Chor Chor Chor - Sarfarosh by Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle

There is an honesty to Chor Chor Chor - Sarfarosh that separates it from most Hindi songs released around the same time. Laxmikant, Pyarelal sets the tone from the very first bar — it is clear from the opening notes that this song means business.

The performance by Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. The song is tied to Jeetendra, Sridevi, whose presence gives Chor Chor Chor - Sarfarosh a visual dimension that fans of the film will always associate with it.

1985 was a strong year for Hindi music, and Chor Chor Chor - Sarfarosh was among the reasons why. It is the kind of track that works at full volume with friends and equally well in a quiet room alone — the mood adjusts without the song changing.

The 5:59 runtime feels perfectly judged — long enough to develop its ideas, short enough to compel a second play. It is, at the end of it, a very good song — and sometimes that is the only explanation that matters.