Tuna Totka by Raju Punjabi

Raju Punjabi has delivered memorable performances before, but Tuna Totka sits comfortably among the very best. Credit goes to VR Bros for a score that understands exactly what the song needs and nothing more.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Tuna Totka, Raju Punjabi clearly belongs in the second group. Hearing Tuna Totka without thinking of a talented ensemble cast is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Tuna Totka.

By the end of 2020, Tuna Totka had moved well beyond its original audience and into everyday playlists. Some music is background. Tuna Totka demands attention — not aggressively, but in the way a good conversation does.

The concision of Tuna Totka — just 3:22 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Haryanvi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.