Appa Dowey by Hans Raj Hans

Hans Raj Hans has delivered memorable performances before, but Appa Dowey sits comfortably among the very best. Surinder Sodhi has a history of strong work, and the music on Appa Dowey is among the most memorable of it.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Appa Dowey, Hans Raj Hans clearly belongs in the second group. Featuring a talented ensemble cast, the song carries the weight of the film's emotional arc and delivers it with conviction.

By the end of 2005, Appa Dowey had moved well beyond its original audience and into everyday playlists. The emotional register of Appa Dowey is wide enough to fit celebration and solitude equally well.

The concision of Appa Dowey — just 5:42 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. The staying power of Appa Dowey is not a mystery. It is just what happens when every element of a song is exactly right.