Banke Tera Jogi - Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani by Alka Yagnik, Sonu Nigam

The Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani album has several strong tracks, but Banke Tera Jogi - Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani is the one most listeners come back to first. Credit goes to Jatin, Lalit for a score that understands exactly what the song needs and nothing more.

The performance by Alka Yagnik, Sonu Nigam is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. The chemistry of Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Johnny Lever, Paresh Rawal is embedded in every moment of Banke Tera Jogi - Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, making it as much a performance as a song.

2000 marked the release of Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, and Banke Tera Jogi - Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani was the track that ensured the album would be remembered. Banke Tera Jogi - Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani is the song for the end of a long day when you want music that understands something without being asked to explain it.

Running to 4:43, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Hindi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.