Chaitanya is just mind-blowing. -Harsh

This song takes on the Metallica "Nothing else matters" groove with rock guitars and high pitch singing elevating the mood. -Pradeep

Well sung, slightly unusual tune, evokes the passion of being madly in love. -Ashwini

Nothing remarkable in any aspect. -Guri

Nice, sexy song. Raghav Chaitanya really nailing it. What could've been just another bland ballad, is elevated by the interesting chord progressions. -Tatsam

Pritam and Jam8 do some interesting things with the arrangements and production of this track, which sounds very similar to "Kala Jadu" from Freddy, also by Pritam. But the guitars and the way they're mixed adds an interesting dimension. Raghav Chaitanya's rendition has some fiery moments so does some of the rhyming work by Manoj Shukla. -Shasank

Both my audiologist and I agreed that we heard music but no singing, just yelling. If you want to yell musically--listen to one of the greatest songs in that genre-- "Great Gig in the Sky" (Pink Floyd). -Ketan

I mean, it's got an energy to it. I like the opening motif. The singing has got verve. But I'm so tired of this subgenre of Hindi film songs. I never liked them. This seems straight out of the Kabir Singh template. -Zico

Raghav Chaitanya is a new discovery for me. He has a good range and sings with good dynamics. -Sunil

होरी में (गुलमोहर)

horii me.n (Gulmohar)

Tags: bollywood folksy, catchy, classical, dance, festive, folk, folk fusion, folk/classical fusion, fusion, groovy, holi, melody, modern holi song, peppy, rustic, traditional

सिद्धार्थ खोसला, ऐलन डेमॉस
Siddhartha Khosla, Alan Demoss

शेल्ली
Shellee

कविता सेठ
Kavita Seth

2.42

Toggle Jury's comments

Was reminded of Genda Phool, without feeling derivative. Kavita Seth holds her own. -Tatsam

If it were not for this track's repeated insistence on the relatively simple hookline, it would have soared much higher. But I guess, they needed a hookline/chorus for promotional purposes for the film. Alas. There is so much to the melody outside of the chorus line and the production does several interesting things to uplift the track, even during the chorus. Shellee's lyrics are a joy, letting one get lost in a myriad metaphors and Kavita Seth's pitching all across the board is perfect, a voice for the ages! -Shasank

A surprisingly restrained Holi song. The lyrics are good and the song isn't the usual rambunctious Holi songs we are used to. -Subrat

Good melody and nice bass in the background. The song has some decent value but Kavita Seth's voice isn't the best for this. -Ketan

The less often heard Shehnai makes a welcome appearance at the outset of the song. A traditional song in a modern veil. Kavita Seth has the perfect rustic voice for this song. -Sunil

Tired music, tired singing. No punch. Unremarkable and confused melody. -Guri

Forgettable holi song. There is another beautiful song in the film which didn't show up on this list - bachpan ki galiyaan. -Neha

Starts with desh raag type melody. Singing elevates the melody. -Pradeep

Kavita Seth's heavy and raspy voice is perfect for this, beautifully sung. -Ashwini

एक तारा (मस्त में रहने का)

ek taaraa (Mast Mein Rehne Ka)

Tags: breezy, groovy, happy, inspirational, love, melody, nostalgia, peppy, philosophical, pop, romantic, soothing, uplifting, warm

अनुराग सैकिया
Anurag Saikia

विजय मौर्या
Vijay Maurya

मधुबंती बागची, विशाल मिश्रा
Madhubanti Bagchi, Vishal Mishra

2.38

Toggle Jury's comments

For what is arguably a crowd-pleaser, pop romantic number, this track is ambitious in the vocal arrangements. The production is relatively straight forward but Vishal Mishra does a fabulous job with delicate pitching and delivery of vocals throughout. The melody is sublime too, in its own right. -Shasank

Reminds me of an Arijit Singh song. -Ashwini

A beautiful song nested in a beautiful film (one of the best films of the year). I love songs where the lyricist is able to encapsulate some scene from the film (Chhappar me Chhed) and (Ek taara TimTimaya) and really weave it into meaningful lyrics that capture both the surface level details and the deeper meaning in the film. Vijay Maurya, who is the lyricist, writer, director, and actor in the film has really pulled a remarkable feat. Given that he started with very small-on-screen roles back from Satya days, this is an impressive career trajectory. Lovely backing vocals as well. -Sunil

Love this melody and the Carnatic (Nalinakanthi) style flute type bgm. -Pradeep

I really wish Madhubanti Bagchi gets more and more songs. -Pranav

I can't figure out what emotion the male singer is trying to convey. -Ketan

Blah. Singer sounds like Arijit and the lyrics are back in that faux-Gulzar territory. -Subrat

Madhubanti Bagchi was needed a little more in this song! -Akanksha

The final stretch of the song takes it to an overwhelming, spiritual level. -Harsh

बंजारे (ऑलमोस्ट प्यार विद डीजे मोहब्बत)

ba.njaare (Almost Pyaar With DJ Mohabbat)

Tags: chill-out, dance, dance beats, edm, electonic, electronic, groove, grungy, hypnotic, intense, lively, love, peppy, rebel, rock ballad, romantic, techno, upbeat, youthful

अमित त्रिवेदी
Amit Trivedi

शेल्ली
Shellee

निखिता गाँधी
Nikhita Gandhi

2.37

Toggle Jury's comments

Interesting song. Says something about the subject of the film -- whether it is through the lyrics, style of singing, or the DJ sampling bits. -Zico

The melody and main arrangements unfortunately don't live up to the initial excitement or the base arrangements of this track, falling into a very normal-spec EDM beat ~ perhaps fit to a theme from the movie, but which doesn't make for a riveting listen, despite having an evocative outro. Shellee's lyrics are to the point, while Nikhita Gandhi's vocals offer some repeat value. I wish there was more to this track. -Shasank

Good track but not memorable. Feels like Kashyap-Trivedi leftovers from DevD. -Subrat

it's a great, great song already.. but just the way Trivedi chooses to end the piece process his true genius. -Harsh

Not a song I could care about a lot. Lyrics trying too hard, like the film. -Tatsam

Good singing by Nikhita Gandhi. -Ashwini

Very Amit Trivedi music. The catchy music and beat takes it through. -Ketan

I don't care for this style of singing, so didnt enjoy it much. -Neha

Amit Trivedi in this usual style builds one layer at a time and by the time all layers have been added he has captured the desired mood in the film. -Sunil

Arrangement keeps up with a classic modern arrangement concepts well suited for the movie. -Pranav

Not catchy. Not remarkable in any department. -Guri

रह जाओ ना (तेजस)

rah jaao naa (Tejas)

Tags: ballad, calm, easy listening, folk, longing, love, melancholic, melodious, minimalistic, moody, philosophical, poignant, pop, reflective, relaxing, separation, serene, soft, soothing

शाश्वत सचदेव
Shashwat Sachdev

कुमार
Kumaar

हरिहरन, शाश्वत सचदेव
Hariharan, Shashwat Sachdev

2.37

Toggle Jury's comments

Good to hear the dulcet voice of Hariharan after some time. Has a lovely violin both as interlude and at the end, almost as if to add to the pleading words of the singer. The melody and the singing have a heapful of 'thehraav'. -Sunil

A fairly conventional melody amped up by a very interesting arrangement and instrumentation, particularly elevated after the second interlude with sarangi and piano work. I was very surprised to hear auto-tune style production of Hariharan's vocals though, which sounded a bit strained overall. -Shasank

Nice piano orchestration but Shashwat Sachdev is singing as if the mike is going to bite him. -Ketan

Beautiful song. -Subrat

Hariharan is excellent, nice soothing sound. -Ashwini

Lovely music, Outstanding singing, but the lyrics - totally killed the meter of what would be a great composition and a great song - for instance how “chhod” which is two syllables had to be elongated to fit the meter which requires 3 syllables!!! -Pranav

Kitni Baatein's poorer cousin. -Tatsam

So good to hear Hariharan in a song that fully knows what the legend does best. Also, such a pleasure to hear such a soft, calming song in current times. -Harsh

Hariharan sounds like Mukesh :) and his genre of melancholoy. -Pradeep

A mood piece. Top notch production. Exquisite Hariharan. Shashwat Sachdev has possibilities. -Zico

सतरंगा (एनिमल)

satara.ngaa (Animal)

Tags: ballad, bedtime, filmy, love, melancholy, melodious, old-school, pure, romantic, soulful, yearning

श्रेयस पुराणिक
Shreyas Puranik

सिद्धार्थ-गरिमा
Siddharth–Garima

अरिजित सिंह
Arijit Singh

2.35

Toggle Jury's comments

Arijit is his usual self and so is Shreyas's music. It is the lyrics that stand out. They sound so much more appropriate in the context of the movie! Good work by Siddharth and Garima. माथे से 'लगा लूँ हाथ छू के मैं पैर तेरे
हो, रख लूँ मैं तन पे ज़ख़म बना सारे बैर तेरे', 'मन मातम और ज़िंदा है ये इश्क़ रे'. -Akanksha

Typical use of Arijit's voice - gave me a déjà vu feeling. -Sunil

Arijit Singh is good as always, but nothing very unusual. -Ashwini

While it does have the typical hindi cinema ballad flavor that's been overdosed this past decade, this is a surprisingly complex melody for the vocalist to deliver and of course, Arijit makes it feel like he was just jamming on a weekend afternoon with a cup of chai.Siddharth-Garima's lyrics are from a very different page from what is typically seen in a track like this in Hindi cinema. Shreyas Puranik keeps the arrangements simple but as mentioned, the melody strictly has a lot of ups and downs from the vocals standpoint that keep the track interesting overall. -Shasank

I have made this point before - how does one make out one Arijit Singh track from another? All sound the same. -Subrat

Music drags. Lyric is decent in patches. Overall it does not work. -Guri

Nice vibe but we have heard this arrangement many times before. -Pradeep

Pritam is probably our only school to the classic Bollywood school of music. -Harsh

Lovely song contrasting those acidic visuals. This is a bread-butter song for Arijiit, which he elevates with his mere presence. -Tatsam

How many more such songs do we have to keep listening to? -Pranav

Sounds like every other Arijit song. -Ketan

तेरे वास्ते (ज़रा हटके ज़रा बचके)

tere vaaste (Zara Hatke Zara Bachke)

Tags: easy, filmi qawwali, filmy, funk, groovy, love, pop, qawwali, quirky, romantic, truck-wala song

सचिन-जिगर
Sachin-Jigar

अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य
Amitabh Bhattacharya

वरुण जैन, सचिन, जिगर, शादाब फ़रीदी, अल्तमश फ़रीदी
Varun Jain, Sachin, Jigar, Shadaab Faridi, Altamash Faridi

2.34

Toggle Jury's comments

Chorus is the star of this song and that’s unusual. -Pradeep

Instagram reel melody dwitiya. -Tatsam

Interesting use of the harmonium in the interlude. -Ketan

The whole thing rests on the bit that got famous on Instagram. It helps that the hook itself is better -- some nice sounding tabla and the qawwali weaves in the title of the film, which is a nice touch. -Zico

Not a fan of this song. at all. -Harsh

Such a fun track that mixes qawwali-ish percussions and layers with funk style guitars to a very cohesive and powerful effect. The melody is in sync, bringing in a lot of fun, although it has shades of prior Hindi songs. Varun Jain's vocals are a breath of fresh air, both in being effecive but also being a voice other than Arijit to connect with. Amitabh also gets to have a lot of fun with the words in the verses. -Shasank

Reminds me of "tu cheez badi hai mast mast". -Sunil

Popular, nice beat, well sung. -Ashwini

The rhythm works well here. Nothing else remarkable. -Guri

These type of songs are the new gen 'truck waale' songs. -Akanksha

खम्मा घणी (दोनों)

khammaa ghaNii (Dono)

Tags: bollywood folksy, filmy, folk, folksy, happy, love, playful, rajasthani words, romantic, rustic, soft, sweet, traditional, upbeat, uplifting

शंकर-एहसान-लॉय
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

इरशाद कामिल
Irshad Kamil

शिवम महादेवन, श्रेया घोषाल
Shivam Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal

2.34

Toggle Jury's comments

This is a typical SEL rhythm/melody that you heard in 2000s. -Pradeep

I kinda liked the combination of folk, electric piano, distortion guitar, etc. so added +1. Singing is…well…as you’d expect. -Pranav

Great chemistry between Shreya Ghoshal and Shivam Mahadevan. -Ashwini

The usual Rajasthani flavoured track. -Subrat

A fun, upbeat track based on a somewhat conventional melody, but updated with very enjoyable arrangements, particularly through the use of the harmonium. Shreya Goshal and Shivam Mahadevan are so on point and emotive, the latter particularly so, with the voice resembling so much of his Dad's! -Shasank

Wonderful song and lovely singing by Shreya and Shivam. The album was a good serendipitous discovery which would not not grabbed my attention was it not for the RMIM Puraskaar selection process. -Sunil

Reminded me of a similar nok-jhok composition from Kuch Naa Kaho. -Tatsam

A tribute to MMK. Doesn't hit as hard as anything from, say, Paheli. -Guri

Nicely sung by both. Shreya is not as shrill as she normally is. -Ketan

There is some playfulness. But it sounds a bit tacky, if you know what I mean. SEL have done folk before and they've made produced a very sophisticated sound. -Zico

पुकारूँ हरि ओम (द ग्रेट इंडियन फ़ैमिली)

pukaaroo.N hari om (The Great Indian Family)

Tags: bhajan, classical, devotional, filmy, folk, soft, traditional, uplifting

प्रीतम
Pritam

अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य
Amitabh Bhattacharya

सोनू निगम
Sonu Nigam

2.32

Toggle Jury's comments

The surprises that Pritam is capable of. I like a good bhajan and this one's all soul, and Sonu is so good -- technically so brilliant with his remarkable range and control. Add to that, Amitabh. So totally surprised by this one. -Zico

Sonu uses his silken voice, his clear enunciation, his understanding of dynamics and energy to great effect. -Sunil

Only saving grace was listening to Sonu of old. -Ketan

Sonu is good but not at his best, voice trembling. -Ashwini

The tabla beat took me to main hoon naa song and Sonu Nigam delivers but I wouldn't revisit this many times. -Pradeep

The music (both the melody and the arrangement) barely saves an average track. -Guri

Sonu's voice is misri, especially when it is devotional songs. The lyrics aren't profound, but his voice and aalaps are definitely beautiful. I won't listen to it on repeat, but the few times I do listen, I won't skip it. -Akanksha

hehe, the music takes the tabla riff of another Sonu song "tum se milke dil ka" in the song at times. -Neha

Although the structure of this track is fairly conventional, the melody and interlude arrangements follow a sublime rhythm and tune that offers a very saccharine effect, aided greatly by Sonu Nigam's beautiful and delicate rendition. Amitabh has some very interesting wordplay infused into this devotional song, a breather from the rest of the lyrical work you find in mainstream Hindi cinema. -Shasank

मस्त में रहने का (मस्त में रहने का)

mast me.n rahane kaa (Mast Mein Rehne Ka)

Tags: carefree, groovy, hip-hop, pop, rap, street rap, upbeat

काम भारी
Kaam Bhaari

काम भारी, जैकी श्रॉफ़
Kaam Bhaari, Jackie Shroff

2.31

Toggle Jury's comments

Such a fun song! -Tatsam

Kaam Bhaari's raps are always packed with words to be dug into with philosophical vigor, the rendition is with full gusto and has an effective cameo from Jackie Shroff. A very simple beat grounds this anthemic track with a sometimes unconventional arrangement. -Shasank

Jackie doing rap - it hurts! -Akanksha

Decent lyric wasted in pedantic music and singing. -Guri

I am a fan of desi hip hop nowadays so this song will always resonate with me. Well composed, complex rhymes, strong expressive lyrics. -Pranav

He he. Good break from all those wannabe soulful songs. Plus there's Jaggu dada rapping in authentic tapori. -Subrat

I like Kaam Bhaari’s flow, so it’s good to hear him here. But the track hardly does justice to his talents, like, say, the way the Gully Boy track did. -Zico

Kaam Bhaari is excellent, but after Gully Boy doesn't sound pathbreaking. -Ashwini

तुम क्या मिले (रॉकी और रानी की प्रेम कहानी)

tum kyaa mile (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani)

Tags: classical, dance number, filmy, grand, longing, love ballad, melody, nostalgic, old-school, peppy, romantic, soft, traditional

प्रीतम
Pritam

अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य
Amitabh Bhattacharya

अरिजित सिंह, श्रेया घोषाल
Arijit Singh, Shreya Ghoshal

2.30

Toggle Jury's comments

This is a typical Pritam song with Amitabh's lyrics that create the usual magic. But a good song nevertheless. Tick for the usage of 'rozmarra'. -Akanksha

This album is so good that even though this song is objectively nice, it's my least favourite song in the album. -Ashwini

A typical Pritam number. -Pradeep

Clearly the base melody is taken from S-E-L's 'Mitwa' (KANK) another Karan Johar production and Pritam has just put some tweaks here and there and garnished it. Arijit seems to control himself to put in the right emotion. -Ketan

Yet again, it's Shreya Ghoshal who saves this song for me. Kudos to Pritam for composing such different pieces for male and female vocals. -Harsh

We don't get this kind of big sound in Hindi cinema anymore! Essentially plucked out of the Jatin-Lalit school of music, Pritam does a fine job of evelating standard issue percussions and base layers with an exciting use of strings, brass, and keys. But it is the melody that takes the cake and everything else with this track, with enough moods, swings, and strokes to offer three distinct approaches within the three verses. And as good as Arijit is in his passionate highs, the comforting mediums and lows in Shreya's vocals just offer an ocean of peace. Amitabh Bhattacharya's playful yet sermon like words are a treat. -Shasank

Meh. -Tatsam

Pleasing song. -Sunil

The usual Pritam track. Repetitive. -Subrat

फ़रेबी (नीयत)

farebii (Neeyat)

Tags: cabaret, classical, dramatic;, hypnotic, jazz, mysterious, noir, pop, retro, suspense, suspenseful, thriller, waltz

मिकी मैकक्लियरी
Mikey McCleary

कौसर मुनीर
Kausar Munir

लोथिका
Lothika

2.29

Toggle Jury's comments

A sometimes fun, yet largely old school and familiar jazz number - it does have some richly layered arrangements yet the overall effect is very monotonous and a bit passe. Very interesting vocal work by Lothika Jha though and Kausar Munir's words do invoke some magic in places. -Shasank

My only takeaway from an otherwise insipid movie. Mikey McCleary+Lothika are a great match! -Tatsam

Nicely sung. -Ashwini

Lovely song. That singing style always a gets me. -Subrat

Jazz-blues extremely well executed. -Pranav

Punchy voice and powerful modulations! -Akanksha

Bombay Velvet any one? Doesn't impress as much, despite good lyric. -Guri

I was a fan of Mikey’s early Bollywood work — and I'm very much including his underrated compositions for Nautanki Saala — but this seems like a pale imitation of what gave him early success. -Zico

Interesting voice by Lothika Jha. Very similar to "Mohabbat buri bimari" from 'Bombay Velvet'. Not surprising as I learnt that the New Zealander composer (Chennai born, mumbai based) Mike McCleary has composed tracks for Bombay Velvet too. -Ketan

This one reminds me of some other song. -Neha

Absolutely spellbinding piece of composition, almost operatic. -Harsh

शो मी द ठुमका (तू झूठी मैं मक्कार)

Show Me The Thumka (Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar)

Tags: club, dance, dance number, festive, filmy, fun, groovy, peppy, playful, pop

प्रीतम
Pritam

अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य
Amitabh Bhattacharya

शाश्वत सिंह, सुनिधि चौहान
Shashwat Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan

2.24

Toggle Jury's comments

Sunidhi Chauhan had a pretty good 2023 in terms of quality of songs, and this dance song from Pritam and Amitabh Bhattacharya sees the singer at her exuberant best alongside Shashwat Singh. And infectiously fun song. -Vipin

Why is Pritam so often comfortable with catchiness? -Harsh

Another foot tapping number. Sunidhi as always rocks. -Ketan

Sunidhi is the perfect choice for such an energetic song. She always shines in such exuberant songs. I am sure it will play in parties and sangeet ceremonies for some time. -Sunil

Dissapointing except Sunidhi's voice. -Akanksha

Instantly forgettable. -Subrat

Super popular at parties, weddings. -Ashwini

Arguably an improvement on Dilli Waali Girlfriend, which is high praise actually. Sunidhi supremacy! -Tatsam

Probably the track that I was most dismissive about, and the one that still managed to decently surprise me. There are some interesting layers in there, upbeat percussions, some surprising melody in the verses, and the lyrics are quite fun. The chorus line gets tiring really quickly though and does overwhelm any freshness in the rest of the track. Listening to Sunidhi here makes one miss her and another gentle reminder that Shashwat Singh is criminally underused. -Shasank

ओ माही (डंकी)

o maahii (Dunki)

Tags: ballad, filmy, grand, love, melody, motivational, qawwali, romantic, soulful, traditional

प्रीतम
Pritam

इरशाद कामिल
Irshad Kamil

अरिजित सिंह
Arijit Singh

2.22

Toggle Jury's comments

Competently sung, very hummable, not exceptional. -Ashwini

ओ माही' - the refrain - is not as well served as it could've been with better music. -Guri

Perfect chorus for reels :). -Neha

Tabla is on fire and the shift of percussion instruments apart from Arijit Singh's rendition makes this song a hit. -Pradeep

Arijit is a good singer. But, really, how many same songs can he sing? -Subrat

Vintage Arijit+Pritam+Irshad Kamil. All in fine form. -Tatsam

Either Pritam's music is totally unimaginative or Arijit's voice makes every song sound the same. -Ketan

Nothing new, nothing special, just looking like a same old! :). -Pranav

Nice enough. I like the tabla. The kind of song Arijit can sing in his sleep, but I’m very pleased with it. Pritam is very good with easy to like, apparently generic fare, but it’s not easy to get it right. -Zico

While largely conventional, the blend of a soft rock and qawwali-esque arrangements works very well here. The chorus line can get a bit tiring but the rest of the melody soars and Pritam lets Arijit loose for a wonderful outro to establish an overall magnanimous feel to the track. Irshad Kamil delivers some punchy lines. -Shasank

तेरे प्यार में (तू झूठी मैं मक्कार)

tere pyaar me.n (Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar)

Tags: ballad, breezy, club, dance, electronic, filmy, love, peppy, romantic, upbeat

प्रीतम
Pritam

अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य
Amitabh Bhattacharya

अरिजित सिंह, निखिता गाँधी
Arijit Singh, Nikhita Gandhi

2.21

Toggle Jury's comments

Just the main groove is so catchy, that it keeps you going. -Harsh

Easily the standout song of the album -- and one of the standout tracks of the year. Pritam does all those things I've mentioned about the previous two songs, and goes one better. The highpoint of the song? Has to be the part where it goes 'Tere jism ke har inch pe'... The song suddenly changing complexion, and hitting a sort of blissful slo-mo state... all happening within a very beach party space. -Zico

Instantly forgettable. -Subrat

Another 90s-00s-ish track with an interesting mix of filmy, electronic, and plain old pop sounds - Pritam attempts a wonderful back and forth between the vocalists in the verses, all abetting a potent melody. Arijit and Nikhita work wonders as a pair. -Shasank

Pritam is good at copying---his own tunes. Serious lack of imagination. -Ketan

दिल दरिया (शिव शास्त्री बलबोआ)

dil dariyaa (Shiv Shastri Balboa)

Tags: atmospheric, catchy, folk, freeflowing, happy, jazz, motivational, philosophical, retro, soft, swoony, tango, travel song, unconventional, upbeat, warm

आलोकानंद दासगुप्ता
Alokananda Dasgupta

राजेश्वरी दासगुप्ता घोष
Rajeshwari Dasgupta Ghose

नयनतारा भटकल
Nayantara Bhatkal

2.19

Toggle Jury's comments

Nayantara Bhatkal's vocals are brilliant, and Alokananda Dasgupta's melody is a good mix of folk, gypsy, contemporary. -Tatsam

What a beautiful composition, so satisfied in its minimalistic arrangment. -Harsh

I find Alokananda's BGM work very impressive, but I have to say, I'm yet to like any of her songs. This one sounds like a mediocre knockoff of 'Pari Hoon Main'. -Zico

Aloknanda Dasgupta is a talented composer. -Sunil

Dislike the voice but love the singing and the melody. A bit of a "Pari hoon main" touch. -Ketan

Promising start with Spanish guitar, nice complex flamenco rhythm with claps, amazing voice, overall very nice song. -Pranav

Works for me, overall. -Guri

An extremely pleasant surprise on this playlist, a track that favors ultimate mood creation over any other technicalities and one that wins big for that reason! Aloknanda Dasgupta keeps the arrangements simple and so is the overall melody, but there are some dense string layers to sink into and the melody just keeps you floating, buoyed by a very interesting rendition by Nayantara Bhatkal. -Shasank

Nice but forgettable tune, nothing special. -Ashwini

Singing is competent. Everything else is average. -Subrat

ये नज़र (आइ लव यू)

ye nazar (I Love You)

Tags: breezy, filmy, jazz, longing, love, melody, old-school, oldworldly, orchestral, pop, retro, romantic, soft, swoony, waltzy

शोर पुलिस
Shor Police

हुसैन हैदरी
Hussain Haidry

अदनान सामी
Adnan Sami

2.18

Toggle Jury's comments

It was nice to see the under-utilised Clinton Cerejo (along with Bianca Gomes) in the composing credits for a couple of Hindi movies this year, and this song is my favourite among the tracks they did across the movies. A beautiful retro-sounding piece written wonderfully by Hussain Haidry and sung by Adnan Sami who has always excelled with such melodies that carry a Western flavour. -Vipin

Nice song. Sami is a limited singer but he carries this off well in a very familiar yearning style of his. -Subrat

I mean, it's nice to hear Adnan Sami again I guess, but that's not enough. Nothing else about it really strikes you. -Zico

Lovely jazz sounding along with accordion and then tablas/dholaks - beautifully done, can feel age in Adnan Sami’s voice. -Pranav

Good to hear Adnan after a while! -Akanksha

It is lovely to hear Adnan Sami's voice after a bit and he gets to have some fun in this track, but the rest of it is rather unimaginative for me, with a relatively routine melody unaided by standard issue instrumentation and lyrics. -Shasank

Characteristic Adnan Sami singing, competent, nice retro tune. -Ashwini

The melody & the arrangement hark back to the RD sound.. but not punchy. -Guri

Just happy to hear another voice. They should give more songs to Adnan Sami. -Ketan

Adnan Sami bringing his usual looseness to a good song by Clinton Cerejo-Bianca Gomes. -Tatsam

राँगला (दोनों)

raa.Ngalaa (Dono)

Tags: classical, filmy, folk, folksy, gentle, introspective, love, melody, nostalgic, romantic, rustic, soft, traditional, virah

शंकर-एहसान-लॉय
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

इरशाद कामिल
Irshad Kamil

प्रतिभा सिंह बघेल, शंकर महादेवन
Pratibha Singh Baghel, Shankar Mahadevan

2.16

Toggle Jury's comments

Pratibha is fully in Shreya-mode, not necessarily a good thing. -Neha

Liked the singer. Music is quite average. -Subrat

The song flows like a gentle river, drenching you with its sweetness and warmth. -Harsh

Another tribute to MMK. Doesn't shine. -Guri

Beautifully sung by Pratibha Baghel. and featuring S-E-L's vintage minor note,. -Tatsam

A lovely romantic melody that is signature Shankar Ehsaan Loy, helped along its way by some fine writing from Irshad Kamil, and the singing by Shankar Mahadevan and a terrific singer whose talent seems to get properly utilised only by SEL, Pratibha Singh Baghel. -Vipin

The 'ranglaa' part redeems it. Otherwise a fairly forgettable song. -Zico

Good compostion with very good singing. Ends with a pleasing Maand. -Sunil

A quaintly familiar melody in most places, this track is superbly propped up by the "Raangla" line and a fantastic outro from Shankar Mahadevan, complemented beautifully in low-key fashion by Pratibha Singh Baghel. Irshad Kamil's words are tone-appropriate and get interesting in places. -Shasank

Lots of new singers in this album. Pratibha is good but not as good as Shreya and Himani. Shankar M. is v good as always. -Ashwini

Nice tune, relaxed singing. -Ketan

लुट पुट गया (डंकी)

luT puT gayaa (Dunki)

Tags: bhangra pop, catchy, comical, dance, dhol, filmy, groovy, love, melody, peppy, playful, punjab, romantic, sweet, traditional, upbeat, fun

प्रीतम
Pritam

स्वानंद किरकिरे, आइपी सिंह
Swanand Kirkire, IP Singh

अरिजित सिंह
Arijit Singh

2.16

Toggle Jury's comments

Instantly likeable. Infectiously groovy. A great melange of rhythm, melody and words. Love it. -Zico

The traditional and simplistic arrangements for this track feel deliberate in the sense of keeping this track mainstream but the tune is one to catch and hold dear and keep going back to for a whiff of a smile, on the most trying of days, reminding us to take it easy. Such joy in this track, sheerly coming out of the melody and that breezy yet touchy outro from Arijit. Who happens to bring much passion to this track but I also wish there was some mischief in his rendition, specially in the beginning verses of this track. The lyrics are plenty playful, inducing colloquialisms like "how do you do?" effortlessly. All these years and Pritam Da is still pulling melodies out of thin air as if this were his first gig. Respect. -Shasank

मैं तो धुम-चिक-पट-धुम' etc. make it into a reasonable track overall. Lyric is okay, too. -Guri

Arijit is actually having fun singing this song for a change and doesn't sound like someone has a gun to his head. -Ketan

Despite Arijit Singh, couldn't care about this song. Clearly not the audience for that hook line. -Tatsam

Interesting combination of singers and lyricists. Nice tune to hum, most popular song from this album. -Ashwini

खट्ट-मिठियाँ (दोनों)

khaTT-miThiyaa.N (Dono)

Tags: bluesy, filmy, folk, gentle, introspective, longing, love, nostalgic, romantic, rustic, soft, traditional, upbeat, warm

शंकर-एहसान-लॉय
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

इरशाद कामिल
Irshad Kamil

हिमानी कपूर
Himani Kapoor

2.10

Toggle Jury's comments

This is so utterly generic (in a bad way) that I don't know what else to say. -Zico

Easy listening and glad to hear a different voice instead of the usual suspects. -Ketan

Flat, unexciting song. Himani Kapoor deserves better. -Tatsam

Good to hear Himani's voice. Irshaad's lyrics are ok but khatt-mithiyan doesn't work well as the hook phrase. -Akanksha

Signature SEL, but doesn't work. -Guri

What a voice! Love the chords and the keyboard arrangements. -Pranav

A smooth blend of percussions and strings float this somewhat familiar melody rendered in Himani Kapoor's unique voice, which we sadly don't hear more of. Not a very novel track from SEL but offers a decently enjoyable vibe. -Shasank

Great to hear Himani Kapoor after her successful run during the 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' days. Most of the great singers otherwise who appear on Reality TV just dissapear. Very well-balanced song- with music, lyrics and singing all complementing each other well. -Sunil

This is a soothing listen. The singing is competent. But I suspect there is some kind of a factory that's churning out all these similar sounding songs. -Subrat

Excellent singing by Himani Kapoor (another discovery for me), delicate imagery in the lyrics. -Ashwini

तू जो है (महिला वर्ज़न) (कड़क सिंह)

tuu jo hai (Female Version) (Kadak Singh)

Tags: ballad, classical, dance, dream, love, love song, melancholic, melodious, poignant, pop, sentimental, slow, soft, soothing, soulful, sweet, traditional

शांतनु मोइत्रा
Shantanu Moitra

तनवीर गाज़ी
Tanveer Ghazi

श्रेया घोषाल, पापोन
Shreya Ghoshal, Papon

2.10

Toggle Jury's comments

Sitar by Mehtab Ali is on fire; I somehow link the sitar melody to Piku theme. -Pradeep

Pleasing arrangement and singing. Chorus and the sound of sitar are a good touch. -Sunil

Shreya Ghoshal can sing these tracks effortlessly. The song is just flat. And those lyrics are just plain laboured. -Subrat

Again, not a bad song. But seems like Shantanu Moitra is repeating himself. And that's boring. -Zico

Cloyingly sweet singing. Good instrumentation. -Ketan

Shreya nails the emotions right from the start when she delivers "tu jo hai" and the whole mukhda

Didn't get the appeal of this song, period. -Harsh

A fabulous blend of string work, aalaaps, and occasional cameos by the Tabla anchor this song on a delicious layer to build off of, with a fabulous Shreya Goshal for company. Sadly, the melody doesn't want to soar and stays within a redundant formula. At a high level, a beautiful sounding track then refuses to break new ground. -Shasank

न न रे न न is the only redeeming aspect. Doesn't work overall. -Guri

Back to same old same old. -Pranav

Shreya is always good. Song seems nice when one is listening but doesn't stay with the listener afterwards. -Ashwini

खो गये हम कहाँ (खो गए हम कहाँ)

kho gaye ham kahaa.N (Kho Gaye Hum Kahan)

Tags: atmospheric, breezy, dance, dance beats, desipop, disco, electronic, funky, grunge, love, peppy, pop, retro, soft rock, unconventional, upbeat, youthful

अचिंत
Achint

जावेद अख़्तर
Javed Akhtar

अचिंत
Achint

2.09

Toggle Jury's comments

Sing-along club anthem, easy on the ears. Fits the movie. Has a great vibe. You don't have to make an effort to like it. -Zico

All I hear is electronic instruments/beats. This is lazy work on part of the arranger. -Ketan

Foot tapping type song, nice-ish, decent lyrics. -Ashwini

A fairly mainstream, upbeat pop number made interesting with some high notes, electronic instrumentation, punchy lyrics, and a faded overall sound design. Somehow unique and not at the same time, but still fun nonetheless. -Shasank

This nineties MTV sound doesn't have any redeeming qualities. -Guri

Sounds like a update on Koi Kane Kahta Rahe. -Subrat

Plus 1 for 80s synth and drums - you can see that the composer is making an effort, not going with cookie cutter approach. -Pranav

My least favorite song in the album. Pretty straightforward for someone as talented as Achint Thakkr. -Tatsam

Wish the song had more to offer beyond the 80s pop vibe. -Harsh

फिर और क्या चाहिये (ज़रा हटके ज़रा बचके)

phir aur kyaa chaahiye (Zara Hatke Zara Bachke)

Tags: ballad, easy, filmy, love, melody, pop, rock, romantic, soft, soulful, yearning

सचिन-जिगर
Sachin-Jigar

अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य
Amitabh Bhattacharya

अरिजित सिंह
Arijit Singh

2.07

Toggle Jury's comments

A very interesting grungy rock arrangement works quite well, in contrast to a very filmy yet pretty melody in this track, one perfectly fit for Arijit's passionate rendition. Wish the lyrics were a bit more imaginative here. -Shasank

The hook and the rest sound like they belong to two different songs stitched together rather awkwardly -- perhaps an example of what happens when you give in to composing keeping in mind a part tailor-made for reels, and as a result back calculate a song out of a hook. -Zico

Unremarkable, generic. -Ashwini

Even though the latter parts are very catchy, somehow I never feel settled with this composition overall. Also, it's conventional enough to remain a pleasant hear, but never topples over to reach a point of greatness. -Harsh

Sachin-Jigar don’t stick to one genre which sometimes goes against them not to have signature. This song is a typical filmy song, percussions lead the way here. -Pradeep

Sachin-Jigar, just like Pritam, seem to be out of new ideas. -Pranav

Great melody from Sachin Jigar who quietly went about their business in 2023 delivering some neat work. Also helping here is the fact that Arijit Singh pours his heart out into the rendition. -Vipin

Nice hook, but underwhelming otherwise. -Tatsam

Nothing remarkable for me. Sachin-Jigar repeat themselves. A part felt like 'main tera main tera' from Kalank. -Akanksha

दोनों (दोनों)

dono.n (Dono)

Tags: acoustic, ballad, breezy, easy listening, filmy, love, love song, melodious, nostalgic, peppy, romantic, soft rock, warm

शंकर-एहसान-लॉय
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

इरशाद कामिल
Irshad Kamil

अरमान मलिक
Armaan Malik

2.05

Toggle Jury's comments

Yeah, I am a sucker for these kind of tracks. SEL have done better tracks in a similar vein but in a year like this I'm happy with this. -Subrat

Generic Armaan Malik, surprisingly flat. -Tatsam

The song picks up when the hook comes in. The rest is pretty mediocre. Amaan Malik’s voice is annoying as it is. -Zico

I’m not against autotune, in fact encourage the use of it, but this one is too perfect. Also, haven’t we already heard 100s of such songs? -Pranav

Armaan Malik soulfully carries along this breezy, lilting track that feels like a gentle flight. A very soft rock style arrangement with mellow string work in several layers, it creates and holds a sublime mood and still manages to get inventive in the bridge. The lyrics are very generic although fitting to the theme. -Shasank

There's promise in the beginning, but it's not delivered. The singing lacks punch, as does the refrain. -Guri

A very very effortless, breezy feel-good ditty. -Harsh

Dono feels like an early 2000s album, with nothing standing out but everything sounding pleasant to the ears. -Akanksha

Beautifully sung by Armaan Malik, this album was a pleasant revelation for me personally. -Ashwini

Nice guitar strumming. -Ketan

Full album was a disappointment. I am not surprised I have not noticed this one even though I am a SEL fan. -Neha

Pleasing melody. Loved the repetition on the 'dono.n' bit. -Sunil

इंतज़ार था (टीकू वेड्स शेरू)

i.ntazaar thaa (Tiku Weds Sheru)

Tags: easy listening, filmy, happy, lilting, love, melody, pop, retro, romantic, soft, swoony, waiting

गौरव चटर्जी, साई कबीर
Gaurav Chatterji, Sai Kabir

साई कबीर
Sai Kabir

मोनाली ठाकुर
Monali Thakur

2.05

Toggle Jury's comments

In a year that had its fair share of retro, this is a nice composition sung well. -Subrat

Melodious song; crisp vocals by Monali. -Sunil

Beautiful strings and harmonium aside, this track feels rather normal due to its familiar melody and overall arrangement and routine lyrics. Monali Thakur shines though with her layered vocals. -Shasank

Retro sounds, Monali is good, but song is generic. -Ashwini

Monali Thakur is one that I miss hearing more of and from (Madubanti Bagchi being the other). -Pranav

So breezy, so pleasant. -Harsh

Nice to hear an old style song focusing on simple music and orchestration. -Ketan

प्यार होता कई बार है (तू झूठी मैं मक्कार)

pyaar hotaa ka_ii baar hai (Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar)

Tags: chartbuster, club, dance, dance number, filmy, happy, love, party, peppy, pop, romantic

प्रीतम
Pritam

अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य
Amitabh Bhattacharya

अरिजित सिंह, चरण
Arijit Singh, Charan

1.85

Toggle Jury's comments

Affordable 'Badtameez dil'. -Akanksha

Gurgaon's Cyberhub in the form of a song. -Tatsam

Very catchy. The kind of effortless fun dance number Pritam has mastered.But it does get jaded after repeated listening. -Zico

A very 2000s-ish dance number that is a straightforward, peppy, big melody, amplified by fun electronic-funk instruments. Arijit's vocals and Amitabh's lyrics are solid fun too. -Shasank

Unusual and candid lyrics: admitting that people don't fall in love just once and that heartbreak is normal. -Ashwini

बंदा (डंकी)

bandaa (Dunki)

Tags: catchy, comical, dance, electronic, energetic, filmy, folk fusion, masala, motivational, peppy, pop, punjab, punjabi, punjabi pop, upbeat

प्रीतम
Pritam

कुमार
Kumaar

दिलजीत दोसाँझ
Diljit Dosanjh

1.79

Toggle Jury's comments

A Punjabi dhol tunes song but slightly unusual. -Ashwini

Diljit doing his thing, but still couldn't care too much about the song. -Tatsam

Just a lot of yelling in a Sukhwinder-ish voice. -Ketan

I'm appalled that this song was not only composed, it also made it to this list. (It sounds like the kind of song that would sound better in the context of the scene it plays in the movie, but I haven't seen Dunki.). -Zico

The music is catchy, for the most part… borrowing from Punjabi folk (Lohri stuff) a fair bit. -Guri

One extra point for Diljit's rendition. -Subrat

Despite Diljit's spirited vocals, this track doesn't really do much for me musically, be it the generic melody or the arrangements and production or the lyrics straight out of a masala entertainer from Telugu cinema. -Shasank

ले आऊँगा (सत्यप्रेम की कथा)

le aauu.Ngaa (Satyaprem Ki Katha)

Tags: anthem, ballad, filmy, generic, grand, intense, longing, love, pop, romantic, soft

तनिष्क बागची
Tanishk Bagchi

तनिष्क-वायु
Tanishk-Vayu

अरिजित सिंह
Arijit Singh

1.74

Toggle Jury's comments

It begins with promise -- lively, fresh -- but then disappointingly devolves into the kind of chorus/refrain that has become commonplace and cliched. -Zico

Conventional, yet has its moments of surprises. -Harsh

The music is different and interesting. -Ketan

Typical Arijit Singh, but song gives a déjà vu feeling, has a generic vibe. -Ashwini

Forgettable. -Subrat

Why do all songs in 2023 look like a repeat of some other song! -Akanksha

Simple base instrumentation works effectively in this track to prop up rousing vocal work by Arijit that is capped off by some lovely improv in the outro. The words are generic but in general, this is an interesting surprise from Tanishk. -Shasank

जादुई (तू झूठी मैं मक्कार)

jaaduii (Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar)

Tags: filmy, love, melody, pop, romantic, soft, soulful

प्रीतम
Pritam

अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य
Amitabh Bhattacharya

जुबिन नौटियाल
Jubin Nautiyal

1.70

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Is Jubin Nautiyal trying to be an Arijit clone? -Sunil

A sweet yet familiar and trope-like chorus line is elevated well with interesting verses in this melody but this is meat and potatoes territory for Hindi cinema love songs so there is some potential for anonymity with this track, much like the very familiar lyrics. Jubin Nautiyal is on top form though. -Shasank

Has Pritam run out of any new ideas? -Pranav

That one mark is because I get a break from Arijit in the voice of Jubin. -Subrat

Jubin Nautiyal is good, but the song sounds generic. -Ashwini

Why this strained-gasping singing by everyone? -Ketan

लेके प्रभु का नाम (टाइगर 3)

leke prabhu kaa naam (Tiger 3)

Tags: arabic, club, dance, dance number, filmy, groovy, pop, romantic

प्रीतम
Pritam

अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य
Amitabh Bhattacharya

अरिजित सिंह, निखिता गाँधी
Arijit Singh, Nikhita Gandhi

1.55

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Frankly, it's much better than it appears from the outset. Kudos to Pritam for getting the assigment. -Tatsam

One of those songs where it's worth hearing the entire thing for a 10-second hook. -Harsh

A fun arabic percussion base layer is subdued by tiring and routine electronic layers and a relatively generic melody, despite Arijit and Nikhita's efforts with the vocals. -Shasank

These type of songs need to retire now, besides of course some actors! -Akanksha

The main riff is extremely catchy. -Pranav

Meant for dance clubs, does well at that. -Ashwini

Reasonable impact from all aspects. -Guri

Surprisingly this is a good melody. Singing could be better, but for once it is Arijit who is the better singer. -Ketan

Now this song was a huge challenge to listen in full, it felt like punishment. -Neha

Most of the times I wouldn't be drunk enough to enjoy the song (read dance to it. But after a couple of listens, at least I can see where it's coming from: Pritam's trying to deliver a song befitting Salman's persona. It's not good by any measure, but it has its moments, like the bit where it goes 'music vusic start karo bhai'. -Zico

छेड़खानियाँ (शहजादा)

chhe.Dakhaaniyaa.N (Shehzada)

Tags: dance, disco, edm, filmy, funky, groovy, love, peppy, punjabi, romantic, upbeat

प्रीतम
Pritam

श्लोक लाल, आइपी सिंह
Shloke Lal, IP Singh

अरिजित सिंह, निखिता गाँधी
Arijit Singh, Nikhita Gandhi

1.54

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I like how Pritam finds ways to do fun little things within the conventional Bollywood dance number. -Zico

A classical melody meets a fun musical theme in this track where the percussions effortlessly blend between EDM, disco, and lounge. I wish there was more of Nikhita Gandhi in it as she sounds fabulous in the brief bits but Arijit is also used very creatively and offers a lot of mischief. -Shasank

Average. -Ashwini

Doesn't have much going for it besides the foot tapping music which sounds repititive. -Ketan

Nothing redeemable here. -Guri

2023

मैं परवाना (पिप्पा)

mai.n parawaanaa (Pippa)

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प्लम पुडिंग (द आर्चीज़)

Plum Pudding (The Archies)

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मुक्ति दो (पी एस 2)

mukti do (PS2)

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वीरा राजा वीरा (पी एस 2)

veeraa raajaa veeraa (PS2)

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इतनी सी बात (सैम बहादुर)

itanii sii baat (Sam Bahadur)

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तय नहीं किया अभी (गोल्डफ़िश)

tay nahii.n kiyaa abhii (Goldfish)

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बोलो ना (12वीं फ़ेल)

bolo naa (12th Fail)

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रुआँ रुआँ (पी एस 2)

ruaa.N ruaa.N (PS2)

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बेशरम रंग (पठान)

besharam ra.ng (Pathaan)

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गीली सी सुबह (लव ऑल)

giilii sii subah (Love All)

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इन राहों में (द आर्चीज़)

in raaho.n me.n (The Archies)

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नौका डूबी (लॉस्ट)

naukaa Duubii (Lost)

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वा वा वूम (द आर्चीज़)

vaa vaa voom (The Archies)

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ढिशूम ढिशूम (द आर्चीज़)

Dhishoom Dhishoom (The Archies)

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पिया पढ़ लेना (गोल्डफ़िश)

piyaa pa.Dh lenaa (Goldfish)

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कुड़मायी (फ़िल्म वर्ज़न) (रॉकी और रानी की प्रेम कहानी)

ku.Damaayii (Film Version) (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani)

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सपनों के पाखी (गुलमोहर)

sapano.n ke paakhii (Gulmohar)

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आइ वाना सी यू डांस (खो गए हम कहाँ)

I Wanna See You Dance (Kho Gaye Hum Kahan)

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रहे न क्यूँ (महिला वर्ज़न) (तरला)

rahe na kyuu.N (Female Version) (Tarla)

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घूमर (घूमर)

ghoomar (Ghoomer)

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चलेया (जवान)

chaleyaa (Jawan)

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दुनिया (ऑलमोस्ट प्यार विद डीजे मोहब्बत)

duniyaa (Almost Pyaar With DJ Mohabbat)

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मेरा आसमाँ जल गया (रप्रीज़) (पी एस 2)

meraa aasamaa.N jal gayaa (Reprise) (PS2)

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व्हाट झुमका (रॉकी और रानी की प्रेम कहानी)

What jhumakaa (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani)

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न होश चले (भाग 1) (ख़ुफिया)

na hosh chale (Part 1) (Khufiya)

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वे कमलेया (रॉकी और रानी की प्रेम कहानी)

ve kamaleyaa (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani)

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तेरी निगाहों ने (म्यूज़िक स्कूल)