Aaj Ibaadat - Bajirao Mastani by Javed Bashir, Shadab Faridi, Altamash Faridi, Shashi Suman, Shreyas Puranik, A.M. Turaz

Released as part of Bajirao Mastani, Aaj Ibaadat - Bajirao Mastani announced itself as a standout the moment it reached listeners. Javed Bashir, Shadab Faridi, Altamash Faridi, Shashi Suman, Shreyas Puranik, A.M. Turaz, Sanjay Leela Bhansali built the instrumental foundation carefully here — every element earns its place in the mix.

The performance by Javed Bashir, Shadab Faridi, Altamash Faridi, Shashi Suman, Shreyas Puranik, A.M. Turaz is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. The song is tied to a talented ensemble cast, whose presence gives Aaj Ibaadat - Bajirao Mastani a visual dimension that fans of the film will always associate with it.

Released in 2015, it arrived at a time when Hindi music needed exactly this kind of sincerity. Listeners have described the experience of Aaj Ibaadat - Bajirao Mastani differently — romantic, melancholic, uplifting — which suggests the song is large enough to hold many truths.

Running to 4:44, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. Songs like Aaj Ibaadat - Bajirao Mastani are the reason people fall in love with Hindi music and never quite fall out of it.