Ek Ladki - Champion by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Prashant Samaddar

Ek Ladki - Champion is one of those rare Hindi tracks that manages to feel both fresh and familiar the moment it begins. Prashant Samaddar, Anu Malik has a history of strong work, and the music on Ek Ladki - Champion is among the most memorable of it.

Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Prashant Samaddar's vocal here has a quality that is difficult to describe but impossible to miss — it simply feels true. For fans of a talented ensemble cast, Ek Ladki - Champion is one of those songs that immediately conjures specific scenes and emotions.

2000 was a strong year for Hindi music, and Ek Ladki - Champion was among the reasons why. The song rewards full attention but also works as company in the background — a flexibility that most tracks never achieve.

Running to 5:43, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. The track stands as evidence that Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Prashant Samaddar and Prashant Samaddar, Anu Malik, working together, are capable of something well above the ordinary.