Ek Akela Is Shaher Mein - Gharaonda by Bhupinder Singh

Bhupinder Singh has delivered memorable performances before, but Ek Akela Is Shaher Mein - Gharaonda sits comfortably among the very best. Credit goes to Jaidev for a score that understands exactly what the song needs and nothing more.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Ek Akela Is Shaher Mein - Gharaonda, Bhupinder Singh clearly belongs in the second group. The story told by Amol Palekar, Zarina Wahab, Shreeram Lagoo, Dina Pathak in Gharaonda finds its musical expression here — Ek Akela Is Shaher Mein - Gharaonda is where the film's heart beats loudest.

Released in 1977, it arrived at a time when Hindi music needed exactly this kind of sincerity. 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.

Running to 5:36, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. The song continues to find new listeners, which is the surest sign that it was made with something genuine at its core.