Aarambh - Gulaal by Piyush Mishra

Not every song from Gulaal lingers, but Aarambh - Gulaal is the one that stays. The music, composed by Piyush Mishra, carries the song forward with a confidence that matches the performance.

The voice of Piyush Mishra carries Aarambh - Gulaal effortlessly, which is the highest compliment a song can give its singer. The song is tied to a talented ensemble cast, whose presence gives Aarambh - Gulaal a visual dimension that fans of the film will always associate with it.

By the end of 2009, Aarambh - Gulaal had moved well beyond its original audience and into everyday playlists. The emotional register of Aarambh - Gulaal is wide enough to fit celebration and solitude equally well.

In 4:55 minutes, Aarambh - Gulaal builds, opens up, and resolves in a way that feels complete rather than truncated. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Hindi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.