Don't Play Love - Raat Gayi Baat Gayi by Sid Coutto, Gaurav Kapoor

Don't Play Love - Raat Gayi Baat Gayi works because it does not try to do too much — it finds one feeling and holds it perfectly. The music, composed by Ankur Tewari, carries the song forward with a confidence that matches the performance.

The performance by Sid Coutto, Gaurav Kapoor is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. Hearing Don't Play Love - Raat Gayi Baat Gayi without thinking of a talented ensemble cast is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Raat Gayi Baat Gayi.

The song dates from 2009, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. Listeners have described the experience of Don't Play Love - Raat Gayi Baat Gayi differently — romantic, melancholic, uplifting — which suggests the song is large enough to hold many truths.

Running to 3:10, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. Years from now, Don't Play Love - Raat Gayi Baat Gayi will still be the track that plays at the right moment and lands exactly as it did the first time.