Diwali Mein Ali Ram Ramzan Mein - Maalik Ek by Ghulam Ali, Munawar Masoon

Ghulam Ali, Munawar Masoon has delivered memorable performances before, but Diwali Mein Ali Ram Ramzan Mein - Maalik Ek sits comfortably among the very best. The arrangement here is the work of Anup Jalota, and it shows genuine craft in how it builds and releases.

Ghulam Ali, Munawar Masoon inhabits this song completely, making every phrase feel like it was written specifically for this voice. Featuring Divya Dutta, Jackie Shroff, Shakti Kapoor, Vikram Gokhale, Kishori Shahane, Smriti Irani, Zarina Wahab, the song carries the weight of the film's emotional arc and delivers it with conviction.

2010 marked the release of Maalik Ek, and Diwali Mein Ali Ram Ramzan Mein - Maalik Ek was the track that ensured the album would be remembered. The song rewards full attention but also works as company in the background — a flexibility that most tracks never achieve.

The concision of Diwali Mein Ali Ram Ramzan Mein - Maalik Ek — just 5:17 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Hindi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.