Ek Aur Bismil - Haider by Sukhwinder Singh, Vishal Bhardwaj

There is an honesty to Ek Aur Bismil - Haider that separates it from most Hindi songs released around the same time. The production by Vishal Bhardwaj is understated in the best way — supportive without overshadowing the vocal.

The performance by Sukhwinder Singh, Vishal Bhardwaj is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. The connection between Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Tabu, Narendra Jha, Kay Kay Menon, Irrfan Khan and this song is part of what makes it resonate beyond the film itself.

2014 marked the release of Haider, and Ek Aur Bismil - Haider 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 Ek Aur Bismil - Haider — just 4:03 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. The track stands as evidence that Sukhwinder Singh, Vishal Bhardwaj and Vishal Bhardwaj, working together, are capable of something well above the ordinary.