Daha Balunga by Gobinda Chandra, Asima Panda

Daha Balunga is the kind of song that earns its place in a playlist and then refuses to leave. Abhijit Majumdar sets the tone from the very first bar — it is clear from the opening notes that this song means business.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Daha Balunga, Gobinda Chandra, Asima Panda 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.

In 2016, Odia produced many songs, but Daha Balunga was one of the handful that genuinely cut through. It fits the playlist for almost any occasion, which is rare — most songs have a narrow emotional window. This one does not.

Running to 3:49, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. Years from now, Daha Balunga will still be the track that plays at the right moment and lands exactly as it did the first time.