Bakshi Babu by Anirban Bhattacharya

Some songs are made for a single moment. Bakshi Babu is made for all of them. Behind the melody is the work of Subhadeep Guha, whose composition choices give Bakshi Babu its distinctive texture.

Every line Anirban Bhattacharya sings feels considered, as though the performance was thought through long before recording began. a talented ensemble cast are at the heart of Bakshi Babu, and Bakshi Babu captures their dynamic at its most compelling.

By the end of 2019, Bakshi Babu had moved well beyond its original audience and into everyday playlists. The emotional register of Bakshi Babu is wide enough to fit celebration and solitude equally well.

Running to 4:49, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. Bakshi Babu has earned its place in the catalogue of Bengali music that genuinely matters. The listeners who found it early already knew.