Kachchi Kaliyaan - Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - Journey Of A Woman by Sonu Nigam, KK, Shantanu Moitra

There is an honesty to Kachchi Kaliyaan - Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - Journey Of A Woman that separates it from most Hindi songs released around the same time. Shantanu Moitra sets the tone from the very first bar — it is clear from the opening notes that this song means business.

The performance by Sonu Nigam, KK, Shantanu Moitra is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. Hearing Kachchi Kaliyaan - Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - Journey Of A Woman without thinking of Jaya Bachchan, Rani Mukherji, Anupam Kher, Kunal Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - Journey Of A Woman.

The song dates from 2007, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. The mood of the track shifts subtly as it progresses, giving even a single listen a sense of journey.

Running to 4:35, 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 Sonu Nigam, KK, Shantanu Moitra and Shantanu Moitra, working together, are capable of something well above the ordinary.