Ishquiya - Lipstick Under My Burkha by Neeti Mohan

Ishquiya - Lipstick Under My Burkha is the kind of song that earns its place in a playlist and then refuses to leave. Zebunnisa Bangash has a history of strong work, and the music on Ishquiya - Lipstick Under My Burkha is among the most memorable of it.

Neeti Mohan understood what this song required and delivered it without excess — the restraint itself becomes the emotion. Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak Shah, Aahana Kumra, Plabita Borthakur are at the heart of Lipstick Under My Burkha, and Ishquiya - Lipstick Under My Burkha captures their dynamic at its most compelling.

2017 marked the release of Lipstick Under My Burkha, and Ishquiya - Lipstick Under My Burkha was the track that ensured the album would be remembered. It fits the playlist for almost any occasion, which is rare — most songs have a narrow emotional window. This one does not.

The concision of Ishquiya - Lipstick Under My Burkha — just 4:51 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. Ishquiya - Lipstick Under My Burkha has earned its place in the catalogue of Hindi music that genuinely matters. The listeners who found it early already knew.